CARDINAL George Pell is to be investigated by a NSW parliamentary privileges committee for contempt, despite the Archbishop of Sydney reiterating that his comments on cloning legislation have been misrepresented.
Cardinal Pell said the inquiry was a “clumsy attempt” to curb free speech with a “whiff of Stalinism”.
The investigation stems from the cardinal telling all members of parliament they should reject the cloning of human embryos for experimentation and destruction.
“No Catholic politician, indeed no Christian or person with respect for human life who has properly informed his conscience about the facts and ethics in this area should vote in favour of this immoral legislation,” he said in a statement.
Cardinal Pell recently angered Catholic politicians when he warned that any who voted in favour of the legislation would face consequences in their life in the Church.
But Cardinal Pell said his comments – interpreted as a threat to refuse Communion to those MPs – had been misrepresented.
“I set out the classic Catholic position, which is that if you violate Catholic moral principles, it has consequences for your relationship with God and the church,” Cardinal Pell told Sunday Profile.
