Headline News

Pope Francis Defends Top Vatican Official Cardinal George Pell Who Is Accused Of Child Sex Crimes

Charges of sexual offenses against Cardinal George Pell have placed new pressure on Pope Francis to make good on pledges to root out abuses in the church.

Published

9 years ago

June 30, 2017

Geoffrey Grider

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Charges of sexual offenses against one of the Vatican’s top-ranking prelates have placed new pressure on Pope Francis to make good on pledges to root out, punish and prevent abuses that have shaken the Roman Catholic Church worldwide.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Pope Francis has vowed to hold all Catholic priests responsible who have sexually abused children in thier various parishes around the world. Now comes the shocking news that a top Vatican cardinal, George Pell, has been charged with pedophilia. Pell is also the Pope’s senior advisor and confidant. Will Francis do the right thing, or will he continue to cover for pedophile priests while promising reform? To date, over 4,400 Catholic priests have been charged with pedophilia.

“And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:” Revelation 17:4 (KJB)

Cardinal George Pell, the most senior church official to be implicated in a far-flung scandal of decades’ standing, said Thursday that he would return to his native Australia to face the charges against him. He dismissed the charges as “relentless character assassination.”

The cardinal, who is a senior advisor to Francis, told reporters in Vatican City that the pontiff had granted him a leave of absence to contest the charges, which bring the globe-spanning abuse allegations directly to the gates of the Vatican.

Although cases of priest-committed pedophilia and their wrenchingly long-lasting repercussions remain an open wound in dozens of dioceses across the United States and other countries, it is rare for direct allegations of abuse to reach the level of a cardinal, each of whom is known as a “prince of the church.”

Hear Cardinal George Pell’s response to child sex assault charges:

Australian authorities described the charges against Pell as centering on sex offenses committed decades ago in Australia — “historical” crimes, in police language. Pell had already come under withering scrutiny in his homeland for allegedly helping to cover up sexual predation by others while he held senior church positions in Australia.

From his humble beginnings as a parish priest, Pell, 76, rose to become the Vatican’s powerful finance czar, tasked by Francis with untangling the convoluted accounting practices of the church’s worldwide empire. The cardinal’s sidelining could significantly hamper that ambitious reform effort, which has drawn significant hostility from elements of the Vatican bureaucracy.

The abuse scandal, which has colored successive papacies, is a far more visible public battle.

Cardinal George Pell charged with historical sex abuse offences:

Pope Francis has pledged “zero tolerance” for sexual abuse within the clerical ranks and has offered personal apologies to victims for past sexual predation and the church’s attempts to diminish and deny it. Yet he has also come under criticism for alleged foot-dragging and failure to forcefully confront institutional resistance to transparency and accountability.

“Clearly, this case is going to turn up the heat on this pope’s record on examination of sexual abuse,” said John Allen, the editor of Crux, an independent website covering the Vatican and the church. But he predicted that Pell, who in his youth excelled at the rough-and-tumble sport of Australian rules football, would aggressively fight the charges.

The cardinal, who did not take questions during his Vatican City appearance, has been ordered to appear before a court in Melbourne on July 18. “I am looking forward finally to having my day in court,” Pell told reporters. “I repeat that I am innocent of these charges. They are false.… The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me.”

The charges originated in the Australian state of Victoria, where police said, without providing details, that there were multiple charges from multiple complainants lodged against Pell.

For many victims in the U.S. and elsewhere, the cardinal’s case revives painful memories of being disbelieved and dismissed after suffering abuses in childhood at the hands of priests who were respected, even beloved, in their communities.

In one of the most notorious U.S. cases, in the Archdiocese of Boston, abuse and cover-ups involving hundreds of clergy and thousands of victims, many dating back decades, were documented in a 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winning series by the Boston Globe and the 2015 movie “Spotlight.” But new accusations, of abuse and systematic attempts to conceal it, continue to surface.

During his visit to the United States in 2015, Francis disappointed and surprised many victims and advocates when he appeared to praise American bishops for their handling of abuse cases. Although the pope has since expressed sympathy for those who suffered abuse, Vatican follow-up has been inadequate, said Thomas Doyle, a canon lawyer and priest who has worked with victims of pedophile priests in the U.S. for more than three decades.

