Smear Campaign Against Cardinal Pell?

Catholics disappointed over the thwarted plans regarding Cardinal Pell - as illustrated by some of our recent news links...

Cardinal Pell expected to be named prefect of the Congregation for Bishops [5/5]

Cardinal Pell rumored to have declined Congregation for Bishops position [6/11]

Fears of negative publicity resulting from false allegations against Cardinal Pell by a career criminal in 2002 may have thwarted plans for a position in the Congregation for Bishops [6/14]

...may be interested to know that Telegraph Blogs Editor, Damian Thompson, believes Cardinal Pell has been the victim of "a smear campaign endorsed by certain bishops, especially Italian ones, who are desperate to stop Pell cleaning up what are in effect the 'rotten boroughs' of their dioceses." Writing "with some urgency", Mr. Thompson has found fault with both reasons provided (ill health, a false abuse allegation), claiming that the real reason is that "Cardinal Pell’s message to the bishops would be: 'Sorry, gentlemen, but this is not a job for life. You must exhibit evangelical dynamism and obedience to the Holy Father - and, if you don’t, then there are holy priests ready to take your place.' Hence this foul campaign." He also claims that "Not since the election of Benedict XVI has an appointment so horrified the smug, lazy, liberal establishment in the Vatican and the dioceses."

[6/16]

A "sneaky campaign"?

Damian Thompson, Telegraph Blogs Editor, says there is a "sneaky campaign in liberal circles (especially in America and in parts of Europe)" to associate the TLM with cases of abuse by priests. He says he has "been aware of it for some time" and says that the "heyday" of abuse "genuinely did coincide with a period when the Tridentine Mass was effectively banned." In support of his assertion of a 'sneaky campaign', he mentions the "appalling letter" of Cardinal Hoyos and a subsequent attempt to make an association between the Cardinal's "liturgical style and his attitude towards paedophilia" as well as a case involving a deacon in France who is "well known in English traditionalist circles." He even insinuates that Pope Benedict might not have been as well defended as he should have been because of the Holy Father's traditional liturgical preferences. Mr. Thompson closes by pointing out that "some of the most notorious abusers in recent Catholic history have been diehard liturgical trendies whose crimes coincided with a period when if it felt good, you just did it, and that included monkeying around with the Mass"

Related: The Traditional Latin ('Tridentine') Mass vs. the New (Novus Ordo) Mass

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