Top Vatican adviser’s sex abuse hearing starts

VATICAN finance chief Cardinal George Pell faces a crunch hearing starting in Australia today to determine if he stands trial on historical sexual offence charges.

The cardinal, 76, a top adviser to Pope Francis, has taken leave to fight the allegations.

He is accused of multiple offences relating to incidents that allegedly occurred long ago.

Pell, the most senior Catholic cleric to be charged with criminal offences linked to the church’s long-running sexual abuse scandal, has denied all the claims.

The exact details and nature of the allegations have not been made public, other than that they involve multiple complainants.

One of the charges was withdrawn on Friday, reportedly because the accuser had died.

Up to 50 witnesses could be called during the four-week committal hearing at the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court, which will be closed to the media and public for up to two weeks while they give their accounts.

The magistrate will then decide if there is sufficient evidence for the case to go to trial.

Pell’s defence team said last week part of their cross-examination would be to determine when the accusers first disclosed that he had allegedly abused them, as they tried to prove the allegations were a recent invention, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

A frail-looking Pell has so far made two court appearances at preliminary hearings – in July and October.

He has not had to enter a plea, although he instructed his lawyer from the outset to make it clear he intended to plead not guilty.

The former Sydney and Melbourne archbishop did not have to attend the previous hearings, but opted to do so having vowed to clear his name after a two-year investigation led to him being charged on June 29 last year.

He is expected to be in court again today.