Cardinal Pell 'became the scapegoat for his church': Andrew Bolt

Cardinal George Pell “should never have been convicted” with his persecution representing “one of this nation’s greatest miscarriages of justice,” according to Sky News host Andrew Bolt.

Mr Bolt said a “witch hunt” has permeated facets of society against the Cardinal, which has subsequently “ruined his reputation, destroyed his brilliant career” and “robbed him” of his freedom.

On Tuesday, Cardinal Pell had his sexual abuse conviction overturned by Australia’s highest court, in a unanimous decision, after having spent 405 days in jail following an initial ruling which had found him guilty in 2018.

Cardinal Pell had come out and said he holds “no ill will toward my accuser” adding “I don’t want my acquittal to add to the hurt and bitterness so many feel; there is certainly hurt and bitterness enough”.

Mr Bolt said shame should fall upon the “state institutions which tried so destroy a man loathed by the Left as a conservative and chosen by the mob to be the scapegoat for his church.”

“Shame also on the ABC, our national broadcaster, for hysterically promoting damaging claims against Pell that all turned out to be too absurd to lead to charges, or too flimsy to go to trial, or now, too weak to survive an appeal”.

Mr Bolt also showed a recreation of the alleged timeline of events which were levelled against Cardinal Pell saying, “neither Pell, the supposed criminal, nor his victims could have been at the scene of the crime at the only time the crime was possible”.

“It seems the High Court agreed”.

Image: AP