澳大利亚枢机主教被控性侵首次出庭

Australian Cardinal George Pell, one of the Vatican's highest-ranking officials and a close adviser to Pope Francis, made his first appearance in an Australian courtroom on charges of sexual abuse.

The 76-year-old clergyman said nothing during a brief hearing in a Melbourne courtroom Wednesday that focused on routine legal matters. He has been charged with "historical sexual offenses" involving multiple people dating back several years.

Pell's lawyer, Robert Richter, told the court his client would plead not guilty to the charges, even though he was not required to do so during Wednesday's proceedings.

The Vatican's chief financial officer since 2017, Cardinal Pell is the most senior official in the Roman Catholic Church to face charges in the decades-long sexual abuse scandal involving clergy.

Pell has long been under fire for his handling of priests accused of sexually abusing children during his years as archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney. He was interviewed twice by a special commission formed to investigate allegations of sexual abuse committed by clergy, many of them dating back decades.

His next court date has been scheduled for October 6.

澳大利亚枢机主教乔治·佩尔被控性侵首次出庭。佩尔是梵蒂冈最高级别官员之一，也是教皇方济各的首席财政顾问。

76岁的佩尔枢机主教星期三在墨尔本一家法院短暂出庭，没有发言。这次开庭主要是例行法律程序。佩尔被控历史性性侵，涉及过去若干年中的几名原告。

虽然星期三庭审没有要求，但是佩尔的律师告诉法庭说，他的委托人对指控做无罪申辩。

佩尔2017年开始担任梵蒂冈首席财政顾问。他是罗马天主教会几十年性侵丑闻中受到指控的最高级别官员。

长时间以来，佩尔一直因为他在墨尔本和悉尼担任主教期间对涉嫌性侵儿童的神父的处理方式而受到批评。他曾先后两次接受负责调查神职人员性侵指控的特别委员会的面谈。很多性侵指控都要追溯到几十年前。

佩尔枢机主教下次出庭是10月6日。