MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA)
Catholic News Service
March 5, 2018
The court hearing will decide whether he should formally stand trial
A Melbourne court began a monthlong hearing to see if a top Vatican official would stand trial on decades-old charges of sexual abuse, which he consistently denied.
Cardinal George Pell, head of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court March 5 for a committal hearing scheduled to conclude by March 30. The cardinal has taken a leave of absence from his position to face the charges in Melbourne, where he served as archbishop from 1996 to 2001.
No charges have been announced against the cardinal, but his lawyer told the court he believed Victoria police investigated the abuse claims presuming he was guilty, instead of presuming he was innocent. The lawyer said some witnesses’ written testimony could help clear the cardinal of some of the charges.
Up to 50 witnesses could be called during the committal hearing; much of the hearing will be conducted in private.
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