AUSTRALIA
The Guardian
Melissa Davey
Wednesday 8 February 2017
A spokesman for Cardinal George Pell at the Vatican in Rome has criticised a motion that passed the Australian Senate calling on him to return to assist police with child sexual abuse investigations as a “political stunt” and “pathetic point-scoring”.
On Wednesday afternoon the Greens senator Rachel Siewert put forward a motion acknowledging the 4,444 alleged victims of child sexual abuse by the Catholic church in Australia between 1980 and 2015 uncovered by the child sexual abuse royal commission.
Victoria police are investigating allegations against Pell and last year travelled to Rome to interview him. A brief of evidence was handed to Victoria’s Department of Public Prosecutions, which is still considering the file. Pell has consistently denied allegations against him.
The motion “notes the allegations of criminal misconduct against Cardinal George Pell have been forwarded to the Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions by the Victoria police” and called on Pell to “return to Australia to assist Victorian police and the Office of Public Prosecutions with their investigations into these matters”. The motion was supported by the Senate.
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