AUSTRALIA
Telegraph (UK)
29 JUNE 2017
Cardinal George Pell has become the highest-ranking Vatican official to ever be charged in the Catholic Church’s long-running sexual abuse scandal.
The 76-year-old, Australia’s most senior Catholic cleric, was summonsed to appear in an Australian court to face multiple charges of “historical sexual assault offences”.
The Vatican’s finance chief has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Here is everything you need to know about the cardinal, the case and Australia’s history of sex abuse in the Catholic Church.
What is his position and background?
Widely regarded as the third most senior official in the Vatican, Cardinal Pell was appointed in 2014 to a five-year term to head the Vatican’s new economy secretariat.
The role gave him broad rein to control all economic, administrative, personnel and procurement functions of the Holy See, though the mandate has since been restricted to performing more of an oversight role.
Cardinal Pell, who holds a doctorate from Oxford and is a staunch conservative on issues such as homosexuality and abortion, has long been an imposing figure in the Church in Australia and has been heavily criticised for his handling of child sex abuse by Catholic priests.
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