Vatican cardinal arrives to face sex abuse charges

Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican’s finance chief, has arrived back in Australia before his court appearance later this month over historical sex abuse charges.

The 76-year-old, a top adviser to Pope Francis, has been ordered to face a Melbourne court on July 26 for a preliminary hearing on multiple charges related to offences allegedly committed decades ago, when he was a senior cleric.

The former Sydney and Melbourne archbishop has always maintained his innocence and strenuously denies the allegations. Details of the charges have not been made public.