Civil case over Cardinal Pell abuse allegations allowed to proceed against church in Australia

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian court has allowed a civil case to proceed against a Catholic archdiocese involving child sex abuse allegations against late Cardinal George Pell. The Victoria state appeals court on Friday refused to hear the church’s challenge to a judge’s ruling that a father was entitled to sue for damages for the nervous shock he suffered when he learned of allegations his son had been abused. Pell was convicted in 2018 of sexually abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in 1996 and spent 13 months in prison before the convictions were overturned on appeal. He maintained his innocence until his death in Rome in January. The father blames the alleged abuse for his son’s drug use and fatal overdose.