Justice for Cardinal George Pell must be allowed to run its course says the Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher.
“He has cooperated in every way with multiple police, parliamentary and Royal Commission investigations,” Fisher said.
“Everyone supports just investigation of complaints, but the relentless character attacks on Cardinal Pell, by some, stand the principle of innocent-until-proven-guilty on its head,” Archbishop Fisher said.
“Australians have a right to expect better from their legal systems and the media. Even churchmen have a right to ‘a fair go’.”
He said until it has, he has nothing further to say about allegations of Pell’s sexual misconduct. Some of these allegations stretch back several decades.
Pell denies the allegations.
Several people have accused Pell of sexual assault. Allegations came to light last year about Pell’s history of sexual crime in an Australian Broadcasting Corporation report.
At least one of these allegations was taken to court and found to be unsubstantiated back in 2002. Other accusations date back to the 1970s.
None have been proven so far.
Whether Pell will be brought back to Australia from Rome where he is the head of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy has yet to be decided.
Source
- Catholic Herald
- Crux
- Image: Xt3
