Australia’s highest ranking Roman Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, has been charged with multiple historical sex offences, Victoria Police said on Thursday.
In a press conference held in Melbourne, Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said that the Vatican-based cleric, generally considered the third most senior person at the Vatican where he is responsible for the churches’ finances, had been charged on summons and was required to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 18th July for a filing hearing.
Deputy Commissioner Patton said the charges, which involve multiple complainants, had been served on Cardinal Pell’s legal representatives in Melbourne and lodged at the court.
He said the process and procedures followed in the case have been the same as those applied in a range of other cases. “Cardinal Pell has been treated the same as anyone else in this investigation”, said Deputy Commissioner Patton. He added that the decision to charge the cardinal was made by Victoria Police.
Appearing at a Vatican press conference on Thursday morning, Cardinal Pell said he was “looking forward, finally, to having my day in court”.
“These matters have been under investigation for two years,” he said. “They have been leaked to the media. There has been relentless character assassination…”
Cardinal Pell said he was innocent of the charges. “They are false. The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me…All along I have been completely consistent and clear in my total rejection of these allegations.”
Cardinal Pell said news of the charges “strengthens” his resolve and that court proceedings offered him an opportunity to clear his name and return to work in Rome.
He said he had spoken to his lawyers and doctors about returning to Australia and said he was grateful to Pope Francis, who he said he had kept informed of the matter, for granting him leave to return to Australia.
Since this article was published, the court date was changed to 26th July.
