In his first interview since having child sexual abuse convictions overturned by Australia’s High Court, Cardinal George Pell has warned that not every accuser should be believed, local media reported on Tuesday.
Pell also said in the interview he wouldn’t be surprised if he were to face new child sex abuse charges in the future, News Ltd reported, citing an excerpt.
The full interview will be broadcast on Sky News at 7 pm on Tuesday (1000 GMT).
Pell spent 405 days in a Melbourne prison before his five convictions for child sex abuse in 1996 while he was Archbishop of Melbourne were last week quashed.
Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper reported Tuesday morning that the 78-year-old former senior Vatican official is being investigated by Victorian police over fresh child abuse allegations by a new accuser that date back to the 1970s.
Police were conducting a secret investigation while Pell appealed against his convictions to the High Court, the newspaper reported. Police would not comment on the report.
In the Sky interview, conducted by strong Pell supporter Andrew Bolt, the cardinal said he “wouldn’t be entirely surprised” if he faced new charges, suggesting he was a victim of a trend to believe accusers.
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“The pendulum 30-40 years ago is massively against anybody who said that they had been attacked. Nowadays, we don’t want it to swing back so that every accusation is regarded as gospel truth, that would be quite unjust and inappropriate,” Pell is quoted as saying.
Pell is now in seclusion at the Good Shepherd Seminary in Sydney. (dpa)
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