AUSTRALIA
New Daily
Rachel Eddie
Reporter
@heyracheddie
A child sex abuse survivor has called Cardinal George Pell’s first court appearance a “momentous” and “symbolic day”.
Cardinal Pell, 76, fronted Melbourne Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on historic child sex abuse charges from multiple complainants.
While the Cardinal was not required to enter a plea, his defence barrister Robert Richter, QC, told the courtroom: “I might indicate that Cardinal Pell pleads not guilty to all charges and will maintain the presumed innocence that he has.”
Cardinal Pell has repeatedly and strenuously denied the allegations.
Philip Nagle, a survivor of abuse by convicted Ballarat priest Stephen Francis Farrell, told The New Daily it was a relief to see Cardinal Pell face the allegations.
“It’s a very symbolic day today, because he entered the court as a normal man, not as the third-most powerful man in the Catholic Church,” Mr Nagle said.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.