AUSTRALIA
9 News
Catholic Cardinal George Pell has deferred giving evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, despite being due to arrive in Melbourne on Sunday.
Cardinal Pell had requested to give evidence via videolink from Rome, with his lawyers arguing it was unsafe for him to travel to Australia due to health issues.
He was due to arrive in Melbourne on Sunday, and appear before the inquiry from Wednesday to give evidence about clergy abuse in the Melbourne archdiocese and the Ballarat diocese.
A statement was released this afternoon from the office of Cardinal Pell in Rome.
“The Cardinal had booked his travel back to Melbourne and until the middle of this week was determined to return to give evidence in person,” the statement read.
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