The golden thread of justice remains intact

With forensic precision, both Paul Kelly (“Travesty of Justice”, 11-12/4) and Frank Brennan (“Lessons learned from Pell’s sad saga of suffering”, 11-12/4) expose the grievous, almost unbelievable errors of the Victorian criminal justice system that led to the unjust imprisonment of George Pell. Brennan in particular describes a sad sequence of failures by that state’s police, prosecutors and — with the honourable exception of Mark Weinberg — judiciary. That it was left to a unanimous High Court to confirm that which ought to have been at the forefront of those concerned, the presumption of innocence, came sadly too late to prevent the cardinal’s incarceration.

It was the English judge, Viscount Sankey, who in Woolmington v DPP, 1935, memorably referred to that presumption as “the golden thread” of criminal justice. All us of should be grateful that our highest court has unambiguously re-knitted that thread into our legal fabric.

John Kidd, Auchenflower, QLD

Paul Kelly identified the human failings not of Cardinal Pell but those in our legal system that nearly succeeded in condemning him to prison and disgrace. Not so lucky was Thomas Cranmer, the subject of Hilary Mantel’s new book, The Mirror and the Light. Cranmer was unjustly condemned by a capricious king and ambitious councillors.

It is worth reflecting on what Mantel wrote: “But the law is not an instrument to find out the truth. It is there to create a fiction that will help us move past atrocious acts and face our future. It seems there is no mercy in this world, but a kind of haphazard justice: men pay for crimes, but not necessarily their own.”

Ron Green, Stanley, TAS

History is littered with scapegoats, but if only lessons could be learned from this saga of suffering. An unavoidable human flaw is the making of mistakes. If unwilling to learn by them, the flaw is exacerbated by apportioning blame to others. Fortunately, a tiered court system has provided reparation in this case.

Roslyn Smith, Middle Park, QLD

George Pell got off not because he was innocent but because there was reasonable doubt. In other words, there was some uncertainty, which is the exact opposite of the “certainty” that Paul Kelly claims early on in his column. What certainty do we now have: that Pell was innocent? This was not the conclusion from the High Court, and Kelly was disingenuous not to make this clear. We know the legal judgement was that there was reasonable doubt.

Matthew Allan, Camp Hill, QLD

Reading George Pell’s Easter message (11/4), you can look into the soul of a decent man and wonder about the souls of those who tried to crucify him.

Ian Rae, River Heads, QD

Greg Sheridan’s majestic Easter article (“Easter solace for us all,” 11-12/4) made for a delightful balm of weekend reading. The gospels have the wonderful and perhaps irritating habit of transcending time and space. While we rightfully acknowledge the abhorrent abuses in history, to which the recent acquittal of George Pell has drawn attention, no other ideological creed has so positively transformed patterns of human behaviour than the Christian faith.

To name only a few social movements: the Salvation Army, YMCA, Barnardo’s, Boy Scouts, the establishment of universities, abolition of the British slave trade, invention of braille and the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The impetus behind all of these is the Bible and the teaching of Jesus.

While many Australians seek to have their cultural cake and eat it too in regards to Easter, this triumphant story speaks timelessly to the human heart. The Christian conviction of reframing your life in light of the resurrection of Christ does not necessarily guarantee a smooth journey, but it does promise a safe landing.

Peter Waterhouse, Craigieburn VIC

A strange, sad Easter it is this year. But without its culmination in Christ’s resurrection, Easter has always been strange and sad. In the midst of COVID-19, all lives are disrupted. We are cut off from family, friends and familiar routines. Greg Sheridan’s article, along with George Pell’s Easter message, moved me almost to tears. They reflect on how the mystery of human suffering connects with the essential meaning of Easter. Fuel for thought in a distressing time.

Lesley Hicks, Chatswood, NSW