SYDNEY, March 5 (Reuters) - Vatican treasurer CardinalGeorge Pell is scheduled to appear in an Australian court onMonday for the start of a four-week pre-trial hearing on chargesof historical sexual offences.
Pell was summoned by Australian police last year and is themost senior Catholic official to face such charges. Details havenot been made public. lawyers have said at past administrative hearingsthat he will plead not guilty to all charges. He is not requiredto enter a formal plea until a magistrate determines ifprosecutors have enough evidence for a case to be committed to afull trial.
Court authorities have said they will close the court inMelbourne to the public for most of the first two weeks toprotect the privacy of people giving evidence.
Pell is on a leave of absence from his Vatican role as PopeFrancis' economy minister, which he started in 2014. The pontiffhas said he will not comment on the case until it is over.