Cardinal George Pell too ill to fly to US a week before Ballarat decision

AUSTRALIA
The Courier

By Alex Hamer
Jan. 28, 2016

Cardinal George Pell is still too ill to fly, according to reports.

The former Ballarat priest said he could not appear in December hearings in Melbourne of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse because of his health.

This health update puts his February appearance at the Royal Commission in doubt.

The December sessions heard from Ballarat victims of sexual abuse at the hands of priests, and Cardinal Pell, now the Vatican’s top money man, was to appear and give evidence on his time in the diocese.

His lawyers’ request to appear via video link, which he will do for the US appearance he has just cancelled, was refused by the Royal Commission.

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.