AUSTRALIA
The Guardian
Calla Wahlquist
@callapilla
Sunday 21 February 2016
A senior Australian Catholic church figure has called for an investigation into the “leaks” at Victoria police, following reports that police were investigating allegations of sexual abuse by Cardinal George Pell a week before the 74-year-old was due to appear before the royal commission.
The Melbourne archbishop, Denis Hart, who succeeded Pell in the role in 2001, said the allegations that Pell had committed “multiple offences” both as a priest in Ballarat and in his later role as archbishop of Melbourne “do not reflect the man I have known for more than 50 years”.
“It is very disturbing and concerning to read reports based on leaks to the media that Victoria police has been investigating allegations of abuse against Cardinal George Pell for the past year and that his first knowledge of these allegations has come from those media reports,” Hart said in a statement issued on Saturday.
“The leaked allegations coming at the end of a week in which Cardinal Pell was publicly denigrated and a week before he appears at the royal commission appear designed to do maximum damage to Cardinal Pell and undermine the work of the royal commission. In this environment it is the responsibility of the royal commission to provide a fair and balanced forum for all who appear before it.”
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