The Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. / Bidgee / Wikimedia (GFDL)On Thursday, the attorney for a man suing the Catholic Church and Cardinal George Pell spoke in court in Australia.
The individual is the father of a former choirboy who was allegedly molested by Pell, according to the prosecution.
His son never complained to Pell and passed away in 2014 from an accidental drug overdose.
In a legal action, the father is suing the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne and 81-year-old Pell, who presided as the archbishop of Melbourne from 1996 to 2001, for damages.
On April 7, 2020, the High Court of Australia unanimously overturned Pell’s conviction for alleged sexual assault. After serving more than 13 months in jail, the cardinal—who has consistently maintained his innocence—was freed and sent back to Rome, where he had previously been the Vatican’s economic czar.
On July 14, the plaintiff’s attorney, Lisa Flynn, said, “We’re here for the father of the deceased son, a kid who our client believes endured sexual abuse at the hands of the Church when he was a boy,” as she spoke outside the Victorian Supreme Court.
Flynn reportedly refused to talk about the damages that her client is suing for.
The cardinal “totally denies the allegations and will be contesting the claim,” according to Pell’s attorney, Nicholas O’Bryan, The Age said.
The case was set to continue on August 4 at the brief hearing on Thursday.