Pope Grants Top Adviser Pell Leave to Fight Sexual Abuse Charges

Eyewitness News
June 29, 2017

http://ewn.co.za/2017/06/29/pope-grants-top-adviser-pell-leave-to-fight-abuse-charges

Australian Cardinal George Pell, Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy of the Holy See. Picture: AFP

Pope Francis granted top adviser Cardinal George Pell leave to return to his native Australia to face charges of sexual abuse, a Vatican spokesperson said on Thursday as Pell declared his innocence.

At a news conference called hours after Australian police charged him with multiple historical sex crimes, Pell said he would return to clear his name after a two-year investigation he described as characterised by “relentless character assassination”.

“These charges strengthen my resolve and the court proceedings now offer me the opportunity to clear my name and then return here back to Rome to work,” Pell said.