Dignified and praiseworthy

The reaction of Archbishop George Pell, the most senior figure in the Australian Catholic Church, to accusations of a sexual abuse of a minor 40 years ago was dignified and most praiseworthy.

The Archbishop of Sydney gave a press conference in which he denied the allegations and said he was confident his name would be cleared. "The alleged events never happened," he said. "I repeat emphatically, that the allegations are false."

The charges, he said were "a smear of the most vindictive kind". But he did not stop at that. He went on to say that, "for the good of the Church and to preserve the dignity of the office of archbishop, I will take leave from today as archbishop of Sydney until the inquiry is completed."

We are not suggesting that every person accused of child abuse should behave in this way. We think that there can be different situations where one can take a different path but the path taken by Pell is both honourable and dignified.

It is also interesting to note the reaction of the Catholic Church in Australia to the accusations. The probe into the charges against Archbishop Pell will be the first test for a new set of procedures adopted by the Australian bishops for the treatment of sex abuse allegations.

The Church did not try some kind of cover-up or stalling of proceedings. On the contrary, when the Melbourne man (he is not being identified) first made his complaint against Archbishop Pell, the accuser was encouraged to seek criminal prosecution.

He chose not to do so, opting for an internal investigation by Catholic Church authorities. It is a pity that our church, when faced by such accusations, has not adopted the forward looking position of so many churches overseas.

Our Curia would only go so far as to inform the accuser that he has the right to make criminal accusations. The Australian church does not only inform but also encourages such an action.

The charges against the archbishop will be explored by a retired judge, Alec Southwell, who will report his findings to the Australian bishops' National Committee for Professional Standards.

Archbishop Pell is a widely respected man, though he has been through a number of controversies. He has the backing of Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who said he had spoken by phone to the archbishop on Tuesday and believed fully in his innocence.

Mr Howard has publicly stated that he believes that Pell is innocent. One wonders how many wise guys there were in Australia who accused the prime minister that he prejudged the case by expressing an opinion about it!