Cardinal George Pell, a top adviser to Pope Francis,
returned to his native Australia July 10 to face criminal charges
related to sexual assault. While the specific allegations and names of
the accusers have not been made public, Cardinal Pell maintains that he
has been a victim of “character assassination.” His case will be decided
by an Australian court.
This
is not the first time the Catholic Church has been rocked by charges of
sexual abuse. While reforms in the Catholic Church in the United States
have made it mandatory for priests to report instances of sexual abuse,
there still remains much work to be done in the Catholic Church
worldwide.