AUSTRALIA
The Guardian
Melissa Davey
@MelissaLDavey
Friday 19 February 2016
Cardinal George Pell has strongly denied allegations of involvement in child sexual abuse, saying they are without foundation and utterly false after reports he is being investigated for “multiple offences” while serving in senior positions within the church in Australia.
Police would not comment on Friday night whether they are investigating Pell, who is Australia’s most senior Catholic and the head of the Vatican’s secretariat for the economy, over the allegations.
Pell has called for a public inquiry to be conducted into the Victorian police, saying the allegations were leaked to damage him.
News Corp Australia claims detectives from taskforce Sano have compiled a dossier containing allegations that Pell committed “multiple offences” when he was a priest in Ballarat, a town in the state’s west, and also when he was working with the archbishop of Melbourne.
Police also refused to answer general questions about whether they were investigating claims related to historical child sexual abuse related to the diocese of Ballarat or the archdiocese of Melbourne.
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