Pell sex abuse charges rock church

AUSTRALIA: The call that plunged the Catholic Church into one of its worst crises in a generation came in the early hours of Thursday morning in Rome.

Cardinal George Pell – Australia’s highest ranking Catholic and one of the most powerful figures in the Vatican – had been charged with historical sex crimes, the culmination of a two-year investigation by Victoria police.

Within hours, Pell fronted journalists in Rome to proclaim his innocence, lambast those who leak information to the media, and announce he was standing aside from his responsibilities to return home to fight the charges.

‘‘I am looking forward, finally, to having my day in court,’’ he said. ’’I am innocent of these charges; they are false. The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me.’’

Pell repeatedly condemned the ‘‘relentless character assassination’’ he said he had been subjected to since news of the police investigation became public, and that the laying of charges ‘‘strengthens’’ his resolve to clear his name.

He is set to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates Court late next month, charged on summons.

‘‘Cardinal Pell is facing multiple charges in respect of historic sexual offences, and there are multiple complainants relating to those charges,’’ Victoria police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton told a press conference on Thursday morning.

Fairfax Media cannot reveal the charges for legal reasons. Pell’s lawyers were at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday. A magistrate will next Thursday decide whether to release charge sheets to the media.

The development has been called a ‘‘watershed’’ for victims of clerical abuse, the Vatican and the Catholic community.

Brian Coyne, editor and publisher of Catholic forum Catholica, said: ‘‘The implications of this for the church in Australia and, indeed, for the church internationally and Pope Francis, scarcely bear thinking about.’’

Father Kevin Dillon, of St Mary’s Basilica, Geelong, who has long been an outspoken supporter of abuse victims, said the charges would have an ‘‘enormous’’ impact on morale and the church’s mission.

‘‘So many Catholics will be devastated that these complaints have reached such heights in the church,’’ he said. ‘‘The whole abuse saga has been so ugly for so long, and now this. The law will take its course, as it must, but this will have a devastating impact on most Catholics.

‘‘I have just celebrated three Masses – one to a group of grade three students, another to my local parish and the other was a funeral – and the fact that this has happened and charges have been laid is numbing.’’

Advocates for abuse survivors have called for Pell to honour his commitment to face the charges in person.

The 76-year-old has vowed to return to Australia, subject to medical approval from his doctors relating to a heart condition.

‘‘All along, I have been completely consistent and clear in my total rejection of these allegations,’’ Pell said on Thursday. ‘‘News of these charges strengthens my resolve. And court proceedings now offer me an opportunity to clear my name and then return here back to Rome to work.’’

Ill health was cited as the reason Pell was unable to travel from Rome to Australia to testify in person before a royal commission in 2016.

Leonie Sheedy, co-founder of survivor advocacy group Care Leavers Australasia Network, said: ‘‘If he can fly from Rome to London, he can fly to Australia with stopovers.’’

Advocate Chrissie Foster – whose daughters Emma and Katie were raped by Melbourne paedophile priest Father Kevin O’Donnell when they were in primary school in the 1980s – welcomed the development, but said she had lost confidence in Pell.

‘‘It wouldn’t surprise me if Cardinal Pell does not come back to Australia to face the charges,’’ Foster said. ‘‘In the past, Cardinal Pell has said he would produce documents to the royal commission and didn’t. He said he would come back to testify before the royal commission and he didn’t.’’

Intense interest in the case has also led Victoria’s director of public prosecutions, John Champion SC, to issue a warning to media that coverage of the matter be ‘‘fair and just to all parties’’.

The charges have already disrupted the distribution of a book about Pell by journalist Louise Milligan.

Her book, Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell, will be removed from sale to avoid the possibility of prejudicing any potential trial against him. The book will remain on sale in other Australian states.

If the case proceeds to a higher court, it will be heard before a jury.

Pell will be represented by veteran barrister Robert Richter, QC.

The Archdiocese of Sydney has said it will not fund Pell’s defence.

‘‘While the Archdiocese will assist with the cardinal’s accommodation and support, as it would