Vatican treasurer Cardinal George Pell charged with sex offences

Cardinal Pell is Australia's most senior cleric and served as the Archbishop of both Melbourne and Sydney.

Deputy Police Commissioner Shane Patton said that the charges against the cardinal was made by several people.

Cardinal Pell, who is based in the Vatican and is considered the third-ranking official there, has denied all allegations.

Meanwhile, following the allegations, the Vatican in a statement said, "Cardinal Pell will return to Australia, as soon as possible, to clear his name following advice and approval by his doctors who will also advise on his travel arrangements."

The Victoria Police however said that they are treating the Cardinal "the same as anyone else in this investigation."

Details of the allegations are yet to be revealed.

Who is Cardinal George Pell?

George Pell was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1941 an Anglican father and an Irish Roman Catholic mother.

He excelled in Australian Rules Football but later chose priesthood.

Speaking about which, he said, "I feared and suspected - and eventually became convinced - that God wanted me to do His work and I was never able to successfully escape that conviction."

After the completion of his doctorate degree in Church History from Oxford University, Pall returned back to Australia in 1971 and took a post as an assistant priest in Swan Hill, Victoria, and then at a parish in Ballarat.

Later he rose through the ranks and by 1996, was declared the Archbishop pf Melbourne.

Following which he served as the Archbishop of Sydney.

He was nominated to the Vatican's College of Cardinals in 2003 by Pope John Paul II, thus allowing him to vote in Papal elections.

In 2014, he became Vatican's treasurer.

Image: Screengrab from YouTube