Pope Francis vows to hold clergy accountable for child sex abuse:

Pope Francis vowed to end the long history of Catholic priests sexually abusing young children, most of them boys. Will he keep his promise or sweep it under the rug like all the others?

“Hopefully, this will get the pope’s attention, not only about Pell but about the problem in general,” he said. “The pope has done nothing so far. There’s a lot of disappointment among victims.”

With the Pell case throwing into sharp relief a long-standing sense of alienation and anger, the case could have grave ramifications for Francis’ papacy, some Vatican watchers said.

“It poses an enormous credibility challenge,” said Cristina Traina, a religion professor at Northwestern University. “It needs to be taken quite seriously. Statements of regret and distress and promises to do better in the future at this point are inadequate.”

Critics point to an enormous backlog of sexual abuse cases that have gone unacted upon. In 2014, Francis created a commission including two abuse victims to advise on the weeding out of predator priests, but the two victims — Peter Saunders and Marie Collins — left the commission amid frustrations over its inaction.

Collins said in an online post that though she was reserving judgment on whether Pell was guilty of committing abuse, he should have been made to answer to allegations he took part in cover-ups and should never have attained the prominent post he was given by Francis.

Pope Benedict resigned as child sex abuse allegations swirled around him:

“He should never have been allowed to hide out in the Vatican to avoid having to face those in his home country who needed answers,” Collins wrote on her website. The case will take time to wend its way through Australian courts, and the outcome could ultimately color Francis’ overall legacy, some observers said.

“His very image as a bold reformer hangs in the balance here, depending on what measures he takes in the aftermath of the Pell case,” said Andrew Chesnut, a professor of religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. “Sex abuse cases are the Achilles’ heel of his papacy.”

Previously, Pell said he was ill and declined to return to Australia to testify in a government inquiry, answering questions instead in February 2016 by video link from a Rome hotel.

The cardinal has acknowledged “catastrophic” errors on the church’s part in its handling of abuse complaints, but denied any personal wrongdoing.

So far, the Vatican has been largely supportive of Pell. Last year, when police confirmed that the cardinal was under investigation for sex offenses, Francis said it was important not to rush to judgment.

“It’s in the hands of the justice system, and one cannot judge before the justice system,” the pontiff said then. “After the justice system speaks, I will speak.”

Some Vatican watchers, however, pointed to a degree of papal distancing from Pell. A Vatican spokesman said Thursday that effective immediately the cardinal would not be taking place in liturgical celebrations.

The Vatican, which is a sovereign city-state in the middle of Rome, has sometimes sheltered church officials from criminal allegations.

Under previous popes, it sheltered officials wanted by other countries. That included even Italy, which was rebuffed when it sought the handover of Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, the then-head of the Vatican bank who was wanted for questioning about the fraudulent bankruptcy of a private Italian bank.

But Francis took a tougher line toward Jozef Wesolowski, a former archbishop who was accused of paying shoeshine boys for sex while serving as papal ambassador in the Dominican Republic. He was recalled and defrocked but was found dead of natural causes in 2015 in his Vatican quarters before he could face a judge. source

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Donald Trump

HELL WILL REIGN DOWN: Trump Threatens Iran With An End Times Holy War Ripped From The Book Of Revelation If They Don’t Make Peace In 48 Hours

Published

1 day ago

April 4, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Trump Warns Iran “All Hell Will Reign Down” In 48 Hours, And That Strange Word Choice May Reveal A Little More Than He Intended

President Donald Trump just dropped one of the most explosive warnings of this entire Iran confrontation, posting on Truth Social: “Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD! President DONALD J. TRUMP.” Multiple current outlets and live reports quoted that post verbatim on April 4, 2026, as Trump tied the ultimatum to his earlier ten-day deadline over the Strait of Hormuz.

“Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.” Isaiah 14:9 (KJB)

This is not merely another political post. This is the language of countdown, consequence and collision. Trump is telling Iran that the clock is nearly spent, that the deadline is real, and that failure to comply will bring devastating force. The Strait of Hormuz is not some minor patch of water. It is one of the most strategic choke points on the face of the earth, and whenever that narrow passage is threatened, the whole world feels it. Oil markets feel it, shipping lanes feel it, militaries feel it, and world governments feel it. So when Trump says “open up the Hormuz Strait” and attaches a 48-hour warning to it, he is not playing word games. He is putting the entire region on notice.

But there is something else in Trump’s Truth Social post that absolutely jumps off the page. Trump did not say hell would “rain” down. He said hell would reign down. Meaning Hell will begin to rule on Earth.

IS TRUMP HAVING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS? IS HE TORTURED BY DEVILS? THIS BOOK WILL TELL YOU, CLICK TO ORDER!!

Now maybe some people will dismiss that as a typo. Maybe it was, I don’t know. But words matter, and when a world leader is issuing a fiery public threat in the middle of a fast-moving regional crisis, every syllable carries weight. “Rain down” would mean destruction falling from above. But “reign down” carries a very different flavor altogether. Reign speaks of rule. Reign speaks of authority. Reign speaks of dominion imposed by superior power. That one word transforms the sentence from a mere threat of attack into something that sounds like judgment descending with force and rule attached to it. That is what makes this so striking. Whether Trump intended it or not, “reign” gives the whole statement an apocalyptic tone. It sounds less like a military response and more like a pronouncement. It sounds like power enthroned. It sounds like punishment backed by dominion. It sounds like the kind of language that reveals the deeper spirit of the moment. America is no longer whispering to Iran through diplomatic back channels. America is standing at the edge of the battlefield, pointing directly at Tehran, and warning that the next move may bring apocalyptic fire.

For years now, the Middle East has been a boiling cauldron, each fresh crisis drawing the nations one step closer to open alignment, open hostility and open war. Iran has long been a chief agent of chaos in the region, using proxies, terror, shipping threats and military posturing to push the entire area toward ignition. Now the Strait of Hormuz once again stands in the center of the storm, and Trump has decided that the time for measured talking points is over.

This is where we are on the end times timeline. Not in an age of peace, but in an age of ultimatums. Not in a season of calm, but in a season of escalation. Not in a world stepping back from the brink, but in one racing toward it. President Trump may indeed see his ‘Hell Will Reign Down’ threat come to pass in ways he’s never dreamt of. Or maybe he will TACO and forget all about it entirely. You never know with Trump.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

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When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Gospel Witness Billboard Program

Just In Time For Resurrection Sunday, A New Gospel Witness Billboard Proclaiming Salvation Through The Shed Blood Of Jesus Christ On The Cross Goes Up

Published

2 days ago

April 4, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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On this Resurrection weekend, NTEB is proclaiming new life through the shed blood of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world

The NTEB Gospel Witness Billboard Program continues going at full-speed ahead here in its sixth year of operation, proclaiming new life in Jesus Christ with a message that takes less than 3 seconds to read while traveling past it at an average of 60 miles per hour. We are working on one right now that will go up somewhere in Tennessee shortly, please pray for that, and this one you see in the photo at the top of this article that went up yesterday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” Ephesians 1:7 (KJB)

If you don’t believe that we live in a lost and dying world that has rejected Jesus Christ, just go read today’s headlines for 60 seconds and you will. But it is into this fallen world that Jesus Christ first appeared, and it is into this fallen world that we who are His witnesses are called to bear witness to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus on the third day according to the scriptures. Our billboards over the past six years have generated more than a billion views, and only the Judgment Seat of Christ will reveal just what manner of fruit was gained through this outreach. Please pray for the Gorzell family at Broken Pieces Ministries whom we partner with in this billboard, that the Lord will give them fruit, more fruit and much fruit for their labours.

How about you, Christian? Will you come and partner with all of us here at Now The End Begins to keep these billboards up? It costs thousands of dollars per month to do it, and we reach millions of people in the process. If God has prospered you, prayerfully consider clicking on the donate link to help us. We can’t do it without you.

