SYDNEY, Australia — Cardinal George Pell returned on Monday to his native Australia, where he has been charged with sexual offenses, as a commission released a new trove of documents from its investigation into the Roman Catholic Church’s past response to abuse allegations in the country.
Cardinal Pell, 76, one of the highest-ranking figures in the church’s global hierarchy, was met by the Australian
Federal Police at Sydney’s international airport, where his flight from
Singapore landed just before 6 a.m. The cardinal had staggered his
flights from Rome on his doctors’ advice, a spokesman said.
