Link to FOIA documents: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4456498-Rome-Pruitt-Cardinal-Pell.html#document/p18/a422724

"Embattled Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has another decision to answer for: dining at the Vatican last year with a Catholic cardinal who was under investigation for multiple allegations of child sex abuse.

Cardinal George Pell ate with Pruitt, top EPA policy adviser Samantha Dravis and EPA chief of staff Ryan Jackson on June 7, 2017, according to documents obtained by the Sierra Club, a progressive environmental group, through a Freedom Of Information Act demand.

Leonard Leo, a lawyer with the conservative Federalist Society, also attended the dinner. Leo has been instrumental in vetting and choosing federal court nominees for the Trump administration, including Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.

The five-star restaurant event was not on the EPA's official schedule for that day, but emails show the encounter with the high-profile accused pedophile was being planned for weeks.

The New York Times reported: Link to NYT reporter Eric Lipton's Twitter- https://mobile.twitter.com/EricLiptonNYT/status/994707800277372928

Friday that the EPA was aware before Pruitt's trip that Pell had been under investigation for years but scheduled the get-together anyway.

President Donald Trump was asked Friday by a reporter during a White House meeting with auto executives whether he still has confidence in Pruitt.

'Yes I do,' he responded.

Pell, a 76-year-old cleric, faced a court magistrate on May 1 in his native Australia, pleading not guilty. There will be separate jury trials in two cases related to accusations of sexual misconduct in a swimming pool in the 1970s and at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne, Australia in the 1990s.

Pell's bail conditions require him to stay in Australia and give police 24 hours' notice if he changes addresses. He is also forbidden to make any contact with prosecution witnesses.

The details of the accusations against Pell have not been made public, but police have described the alleged incidents as 'historical' – suggesting they are from decades ago.

Documents released under a Freedom Of Information act request show Pruitt and his top aides had dinner with Pell and planned to tour the Apostolic Palace with him; the EPA chief's trip did include some environmental sightseeing, including a look at solar panels and the U.S.-installed air filtration system in the Sistine Chapel It's unclear why Pruitt, a Southern Baptist, would risk public exposure of his meeting with Pell.

But the cardinal was in charge of the Vatican's finances, making him in effect the number-three official in the Holy See.

Pruitt's Vatican trip itinerary included other meetings with different pontifical officials.

It also mentions a tour of the Sistine Chapel – to examine its air filtration system, installed by the U.S. firm Carrier – and an up-close look at the Vatican's solar panels.

Pell is the highest ranking church leader to be publicly accused of child sex abuse.

The Vatican, a sovereign nation, does not have an extradition treaty with Australia. But Pope Francis granted him leave to return home voluntarily.

Before his elevation to cardinal, Pell was the archbishop of both Melbourne and Sydney.

In Melbourne he set up a special council in 1996 to address accusations of sexual misconduct with minors, but was widely criticized for providing little support to victims and limiting their individual compensation to $50,000.

Pruitt broke bread with Cardinal George Pell last year even though the EPA knew he was under investigation for child sex abuse EPA chief of staff Ryan Jackson and top policy adviser Samantha Dravis also attended the five-star dinner Pell is the highest-ranking Catholic cleric ever charged with sexually abusing children The two cases for which he will face jury trials involve alleged incidents in a swimming pool and at a Catholic cathedral It's unclear why Pruitt, a Southern Baptist, would risk public exposure of his meeting with Pell, but the cardinal was in charge of the Vatican's finances President Trump was asked Friday if he still has confidence in Pruitt and said yes Embattled Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has another decision to answer for: dining at the Vatican last year with a Catholic cardinal who was under investigation for multiple allegations of child sex abuse.

Cardinal George Pell ate with Pruitt, top EPA policy adviser Samantha Dravis and EPA chief of staff Ryan Jackson on June 7, 2017, according to documents obtained by the Sierra Club, a progressive environmental group, through a Freedom Of Information Act demand.

Leonard Leo, a lawyer with the conservative Federalist Society, also attended the dinner. Leo has been instrumental in vetting and choosing federal court nominees for the Trump administration, including Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.

The five-star restaurant event was not on the EPA's official schedule for that day, but emails show the encounter with the high-profile accused pedophile was being planned for weeks.

Pell, who was in charge of the Vatican's finances before returning home to Australia to face criminal charges, will face jury trials in cases involving alleged incidents in a swimming pool and at a Catholic cathedral The New York Times reported Friday that the EPA was aware before Pruitt's trip that Pell had been under investigation for years but scheduled the get-together anyway.

President Donald Trump was asked Friday by a reporter during a White House meeting with auto executives whether he still has confidence in Pruitt.

'Yes I do,' he responded.

Pell, a 76-year-old cleric, faced a court magistrate on May 1 in his native Australia, pleading not guilty. There will be separate jury trials in two cases related to accusations of sexual misconduct in a swimming pool in the 1970s and at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne, Australia in the 1990s.

Pell's bail conditions require him to stay in Australia and give police 24 hours' notice if he changes addresses. He is also forbidden to make any contact with prosecution witnesses.

The details of the accusations against Pell have not been made public, but police have described the alleged incidents as 'historical' – suggesting they are from decades ago.

Documents released under a Freedom Of Information act request show Pruitt and his top aides had dinner with Pell and planned to tour the Apostolic Palace with him; the EPA chief's trip did include some environmental sightseeing, including a look at solar panels and the U.S.-installed air filtration system in the Sistine Chapel It's unclear why Pruitt, a Southern Baptist, would risk public exposure of his meeting with Pell.

But the cardinal was in charge of the Vatican's finances, making him in effect the number-three official in the Holy See.

Pruitt's Vatican trip itinerary included other meetings with different pontifical officials.

It also mentions a tour of the Sistine Chapel – to examine its air filtration system, installed by the U.S. firm Carrier – and an up-close look at the Vatican's solar panels.

Pell is the highest-ranking Catholic cleric ever charged with sexually abusing children

President Trump was asked Friday if he still has confidence in Pruitt and said yes Pell is the highest ranking church leader to be publicly accused of child sex abuse.

The Vatican, a sovereign nation, does not have an extradition treaty with Australia. But Pope Francis granted him leave to return home voluntarily.

Before his elevation to cardinal, Pell was the archbishop of both Melbourne and Sydney.

In Melbourne he set up a special council in 1996 to address accusations of sexual misconduct with minors, but was widely criticized for providing little support to victims and limiting their individual compensation to $50,000.

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Pell persistently annoyed progressives in the Church by resisting moves to ordain women, permit Catholic divorce and relax ecclesiastical law on abortion.

He also famously refused communion to gay activists.

'Homosexuality – we're aware that it does exist,' Pell said in 1990. 'We believe such activity is wrong and we believe for the good of society it should not be encouraged.'

In 2002 he was accused of sex abuse against a 12-year-old boy but a lack of forensic evidence led prosecutors to drop the complaint.

Eleven years later he faced a probe related to between five and 10 complaints, all from boys, covering alleged sex abuse from the years between 1978 and 2001.

Link to DailyMail article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5719081/Scott-Pruitt-secretly-dined-Catholic-cardinal-accused-child-sex-abuse.html