✣ Cardinal Pell to face trial over abuse claims
What happened? Cardinal George Pell, appointed by Pope Francis to reform Vatican finances, will return to Australia to face charges of historic sex abuse. At a press conference at the Vatican, the cardinal said he was innocent and had faced “relentless character assassination”. Pope Francis has granted him a leave of absence, a Vatican spokesman said.
Police in Australia’s Victoria state said there were “multiple charges” and “multiple complainants” but gave no further details.
