AUSTRALIA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne

Thursday 18 February 2016
Media and Communications Office

MELBOURNE’S Archbishop Denis Hart has today released the following statement:

I am appalled at the manner in which Cardinal George Pell has been denigrated publicly this week.

Everyone has a right to a fair hearing. It must be remembered that Cardinal Pell offered to appear at this hearing having already appeared before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse twice previously.

He also appeared before the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry.

It must be remembered that the Royal Commission controls this process, that it accepted that the Cardinal could give his evidence in Rome due to his health concerns and that the community should allow without interference the Commission to determine how the evidence is going to be taken consistent with its normal process.

At the time that the Royal Commission was announced,…