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Cdl. Gerhard Müller.Franco Origlia / Getty Images

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April 7, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the former head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and thus a former colleague of Cardinal George Pell, has expressed his joy about Pell’s release from prison after Australia’s High Court acquitted Pell of his convictions of child sexual abuse.

In comments to LifeSite, Müller said he rejoices that justice has prevailed over an obvious “bending of the law” in the Pell case, adding that he hopes that now also the Church’s court will find the Australian prelate free of any guilt.

As LifeSite reported, Cardinal Pell was released from an Australian prison yesterday after 14 months of imprisonment for an alleged crime of sexual abuse. The Australian High Court reviewed Cardinal Pell's appeal and, according to its statement, granted “special leave to appeal against a decision of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Victoria and unanimously allowed the appeal. The High Court found that the jury, acting rationally on the whole of the evidence, ought to have entertained a doubt as to the applicant’s guilt with respect to each of the offences for which he was convicted, and ordered that the convictions be quashed and that verdicts of acquittal be entered in their place.”

In comments to LifeSite, Cardinal Müller showed himself relieved that “justice has finally triumphed, after a shameful failure of justice and the orgies of hate that ridicule all reason.”

“Cardinal Pell is free again,” the German prelate continued, adding that “now, in this Holy Week of Suffering and Death, we remember Christ, ‘who with his suffering set an example for us: when he was reviled, he did not revile … but left His cause to the Just Judge’ (1 Pet. 2:21–23).”

Cardinal Müller called the previous condemnation of Cardinal Pell a “bending of the law before everyone’s eyes” and reminds us that “God alone is the Righteous Judge before whom we answer.” He said: “Even if the enemies of the Church of Christ had triumphed here — with their bending of the law before everyone’s eyes — Cardinal Pell and all those persecuted for their faith could still have appealed to God’s justice. Even if the persecutors of the Church of all times scoff at our hope for heavenly justice, they will not be able to escape responsibility at the Last Judgment (cf. Rev. 6:19).”

Cardinal Müller also called upon the Catholic Church’s own court so that they, too, may pronounce Cardinal Pell free of guilt. Müller stated: “Many are now praying that Cardinal Pell will now also receive justice before the ecclesiastical court. Although there are only human beings at work there, as well, they are nevertheless those who are or should be closer to divine justice.”

Next to Cardinal Müller, other cardinals have already expressed their relief at Cardinal Pell’s release from prison. Cardinal Wilfrid Napier commented on Twitter with the words “Deo Gratias,” a comment that was re-tweeted by Cardinal Robert Sarah, the head of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Cardinal Pell stated yesterday that “I have always maintained my innocence while suffering from a serious injustice.” He was grateful for his release and thanked all those who prayed for him and supported him. 

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Dr. Maike Hickson was born and raised in Germany. She holds a PhD from the University of Hannover, Germany, after having written in Switzerland her doctoral dissertation on the history of Swiss intellectuals before and during World War II. She now lives in the U.S. and is the widow of Dr. Robert Hickson, with whom she was blessed with two beautiful children.

Dr. Hickson published in 2014 a Festschrift, a collection of some thirty essays written by thoughtful authors in honor of her husband upon his 70th birthday, which is entitled A Catholic Witness in Our Time.

Hickson has closely followed the papacy of Pope Francis and the developments in the Catholic Church in Germany, and she has been writing articles on religion and politics for U.S. and European publications and websites such as LifeSiteNews, OnePeterFive, The Wanderer, Rorate Caeli, Catholicism.org, Catholic Family News, Christian Order, Notizie Pro-Vita, Corrispondenza Romana, Katholisches.info, Der Dreizehnte,  Zeit-Fragen, and Westfalen-Blatt.