An Australian newspaper has claimed that police are investigating Cardinal George Pell over a fresh allegation of child sexual abuse.
The former Vatican treasurer was freed from jail just last week after the Australian High Court overturned a 2018 conviction of child sexual abuse relating to two boys in 1996.
The High Court said the jury that found him guilty in December 2018 had failed to consider whether there "remained a reasonable possibility that the offending had not taken place".
The Cardinal spoke about his time in prison with Sky News Australia's Andrew Bolt in a pre-recorded interview which aired on the channel on Tuesday night.
In it, the 78-year-old said that his 405 days in prison had been "atypical" and that he had made friends with some of his fellow inmates.
"My experience was quite atypical, I only spoke at any length with four people. The three that were with me down at Barwon [Prison] were very kind to me. There's a lot of goodness in a lot of people," he said.
He went on to say that he received around 4,000 letters while in prison and "never felt forsaken", but added that prison was a "grim place".
"I had a daily routine. I followed the advice I had often given to priests when they're in a bit of trouble. Keep up your prayers. Get out of bed at a good time. Eat properly. Exercise every day. Try to sleep at night," he said.
"I also read and wrote. A lot of good friends sent me many articles, loads of books, so I'd quite settled into the routine."
He added that he had become interested in people who are "falsely condemned" following his own prison stint.
The Australian Herald Sun newspaper reported on Tuesday that a new accuser had come forward to allege sexual abuse by Pell in the 1970s. It was being reported that the police had not yet contacted Pell over the alleged incident.
In his interview on Sky News Australia, Pell was asked how he would react if police "keep trawling for victims".
Pell answered: "Well, I wouldn't be entirely surprised. But who knows. That's their business."
