The way has been cleared for allegations of sexual abuse against the
Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, George Pell, to be investigated by an
independent inquiry.
The man, who has accused Dr Pell of molesting him more than 40 years ago, has
decided to proceed with the case after securing legal representation today.
Dr Pell has strongly denied the claims.
Law firm Galbally and O'Brien announced it will act pro bono, or free of
charge, at the independent inquiry, which is expected to begin at the end of
the month.
The man's lawyer, Peter Ward, says the case was close to collapsing last week
after the Catholic Church refused to fund his client's legal representation.
"Our client never wanted to abandon but he didn't know how to represent
himself against a powerful legal team," he said.
"He never deviated from his intent to go ahead with it but he just
couldn't comprehend how he could do it alone."
The Catholic Church and Dr Pell's legal team have refused to comment on the
developments.