AUSTRALIA
The Guardian
Katharine Murphy Deputy political editor
@murpharoo
Wednesday 20 May 2015
Tony Abbott has declined to say whether Cardinal George Pell should return to Australia from the Vatican to address claims made against him this week at the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.
The prime minister said on Thursday morning that it was up to the royal commission and the cardinal to determine the best way to proceed, but his understanding was Pell had agreed to front the commission once again.
The royal commission, sitting in Ballarat, has heard allegations that Pell had been complicit in the moving of a known paedophile, ignored a victim’s complaint, and offered a bribe.
Pell has released a statement denying the allegations, “correcting the record” and expressing an intention to cooperate with the royal commission.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.