Parent sues Australian cardinal over child sex abuse charge

The father of a deceased former choirboy has filed a lawsuit against Cardinal George Pell and the Catholic Church in an Australian court claiming the parent suffered psychological injury over an accusation that the once-senior Vatican official sexually abused the son. Neither the father nor the son can be named under Australian laws that conceal the identities of victims of sexual abuse. Pope Francis’ former finance minister was sentenced to six years in prison in 2019 on child abuse convictions. Those convictions were overturned on appeal a year later. The father’s civil case was brought before the Victoria state Supreme Court on Thursday. The case was adjourned until next month when questions about legal defenses will be resolved.