The Australian police said on Wednesday that they were a step closer to deciding whether to charge a top Vatican cardinal over allegations of sexual assault dating back decades.
Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis’ top financial adviser and Australia’s most senior Catholic, has long been dogged by allegations he mishandled cases of clergy abuse when he was archbishop of Melbourne and, later, Sydney. More recently, Cardinal Pell has faced accusations of child abuse himself when he was a young priest in the 1970s. Cardinal Pell, who runs the Vatican’s Economy Ministry, has repeatedly denied all allegations.
Last year, detectives from Australia’s Victoria state flew to the Vatican, where the 75-year-old Cardinal agreed to be interviewed over allegations of sexual assault, police said.
A police statement on Wednesday said investigators have since received advice from Director of Public Prosecutions John Champion, the state’s top prosecutor, on the sexual assault investigation. Police have not made that advice public.
“Detectives from Taskforce Sano will now take time to consider that advice,” the police statement said. “As with any investigation, it will be a decision for Victoria Police as to whether charges are laid.”
Charge of inappropriate touch
The allegations involve two men, now in their 40s, who say Cardinal Pell touched them inappropriately at a swimming pool in the late 1970s. At the time, he was a senior priest in Melbourne.
The Catholic Archdiocese in Sydney, which issues statements on the Cardinal’s behalf in Australia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. But the Cardinal has previously said he never abused anyone.
Pope Francis has declined to address the accusations against Cardinal Pell, saying he wanted to wait until the investigation was complete before commenting. “We must wait for justice and not make judgments ahead of time,” the Pope said last year.
