AUSTRALIA
NBC Montana
LUCIE MORRIS-MARR CNN
Posted: Jul 25, 2017
MELBOURNE, Australia (CNN) – One of the most senior figures in the Vatican will on Wednesday face a court in his native Australia on multiple charges of historical sexual assault offenses.
Cardinal George Pell will appear in the dock at Melbourne Magistrates Court for his first hearing since the charges were made by Victoria Police last month.
The 76-year-old, who has consistently and strenuously denied the charges, has been given a leave of absence from his role at the Holy See as Secretariat for the Economy while he fights the case in the city where he was once Archbishop.
Although expected to be brief, Wednesday’s court hearing marks a significant moment in Australia where Pell is the country’s most senior Catholic.
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.