FILE PHOTO: Vatican Treasurer Cardinal George Pell is surrounded by Australian police as he leaves the Melbourne Magistrates Court in Australia, October 6, 2017. REUTERS/Mark Dadswell
March 4, 2018
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Vatican treasurer Cardinal George Pell is scheduled to appear in an Australian court on Monday for the start of a four-week pre-trial hearing on charges of historical sexual offenses.
Pell was summoned by Australian police last year and is the most senior Catholic official to face such charges. Details have not been made public.
Pell’s lawyers have said at past administrative hearings that he will plead not guilty to all charges. He is not required to enter a formal plea until a magistrate determines if prosecutors have enough evidence for a case to be committed to a full trial.
Court authorities have said they will close the court in Melbourne to the public for most of the first two weeks to protect the privacy of people giving evidence.
Pell is on a leave of absence from his Vatican role as Pope Francis’ economy minister, which he started in 2014. The pontiff has said he will not comment on the case until it is over.
(Reporting by Byron Kaye: editing by Neil Fullick)
