Vatican Treasurer Cardinal George Pell, who is facing multiple child sex offence charges in Australia, on Wednesday denied all complaints against him during a hearing at Melbourne Magistrates Court, AFP reported.

The police said the charges were made based on multiple complaints. The details of the case have not been made public.

Pell is considered to be the third-ranking official in the Vatican. He is the highest-ranking Catholic official to have been charged in the church’s longest-running sexual abuse scandal. Pell has always maintained his innocence.

Cardinal Pell has propagated traditional Catholic values, upheld a conservative stance on same-sex marriage and contraception, and has been a proponent of priestly celibacy.

His records have been marred by allegations that he covered up complaints of child sexual abuse by priests and that he committed the crime himself.