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| Cardinal George Pell arrives at court for first hearing on sexual abuse charges | Cardinal George Pell arrives at court for first hearing on sexual abuse charges |
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| Cardinal George Pell has arrived at Melbourne magistrates court to appear on charges of multiple historic sexual offences. | Cardinal George Pell has arrived at Melbourne magistrates court to appear on charges of multiple historic sexual offences. |
| Pell is the third highest ranking official in the Vatican and the highest ranking Catholic church official to be charged with sex offences. | |
| The cardinal was shepherded into court by a group of police officers through about 100 waiting camera operators, reporters and photographers, who had started gathering from 6am. Pell arrived just before 9am and did not answer any questions from the media. Several people clapped as he arrived. | |
| He was screened by court security, like everyone else, and taken to a private room in the court house. Fifty people were allowed into the courtroom when it opened just after 9am, the remainder were taken to another room to watch via video link. | |
| Victoria police deputy commissioner Shane Patton said at last month’s press conference announcing the charges that there were “multiple charges” and “multiple complainants,” but no further details have been released. | |
| In a statement released after the charges were announced, a spokesperson for Pell said he had “again strenuously denied all allegations” and would return to Australia “as soon as possible, to clear his name”. | |
| “He said he is looking forward to his day in court and will defend the charges vigorously,” it said. | “He said he is looking forward to his day in court and will defend the charges vigorously,” it said. |
| The statement was released by the Catholic archdiocese of Sydney, where Pell served as archbishop before being appointed secretariat for the economy in the Vatican in 2014. | The statement was released by the Catholic archdiocese of Sydney, where Pell served as archbishop before being appointed secretariat for the economy in the Vatican in 2014. |
| He took a leave of absence from his position attempting to reform the church’s finances to fight the charges, and the Vatican’s chief spokesman, Greg Burke, released a statement expressing “regret” over the news but “respect” for the Australian legal system. | He took a leave of absence from his position attempting to reform the church’s finances to fight the charges, and the Vatican’s chief spokesman, Greg Burke, released a statement expressing “regret” over the news but “respect” for the Australian legal system. |
| Pope Francis has declared a “zero tolerance” of sexual abuse in the church, saying in a letter to all catholic bishops, released in January, that: “I would like us to renew our complete commitment to ensuring that these atrocities will no longer take place in our midst.” | Pope Francis has declared a “zero tolerance” of sexual abuse in the church, saying in a letter to all catholic bishops, released in January, that: “I would like us to renew our complete commitment to ensuring that these atrocities will no longer take place in our midst.” |
| However his efforts to stamp out clerical sexual abuse, including an investigatory tribunal proposed in 2015, have been criticised. | However his efforts to stamp out clerical sexual abuse, including an investigatory tribunal proposed in 2015, have been criticised. |