A new book, Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell, claims that the most senior figure in the Australian Catholic church, Cardinal George Pell, sexually abused two choirboys at St Patrick’s cathedral in Melbourne. Cardinal Pell has now been accused of abusing boys at three stages of his career: as a seminarian, a priest and as archbishop of Melbourne. The cardinal willingly co-operated with the detectives of the Victoria police when they interviewed him in Rome in October last year.
Three months ago, investigators from Victoria police have delivered their brief of evidence relating to Cardinal George Pell to the Department of Public Prosecutions for consideration. Besides these allegations, Sano has also investigated allegations that as a young priest Pell abused boys in the swimming pool of his hometown of Ballarat. Pell also denies these allegations.
The description of the book reads: “The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse has brought to light horrific stories about sexual abuse of the most vulnerable and provoked public anger at the extent of the cover-up. George Pell has always portrayed himself as the first man in the Church to tackle the problem. But questions about what the Cardinal knew, and when, have persisted. The nation's most prominent Catholic is now the subject of a police investigation into allegations spanning decades that he too abused children. Louise Milligan is the only Australian journalist who has been privy to the most intimate stories of complainants.”
Cardinal Pell’s office issued a statement on Saturday saying the cardinal had “not been notified by the Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions or Victoria police of the status of their investigations, which have been underway since at least February 2016.” “He repeats his vehement and consistent denials of any and all such accusations, and stands by all the evidence he has given to the royal commission.”
Two boys were students at St Kevin’s College and sang in the cathedral choir. After being allegedly abused by the archbishop, they left the choir and the school. Milligan, the author of the book, claims one of the choirboys died of a drug overdose in 2014. His mother was subsequently told by the second boy that they had been abused by Pell when they were teenagers at the cathedral.
In February this year the Australian senate called on the cardinal to return home “to assist the Victorian police and office of public prosecutions with their investigation into these matters.” No charges have ever been laid against him in relation to them.
Photo Credits: Huffington Post
