George Pell braces for first court appearance amid accusations of Salem witch hunt and slaughter of lambs, by Mark Saunokonoko, 9 News (July 17, 2017)

George Pell braces for first court appearance amid accusations of Salem witch hunt and slaughter of lambs

People who have accused Cardinal George Pell of molesting them could be "lambs to the slaughter" when legal proceedings begin, a Victorian lawyer representing sex abuse survivors fears.

Australia's most senior cleric will appear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court next week on multiple historical sex charges, which one of Pell's close friends has likened to a Salem witch hunt.

International media will join Australian survivors of sexual abuse and a large national press pack to observe the latest chapter in the Catholic church's long-running sexual abuse saga.

Pell, who has repeatedly proclaimed his innocence, is the highest-ranking official from the Vatican to face his accusers in a court of law.

Media interest has been intense since Victorian Police announced in late June that Pell had been charged, forcing the return to Australia of the 76-year-old who was the Pope’s finance chief.

An American author who has been Pell's friend for over 50 years recently declared the Catholic cleric was the victim of a "fantastic campaign of false allegations" in a blistering column.

George Weigel, a biographer of Pope John Paul II, loosely accused Australian media and Victorian police of collusion against Pell in The National Review, an American conservative magazine.

Weigel wrote that Pell had "been caught up in an atmosphere of hysteria and persecution that inevitably invites comparison to Salem, Massachusetts in the 17th century".

"George Pell has many enemies in Australia, political and ecclesiastical," Weigel continued.

"They and their allies in the Aussie electronic and print media have indulged in a campaign of vilification against him for decades, charging him with everything from vanity to bullying. It's all rubbish."

Ingrid Irwin, a Ballarat lawyer who represents people accusing Cardinal Pell of abuse, told Nine.com.au she feared the crown faced a huge challenge to succeed.

Irwin said in an effort to "get the big allegation proved" crown prosecutors and police could cut deals and "water down" the number of charges, all without complainants ever being consulted.

She said these backroom legal machinations often make sexual abuse complainants feel like "lambs to the slaughter".

"Sex abuse is difficult to prosecute. Historical sex abuse is even more difficult to prosecute," Irwin said.

Irwin predicted a long, drawn out trial. She said it was common in sexual abuse trials with multiple charges for defence lawyers to fight for separate trials for each complainant.

"The OPP (Office of Public Prosecution) will be under huge political pressure," Irwin said.

"[The complainants] are coming in as naive players into a sophisticated legal game where the police are represented by the OPP, and the OPP liaise and negotiate with the defendant's lawyers.

"The complainants don't ever really know what is happening, they're just coming in there with their truth."

Cardinal Pell appeared three times before Australia's recently completed Royal Commission into child sexual abuse.

The inquiry covered allegations of child abuse involving churches, orphanages, sporting clubs and schools.

Irwin pointed to a recent speech by Justice Peter McClellan, chairman of the Royal Commission, as "shameful" evidence of the low prosecution rates in sexual abuse cases.

Justice McClellan shocked many when he revealed data in NSW showed successful prosecution rates for child sex offences had actually dropped since the Royal Commission finished.

Suggestions the Royal Commission's work had a "transformative effect on the mind of the general community" and difficulties for accused to secure acquittals was simply not backed by the data, Justice McClellan said.

Last week Nine.com.au profiled Robert Richter, QC, a defence lawyer widely regarded as one of the very best practitioners in Australia who will defend Cardinal Pell.

Pell has been forced to pay Richter's sizeable fees from his own pocket, after the Vatican confirmed it would not cover his legal costs.