George Pell Innocent until Proven Guilty, Archbishop Anthony Fisher Says

The Australian
May 17, 2017

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Cardinal George Pell is being subjected to relentless character attacks instead of being regarded as innocent until proven guilty of abuse allegations, Sydney’s Catholic Archbishop Anthony Fisher says.

Victorian police are deciding whether to charge Australia’s most senior Catholic after receiving final advice from the state’s Director of Public Prosecutions about historical sexual assault allegations.

Archbishop Fisher said the decision rests with police and until then “we must wait and see”.

“Justice must be left to run its course,” he said in a statement on Wednesday. “Everyone supports just investigation of complaints but the relentless character attacks on Cardinal Pell, by some, stand the principle of innocent-until-proven- guilty on its head.

“Australians have a right to expect better from their legal systems and the media.