There have been some, not many, in the media and political class who have shown the courage to address the blatant witch hunt against Cardinal George Pell.
The Australian newspaper. Quadrant. Sky News. Gerard Henderson, Greg Craven and Tony Abbott. Even Frank Brennan.
All these and others deserve praise and recognition.
But no one has probed these issues with such clarity, strength and courage as Andrew Bolt.
Yet, amazingly, Andrew Bolt is not Catholic. He is not even Christian. No one can accuse Andrew Bolt of being religiously biased in his support of Cardinal Pell.
Andrew Bolt’s thirst for true justice has seen him unjustly and viciously vilified, abused and accused of even supporting paedophilia.
Yet nothing could be further from the truth.
If Bolt believed that Pell was guilty, he would not have raised questions about the case against him.
And now we know that Pell was innocent and that the allegations he faced were fanciful.
An innocent man was jailed because of the hysteria of the mob, whipped up by many of Andrew’s own colleagues in the media. This hysteria ensured Cardinal Pell was never provided a fair trial and it led Victoria’s highest judges to abandon the safeguards of the criminal process to keep an innocent man locked up.
Bolt knew that he would be ridiculed, mocked and derided for daring to raise concerns about the way Cardinal Pell was jailed.
Yet he stood firm in the face of this. More than anyone, he proved the importance of a free media. And, in doing so, he gave courage to others and kept hope alive.
When group think and peer group pressure led the majority of his colleagues to illogically, unthinkingly and vengefully defame an innocent man, Andrew Bolt went courageously and with principal in the other direction, pursuing the truth.
And, now, Andrew Bolt and a very few others have been proven correct.
All Australians owe Andrew Bolt a debt of gratitude for his courage. After all, given state-funded institutions so abused their powers to jail Cardinal Pell, any other Australian could find themselves in those same shoes. And if that happens we will need an Andrew Bolt to speak out.
The Australian Press Council’s ‘Press Freedom Medal’ has been irrevocably tainted during this scandalous affair, awarded to Louise Milligan for her defamatory articles and book on Cardinal Pell.
If the Australian Press Council wishes to restore its reputation it can do nothing less than revoke this award from this discredited journalist. And it could do nothing better to restore the reputation of this award by granting it to a man who has shown such courage in the face of the mob to defend true justice and lead the public fight to release an innocent man from jail.
Andrew Bolt truly deserves this award. However, I doubt he will ever receive it.
The majority of those in the media class were shown to be stupid yesterday. Today we’ll start to see that they are also remorseless, bigoted and hateful.
Andrew Bolt, as they say, was on the right side of history. The majority of his colleagues are likely to now dig in on the wrong side.
So, please God, Andrew Bolt and others will keep defending truth. We need it more than ever.
May 5, 2020
I’ve disagreed with Andrew Bolt and Gerard Henderson more times than I can count. I never voted for John Howard or Tony Abbott. But the four of them demonstrated more courage than the collective yapping heads at the ABC, when they stood by someone they either respected or believed was innocent.
I’ve been a life long supporter of the ABC but the smug arrogance and stubbornness of many of the presenters is just depressing.
With George Pell being exonerated by the High Court I’ve witnessed one of the most bizarre meltdowns of those who should know better: not just attacking our cherished final arbiter of the law (which has often made decisions applauded by the left) but the weirdest of campaigns where those who were and are on the right side of history being pilloried for being so.
I’d still like several of those ABC presenters who labelled George Pell a “coward” and indeed one top one who said “he’ll never come back” because he was ill & unable to travel to front the Royal Commission but got onto a plane to return to face his fate when told he was to be charged to at the very least acknowledge that he showed courage. Never happen of course.
April 25, 2020
I admire Andrew for his intestinal fortitude. Under tirades of criticism from all around, including big business,he stuck to his guns. Thank you Andrew . Well done.
April 10, 2020
I have done a lot of thinking about the whole issue and over the last few days have come to the conclusion that the trouble George Pell found himself in emanated from the Vatican.
We know that when he was promoted to number three in the Vatican he put a lot of noses out of joint. As treasurer to the Vatican, he stomped on a lot of the shenanigans that were going on with its finances by several Cardinals who were using the money for their personal gain and to their advantage.
