George Pell faces more questions over sex abuse claims, by Tessa Akerman, Australian (October 26, 2016)

Victoria Police has broadened its investigations into historical sexual assault allegations against George Pell after an interview in Rome led to blanket denials from the cardinal in the presence of an Australia-based lawyer.

Amid growing signs police are refusing to surrender their pursuit of Cardinal Pell, the church is increasingly bewildered by what it sees as factually flawed allegations by several people.

Police said yesterday that investigators were drawing on the interview to help determine whether the world’s third most powerful Catholic will be charged with child sex offences.

Cardinal Pell has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and agreed to be interviewed in Italy. The interview was conducted in the presence of an Australian lawyer, but not criminal barrister Robert Richter QC, who was engaged by Cardinal Pell earlier this year after some of the allegations were made public.

The Australian understands several key claims by alleged victims have fallen over because of basic factual errors, but police are using the contents of the interview to conduct further inquiries.

It comes after prosecutors received a brief of evidence from police but failed to recommend he be charged, leaving it to the force to improve its case against Cardinal Pell.

A police spokeswoman yesterday said three Victoria Police investigators went to Rome last week and interviewed Cardinal Pell.

“As a result of the interview further investigations are continuing,” she said.

Victoria Police made an appeal in December for people who may have been sexually abused at St Patrick’s Cathedral in East Melbourne in the 1990s to come forward. A similar call was made for witnesses to any possible sexual assaults at Ballarat, west of Melbourne, in the 1970s and 80s.

Police announced Sano Taskforce was investigating allegations male teenagers were assaulted at the East Melbourne church between 1996 and 2001. The alleged victims were aged 14 at the time.

Cardinal Pell served as archbishop of Melbourne from July 1996 to March 2001 and has been relentless in defending his position, both in Melbourne and Ballarat.

A spokeswoman for Cardinal Pell confirmed that he had been interviewed by Victoria Police.

“The cardinal repeats his previous rejection of all and every allegation of sexual abuse and will continue to co-operate with Victoria Police until the investigation is finalised,” she said.

Broken Rites spokesman Wayne Chamley said yesterday the investigation showed that no one was above the law. Broken Rites is one of the main victims’ lobby groups formed after rampant sexual offending by the church was uncovered over several decades. “Various people have been subjected to this process in the past,” Dr Chamley said. “Some have had charges laid against them, some have not. We will just have to wait for it to run its course.”

In Good Faith Foundation chief executive Helen Last said last week’s interview was good news for the 450 survivors of clergy abuse that the group cares for.

“It may help survivors feel more confident in police systems and in particular the specialist squad Sano,” she said. “It’s a good day because victims are very anxious about power being misused by people in high places. They want to see that addressed by the government representatives that are there, such as the police.”