The cardinal
Victoria Police has confirmed Cardinal Pell has been charged on summons over multiple allegations and is due to face Melbourne Magistrates Court on July 18 for a filing hearing.
A statement from the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney said Cardinal Pell had been informed of Victoria Police’s “decision and action”.
He denies all the allegations and says he’ll defend himself vigorously.
Cardinal Pell is the third most senior Catholic at the Vatican, where he is responsible for the church’s finances.
He is likely to step aside from his Vatican post while he fights the charges.
Victoria’s Deputy Police Commissioner, Shane Patton, confirmed in a brief press conference on Thursday morning that Cardinal Pell had been issued with multiple charges relating to historical sexual abuse allegations.
The charges were served on Cardinal Pell’s legal representatives in Melbourne on Thursday, Mr Patton said.
“There are multiple complainants relating to those charges,” he said.
Mr Patton said there had been a lot of speculation about the process that has been involved in the investigation of Cardinal Pell.
“The process and procedures that are being followed in the charging of Cardinal Pell have been the same that have been applied in a whole range of historical sex offences, whenever we investigate them,” he said.
“Cardinal Pell has been treated the same as anyone else in this investigation.”
So that’s interesting.
His Emininence is very ill and is reported to be unable to travel long distances, so it might be some time, if ever, he returns to appear in a magistrate’s court.
How the cardinal ‘fights the charges’ is the question of course.
What was it that Pope Frankie said about how he feels in his heart the anguish of the victims of child abuse and how he won’t rest until the perps are properly dealt with?
Of course we need to watch this again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtHOmforqxk
RJW,
He actually said that he would go to the convocation and that he was “looking forward finally to having my day in court”. Ironic since, as you said, he’s been saying his ill health was preventing him from going back to Australia for a while now…