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Headline News

Showing Themselves To Be Neither ‘Decimated’ Nor ‘Obliterated’, Iran Shoots Down American Aircraft At Will As World War Trump Takes A Dark New Turn

Published

2 days ago

April 3, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Neither decimated nor obliterated, Iran downs American warplanes and exposes the lie that this widening World War Trump is under control

For weeks now, the American people have been told that Iran was “decimated” and “obliterated,” that its ability to resist had been shattered, and that overwhelming force had already reduced the enemy to rubble. But now the battlefield is answering back with a very different testimony. AP reported Friday that two U.S. military aircraft were shot down as the war escalated, including an F-15E over Iran with one crew member rescued and another still missing. The Washington Post likewise reported that a second U.S. aircraft, an A-10, was also brought down, even as American rescue operations intensified. That is not what “obliterated” looks like. Today marks the single worst day for World War Trump since the conflict began. It only gets worse from this point on, so buckle up.

“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?” James 4:1 (KJB)

As the skies darken overseas, the Pentagon is being thrown into visible turmoil at home. AP reported yesterday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and also dismissed two other generals, adding to a broader pattern of removals among senior military leadership during this widening war. That is what makes this moment so dangerous. America is now watching a war grow more costly and less predictable at the exact same time that the military chain of command is being shaken at the top. Iran is proving it can still strike, still contest the fight, still bloody American power, while Hegseth is purging senior officers in the middle of a regional firestorm. That is not stability. That is not control. That is not confidence. That is a government trying to project strength while the structure underneath it visibly trembles. This is why a Fox News host is not fit to run the Pentagon.

Trump: “We’re flying wherever we want. Nobody is even shooting at us”

Iran: hits US F-15E jet, hits US A-10 plane, forces both F-16 and KC-135 into emergency landings.

Is anyone tired of the lies coming from Washington, or does that MAGA Kool-Aid still taste good? pic.twitter.com/ALanNmoOBO

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) April 3, 2026

What we are seeing is the same old lie that has dragged nations into disaster for generations. First comes the boasting. Then comes the inflated language. Then comes the media chorus repeating that victory is assured, the enemy is broken, and the situation is under control. But war has a way of stripping the paint off every official narrative. Jets fall. Men go missing. Rescue missions are launched. The enemy everyone said was finished keeps fighting. And suddenly all the slogans Trump has been feeding his base don’t sound so convincing anymore.

Hegseth’s role in this only sharpens the sense of disorder. You do not fire top generals in the middle of a shooting war and then expect the public to believe everything is proceeding calmly and according to plan. Maybe the administration calls it accountability. Maybe it calls it reform. But from the outside, it looks like upheaval at the summit while the battlefield below grows hotter by the hour. AP says more than a dozen military leaders have been removed in the past year under Hegseth’s tenure. By any fair standard of reckoning, that’s a purge.

The truly maddening part is that none of this should surprise anybody paying attention. Iran was never going to absorb repeated blows and simply disappear. A regime with missiles, air defenses, regional reach, hardened infrastructure, and ideological resolve was never going to be erased by chest-thumping rhetoric and triumphant press lines. The fantasy was always political. The reality is military. And now the military reality is tearing through the political fantasy in front of the whole world. AP has already reported other Iranian strikes during this war, including an attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia that wounded U.S. troops and damaged aircraft.

So yes, it’s safe to say that this war has taken a dark turn, a very dark turn.

Iran has shown itself to be neither “decimated” nor “obliterated.” It is battered, yes. Pressured, yes. Under attack, yes. But it is still capable of inflicting damage, still capable of challenging American power, and still capable of exposing how hollow the original boasts were. And while that reality unfolds abroad, Pete Hegseth is remaking the Department of War through abrupt removals that only deepen the impression of a war machine under strain.

The message from Washington is strength, command, and dominance, but the message from events is something very different: this thing is slipping, the cost is rising, the leadership is unstable, and the promises made at the beginning are already being swallowed by the flames. That is the dark turn. And once the official story can no longer survive contact with reality, the next thing to die is trust.