Pope Francis has granted Cardinal Pell leave of absence as Vatican finance chief while he fights allegations of historic sex abuse. Australian police have charged the cardinal with multiple counts of historical sex assaults on Thursday, making him the highest Church official to ever be charged with such allegations. Police in Victoria said they had summoned Cardinal Pell to appear in an Australian court to face the charges. Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton, although he did not give any further details of the allegations. The cardinal has been ordered to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on July 18.Speaking at a press conference, Cardinal Pell was defiant, saying: “I am innocent of these charges. They are false. The whole idea of sex abuse is abhorrent to me.” He also criticised the way the investigation had been conducted: “There have been leaks to media, there has been relentless character assassination - and for more than a month a decision on whether to bring charges.” “I am looking forward finally to having my day in court,” he added. A spokesman for the Cardinal said he "will return to Australia, as soon as possible, to clear his name following advice and approval by his doctors who will also advise on his travel arrangements." In a statement, the Vatican said: