Hecklers jeer Cardinal facing sex offences

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Cardinal George Pell, the most senior Catholic official to face sex offence charges, was jeered by protesters as he made a court appearance in his native Australia in a case that has rocked the Vatican and placed scrutiny on the pope’s stance against abusive clergy.

Australia’s highest-ranking Roman Catholic and Pope Francis’ top financial adviser, Pell entered the Melbourne Magistrates Court Friday flanked by police and media as a small group of placardwaving protesters yelled from the sidewalk. He did not react to the hecklers.

The 20-minute hearing focused on planning for the committal hearing starting March 5 that will determine whether he goes to trial. As many as 50 witnesses could be called for that proceeding, expected to last a month.

Pell, who remained silent throughout, has been charged with multiple offences involving multiple complainants.

The exact detail and nature of the charges have not been disclosed to the public, though police have described them as “historical” sexual assault offences, meaning they are alleged to have occurred years ago.

Pell through his lawyer has vowed to fight the charges. The 76-year-old cardinal has taken leave from his position as Vatican treasurer to return to Australia and defend himself.

He has not been required to enter a plea in court, though his attorney said at his first court appearance in July that Pell intended to plead not guilty.

Pell’s lawyer, Robert Richter, told Friday’s hearing at least one of the allegations could not have happened.

“We propose to demonstrate to Your Honour that what was alleged was impossible,” Richter told magistrate Belinda Wallington.

The brief hearing centred on which witnesses would be crossexamined at the committal hearing, and touched on a factor likely to feature prominently in the case — the memories of witnesses speaking about incidents alleged to have occurred up to several decades ago.

After years of alleged coverups and silence from the church over its pedophilia scandal, abuse survivors and their advocates have hailed the prosecution of Pell as a monumental shift in the way society is responding to the crisis.

So far, Francis has withheld judgment of Pell.