Rome: The charges laid against Vatican finance chief, Australian Cardinal George Pell, are the subject of heavy coverage in the Italian media, with outlets attacking Australia's record on sexual assault.
Cardinal Pell was on Thursday charged by Victorian Police with historical sexual assault offences.
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Impact of George Pell's charges ripple through Vatican City
The bells are ringing in Vatican City, but this is not a day of celebration for Cardinal George Pell, says Europe correspondent Nick Miller.
He's the most senior Catholic Church cleric to face such charges.
Italian newspaper websites on Thursday ran prominent pictures of the 76-year-old. Television networks carried long segments with footage of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Cardinal Pell says the laying of charges has strengthened his resolve to prove his innocence.
He told reporters he was looking forward to having his day in court after a two-year investigation, "leaks to the media" and "relentless character assassination".
Cardinal Pell said Pope Francis has granted him, the third most powerful person in the Catholic Church, a leave of absence to return to Australia to defend himself.
The centrist Corriere Della Sera newspaper noted the cardinal was "the highest representative of the Catholic Church ever involved in such a case".
It ran a profile piece promoted as "Who is Cardinal George Pell?', where it describes the Australian as a "strong personality, decision maker, and good organiser" with "centralising" tendencies. The paper said World Youth Day in Sydney in 2008 was his "managerial masterpiece".
The liberal La Repubblica warned "the shadow of [sexual assault] returns to obscure the church".
It has previously described the cardinal as the "controversial kangaroo" and branded Australia as "a paradise of the orcs". In Italian orco is a demon or monster.
That description was based on data released by the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse which looked into 75 Catholic authorities over a 60-year period between 1950 and 2010, and determined that, overall, 7 per cent of priests were alleged perpetrators.
Pedofilia, cardinale Pell incriminato per gravi reati sessuali: "Andrò in Australia a difendermi" https://t.co/rEBWHO0bsG
— la Repubblica (@repubblica) June 29, 2017
La Repubblica said the latest development had "plunged the Vatican into a solemn state" on the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul.
Italian media also broadcast footage of Australian sexual assault survivors who attended the Rome end of a Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse hearing when Cardinal Pell gave evidence last year.
#Vaticano, l'incriminazione del cardinale #Pell per pedofilia e le colpe di Francesco @emifittipaldi @Tommasocernohttps://t.co/acq6chgvCn pic.twitter.com/OE2KlJFHGq
— L'Espresso (@espressonline) June 29, 2017
Social media commentary was also extensive with tweet mentions of Cardinal Pell alone topping 54,000 in 24 hours.
Cardinal Pell, a former Melbourne and Sydney archbishop and Ballarat priest, is due to appear in a Melbourne court on July 26.
The Holy See on Thursday said it learnt of the charges "with regret" but respected the Australian justice system.
"At the same time, it is important to recall that Cardinal Pell has openly and repeatedly condemned as immoral and intolerable the acts of abuse committed against minors," it said.
AAP, Fairfax Media