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Cardinal George Pell has taken leave from his Vatican post and will travel to Australia to answer historic sex crimes charges.
Yesterday Victoria Police announced that Pell will face “multiple charges” from “multiple complainants” when he appears at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on July 18. At a press conference in the Vatican, Pell vehemently maintained his innocence and said the charges “offer me an opportunity to clear my name and then return here, back to Rome to work”. In a statement, the Vatican said that Pope Francis has “granted the cardinal a leave of absence so he can defend himself”, while praising Pell’s “honesty” and “energetic dedication” to reforming the church.
Read more here
Alex McKinnon, The Saturday Paper
