Faces Aussie sex charges

molested them while at a swimming pool in the late 1970s. He was questioned in Rome in October about the allegations against him.

“It is important to note that none of the allegations that have been made against Cardinal Pell have, obviously, been tested in any court yet,” Victoria state Police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said. “Cardinal Pell, like any other defendant, has a right to due process.”

The cardinal previously served as the archbishop of Sydney and Melbourne before becoming the Pope’s chief financial adviser in 2014.

Advocates for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse said the decision to charge Pell sends a powerful message.

“It upholds that no one is above the law, no matter how high their office, qualifications, or standing,” said Pam Stavropoulos, the head of research for the Blue Knot Foundation, an Australian support group.

While the charges are sure to send shockwaves through the Vatican, Francis was cautious when asked about Pell last year.

“We have to wait for justice and not first make a mediatic judgment — a judgment of gossip — because that won’t help,” he said. “Once justice has spoken, I will speak.”

The charges against Pell come less than a week after the Diocese of Brooklyn set up a fund to financially compensate people who were abused by clergy when they were kids.

The program, announced Friday by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, mirrors an Archdiocese of New York fund instituted by Timothy Cardinal Dolan last year.