VATICAN CITY
The Local

Vatican finance chief Cardinal George Pell on Friday dismissed accusations he sexually abused boys during his time as a priest which are reportedly being investigated by Australian police.

“The allegations are without foundation and utterly false,” a statement issued by Pell’s office in Rome said after the Melbourne-based Herald Sun newspaper reported that a police taskforce in the state of Victoria have been investigating Pell for the last year over allegations that he abused between five and 10 boys.

Details of the probe emerged a week before Pell is due to give evidence by video link to an Australian inquiry into abuse by priests in the town of Ballarat, near Melbourne.

The 74-year-old cardinal has been derided for saying he is too ill to make the journey home to testify in person over alleged cover-ups during his time as the head of Australia’s Catholic hierarchy.

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