Pell trial journalist Melissa Davey AMA on the trial.

[Voltaire2]

AMA with Melissa Davey

I am Melissa Davey, Melbourne Bureau Chief of Guardian Australia and one of a few journalists worldwide who sat through the entirety of the trial of Cardinal George Pell, including the committal hearing, mistrial and retrial. I also covered his evidence before Australia's child sexual abuse royal commission in 2016 live for four days straight. I have been covering issues like child sexual abuse, family violence and royal commissions for several years now, and the podcast I made on the child abuse royal commission with my colleagues Miles Martignoni and David Marr, 'The Reckoning', won two New York Festival awards. We've have now made 'The Reckoning Part 2' about the Pell case. We'll make the final episode after the appeal.

​Since the suppression order lifted on the Pell trials and my stories were published, I have been overwhelmed by the level of interest in the case, especially questions around the court process and the facts. I think it's important for journalists to make this court process as transparent and comprehensible as possible, so here I am to answer any of your questions. There is a huge appetite for dispassionate, clear reporting on this somewhat complicated story, and I've found the engagement from readers so interesting. As many of you will be aware there has been a significant backlash to the conviction led by Catholic news websites worldwide and some of the conservative press here in Australia. Let's talk about that too.

Well worth reading. Appalling horsehit still going on giving these monsters protection.

[Major Nikon]

1. One of the more interesting aspects is Pell's involvement with Gerald Ridsdale

We know now that Pell was responsible for covering up Ridsdale's serial child raping. It exposes a bit on how the RCC's culture of child rape works. You have networks of child rapists who actively work together to protect each other.

[MineralMan]

2. What is striking in that question and answer session is

the lack of idiotic defenders of those predator priests. Were this done here, that rabble would have rendered the dialog unreadable. Now, perhaps it was heavily moderated. I don't know, but it looks nothing like that kind of Q&A from most US sources.

I know it's Reddit, but it appears as though the participants are sober, thoughtful, and articulate. How refreshing!