Having wielded their authority for so long unchallenged, Pell had to go. What better way to make this happen than to concoct fabrications that would see him end up in court and removed from the seat of power.
I only wish there was some way this travesty of justice could be uncovered and a lot of Cardinals getting the heave-ho for their dastardly actions to remove an honest man. I wonder if the BBC would like to give it a go to atone for their sins against George pell?
The BBC in its three-part series “Revelation” in an attempt to discredit him didn’t realize that they also exposed the power of the priest who was not to be questioned. How much more so than Cardinals.
April 9, 2020
Long live Andrew Bolt and also yourself being prepared to stand up for what is right and truthful. Absolute shame on Victoria, I haven’t heard one word of apology from anyone down there. As for the ABC I would cut their funding in half if it was up to me and demand they provide balanced reporting. John
April 10, 2020
As the GatBC only represents one side of the equation, they should only get half of their funding. Why should the half that does not accept their version of the truth have to pay them to promote the lies they have?
April 10, 2020
Sorry. That should read the GayBC.
April 18, 2020
Agree with you John, well said.
April 8, 2020
Andrew Bolt has done nothing to support you in your fight. Your story is everything he claims to care about – free speech, religious liberty, states’ rights, an out of control bureaucracy. He’s no better than Tim Wilson on that front. Bolt is one of those conservatives who think you can make the Left like you with civility and debate, so I suspect he has not defended you because he thinks your views on homosexuality are “rude”; and also perhaps because doing so would mean going against the Liberal party, which he shills for whenever he gets the chance. But you have a fondness for self-flagellation – you praise Bolt, and you hand out how to vote cards for the LNP, the very party that is helping to persecute you (yes it is NSW, but no one in QLD has helped you).
April 9, 2020
Martin it is true that Andrew has not shown any interest in the farce I face. I am ticked off about that.
But on this issue he does deserve praise. I am not going to withhold it due to personal annoyance.
April 9, 2020
You are a great and decent man. God Bless you and your family.
April 9, 2020
Thanks – but I actually have many flaws.
April 8, 2020
Not often we see judges publicly shamed. A light went on in Bernards tunnel.
April 8, 2020
This was always at its core about anti-Christian bigotry and anti-Conservative hatred. It’s what drove leftists into fits of insanity with Abbott; it’s what drives leftists today into fits of insanity with ScoMo. Personally, I find it quite impossible to imagine having to live with this kind of psychosis, carrying it around all day, and allowing it to control my behaviour in public. If you’re wondering what spurred on the worst aspects of the Spanish Inquisition you don’t need much of an imagination these days.
April 8, 2020
Yet, amazingly, Andrew Bolt is not Catholic. He is not even Christian. No one can accuse Andrew Bolt of being religiously biased in his support of Cardinal Pell.
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It is the measure of a good man to speak up against perceived injustice and untruth, regardless of his religion or ideology. Ditto for a good woman.
Another good man is Mark Latham who stuck up for Israel Folau, a fundamentalist Christian ✝️ on the grounds of religious conviction that Mark did not share.
You can view Mark Latham’s 27 February speech to parliament here
https://fifthestatepress.com/stories/lgbt-activism-has-lead-to-corruption-within-the-ns-20200229
And you can read a theory about Cardinal George Pell’s scapegoating and false conviction here
https://fifthestatepress.com/stories/cardinal-george-pell-takes-the-wrap-for-the-cathol-20191212
Bernard – the trial of the Cardinal has also been a proxy trial of Catholicism in Australia following the stories of institutional abuse that were collected by the Royal Commission. The overturning of the false conviction by the High Court is a huge setback for the LGBT Agenda that aimed at hiding the homosexual behavior of a some Catholic homosexual priests by categorizing this as “pedophilia”. Yet 80% of the 4400 abuse stories collected by the Royal Commission were homosexual abuse.
April 8, 2020
The case against Pell was sloppy, vicious, vindictive & lacked evidence. Tried by the media (ABC) well before he went to trial.
Irrespective of what you think of Pell or his institution, an unsound verdict is just that.
However with respect to the perptuation of RC clergy atrocities, we are yet to see whether Pell was involved in prolonging the pain.
April 8, 2020
Perhaps now he could direct his energies into assisting you, Bernard?