Australian Church head in sex abuse probe

THE head of Australia’s Roman Catholic Church yesterday announced he would temporarily step aside during an investigation into allegations he sexually abused a child.

Sydney Archbishop George Pell is accused of molesting a 12-year-old boy when he was a trainee priest in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, the church said in a statement. The year the alleged incident took place was not immediately known.

“The alleged events never happened. I repeat emphatically, that the allegations are false,” Pell said in a statement. “To allege that I am ... personally implicated in this evil is a smear of the most vindictive kind.”

Pell said he would take leave while an independent investigation is conducted. He said he was confident his name would be cleared.

“For the good of the Church and to preserve the dignity of the office of Archbishop, I will take leave as Archbishop of Sydney until the inquiry is completed,” Pell said.

The Catholic Church appointed retired Supreme Court judge Alec Southwell to investigate the allegations. A statement from the church’s National Committee for Professional Standards, established to deal with sex abuse allegations, said the case had not been reported to the police.

Pell came under fire earlier this year after he admitted he offered a family thousands of dollars in exchange for a promise not to sue over claims that their two daughters were sexually abused by a priest for six years.

He later denied that the money was intended to buy the family's silence.