Absolution: Cardinal George Pell and the Pontiff

Absolution is the conclusion

of the sacrament of Penance,

a jewel of the seven sacraments.

If a Cardinal lies to a Pontiff...

a minor misrepresentation perhaps..,

or all that his memory provides...

We are nothing if not imperfect beings.

If he lies for the Church? A venial sin surely..?

The Pontiff senses the existential crises.

The reputation of all that was blessed

is shredded by special commissions laying

bare the beasts within, those who succumbed

to the works and pomps of The Devil

those who entertained their base nature

those who made the little children suffer,

the innocents who should have been sheltered

and were horribly violated.

You must return and clear your name,

if you are certain as you claim,

that you are snared in political folly,
a victim of those who would harm our Church?

I am, Your Holiness. But despite

my innocence, the rumours and the press

have painted me guilty. It is impossible

to receive a fair trial now. It is quite possible

that I would be imprisoned, probable

in fact, the scales are tipped against me.

And I am old now, my health is ragged

Your Holiness, it deteriorates rapidly.

A pacemaker regulates my heartbeat.

There are popes and there are popes. This one

is too moderate... too holy perhaps.

If only Ratzinger were still here, he would say

let them rattle their cages,

let them stack their faggots,

let them howl for blood, you are here within

the bosom of Mother Church; rest easy, within.

For some reason an image of that girl,

the one mother made me take to the final

primary year dance, appears now.

She wrote as an 'old friend with a word of advice'.

The rumours have embarrassed her;

if only I would return and clear my name.

God was with me, God will care for His own.

Priests are lonely people, and some more than others.

Some, like Ridsdale are weak. Everybody

has his Achilles Heel. I kept it under

control, mostly. An occasional lapse.

I despised the weak. Man up! I said to him.

Say a decade of the rosary and ask

for the grace to overcome temptation.

It was in his nature and I forgave him.

A priest's life is a lonely one.

But George, he said, there's no one else here.

I am afflicted, why did He make me like this?

I told him, I said, During the sacrament

of confession you will address me as 'Father'.

I was hard on the weak in the confessional.

Mine was the Voice of God. That girl, the one

made pregnant by her father, so she said.

I told her. If you have an abortion

I cannot forgive you. So I will go

to Hell? She asked. You will receive your just

punishment. But what can I do? She asked.

These are simple folk. The flock ha. Humanity.

Beer, footy and a root on a Saturday.

They need to know where sin lies. You sin,

and you risk damnation for eternity.

My God is to be feared. He is not a loving god.

All that Vatican 11 kumbaya skippy stuff.

Not for My God. That's why we are where we are.

The rabble needs rules, a stiff rod.

In essence they are stupid. But they can lynch you.

The pack mentality. I hear them now,

they slaver and howl.

Cardinal, our flocks diminish, our shepherds die.

You must return, for your sake and for the

sake of Holy Mother Church. Say a decade

of the rosary and ask for God's mercy

understanding and blessing in your future trials.

Dominus noster Jesus Christus te absolvat...

So, that's it. It has come to this. Me...
The Sacrificial Lamb. Such heavenly irony.

Well, my lawyers will see about that one.
I will be Pontiff one day. The Church needs
my guiding hand. My God knows it.