CARDINAL George Pell of Sydney has asked Pope John Paul II to help save a convicted Australian drug trafficker from execution in Singapore.
Cardinal Pell has spoken out in support of saving the life of Melbourne man, Nguyen Tuong Van, 23, who has been sentenced to death after appearing in a Singapore court for trafficking of heroin.
The cardinal explained his position in an ABC Radio interview on March 17.
Responding to the suggestion that the man knew the risk he took when he trafficked drugs through South-East Asia, Cardinal Pell said: ‘It was his first overseas trip, he’s admitted his guilt right from the start’.
Cardinal Pell said he had sent a file on the case to Pope John Paul II seeking his support.
In a later interview on ABC Radio, Cardinal Pell also said he may be willing to ask for the Pope’s assistance in support of Gold Coast woman, Schapelle Corby, 27, if she faced a similar fate at the completion of a court case in Bali.
