WHILE some may be surprised by the Member for Dubbo, Troy Grant’s call for Cardinal Pell to step down from his position, it would seem inside knowledge places Mr Grant in a unique position of understanding.
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Mr Grant’s statement fits neatly with a call by another policeman - a Detective Inspector Peter Fox - who called on Premier Barry O’Farrell to institute a Royal Commission into allegations of cover-ups and church interference in police investigations of alleged paedophile priests.
Late yesterday afternoon, the Premier announced a special commission of inquiry - a step this newspaper welcomes but it sincerely hopes the commission will have the teeth and capability to be strong enough to uncover allegations of cover ups.
It has been a bad week for the Cardinal.
Earlier this week stories of thuggery and puerile behaviour at St John’s College, a residence for university students in Sydney, were well publicised.
But allegations of child molestation have done a great deal to damage the reputation of the church and unfortunately these inferences must trouble those who worship within the Catholic Church.
Alas the Premier’s special commission will only focus on the Hunter region; but the allegations overwhelmingly point to a far wider sphere and thus Mr Grant’s call for a Royal Commission has greater merit than a commission that is narrow in its focus.
