Australian Cardinal and Aide to Pope Is Charged With Sexual Assault
“I stand by everything I’ve said at the Royal Commission and in other places.”
In a statement Thursday morning, the Archdiocese of Sydney said
that the cardinal had been informed of the charges and that “he has again strenuously denied all allegations.”
“Cardinal Pell will return to Australia, as soon as possible, to clear his name following advice
and approval by his doctors who will also advise on his travel arrangements,” the statement said, adding, “He said he is looking forward to his day in court and will defend the charges vigorously.”
In recent decades, more than 50 Roman Catholic bishops worldwide have been accused of sexually abusing children, according
to BishopAccountability.org, an advocacy group in Massachusetts that documents sexual abuse in the church.
“Cardinal Pell has been treated the same as anyone else.”
Cardinal Pell, the Vatican’s de facto finance chief, had been accused in hearings before Australia’s Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to
Child Sexual Abuse of mishandling misconduct cases against clergy members while he served as the leader of the Archdioceses of Melbourne and Sydney.
Last year, detectives from the state of Victoria flew to Rome to interview Cardinal Pell over sexual abuse accusations, the police said.
By JACQUELINE WILLIAMSJUNE 28, 2017
SYDNEY, Australia — Australia’s senior Roman Catholic prelate,
and one of Pope Francis’ top advisers, has been charged with sexual assault, the police in the Australian state of Victoria said on Thursday.