Accused

Cardinal George Pell, 76-year-old Vatican treasurer, will come before an Australian court in March to defend himself against a myriad of sexual assault charges. Pell is accused of perpetrating multiple assaults during his previous residence in the Australian state of Victoria. There are up to 50 witnesses ready to give evidence in the hearing. A judge will then determine if the case should proceed to a trial. As Vatican treasurer, Cardinal Pell is considered the third-highest-ranking official in the Catholic Church. He has called the allegations “abhorrent” and says he is innocent.

Rescued

Authorities credit concertgoer Jonathan Smith with saving 30 people from the Oct. 1 massacre in Las Vegas, Nev., and he reportedly only stopped after he was hit with two bullets, one in the neck and another in his arm. When Smith was hit, off-duty police officer Tom McGrath dragged him to safety and put his fingers in Smith’s bullet wound to stop the bleeding. Smith’s courage had inspired him, McGrath said. Doctors have been unable to take the bullet from Smith’s neck, and he admitted the injuries give him great pain. He wasn’t a hero, Smith told the media. It was just what he would have wanted someone else to do for him.

Accused

Multiple women are publicly accusing Harvey Weinstein, a top Hollywood producer with six Oscar-winning films to his credit, with sexually assaulting or harassing them. The allegations span several decades. A New York Times investigation found documents showing 30 years of hidden allegations involving women such as actress Ashley Judd, several of his own employees, and an Italian model aspiring to acting. They all told a similar story. Weinstein offered them a business meeting, breakfast at his hotel, where Weinstein harassed them and offered undesired physical contact. Said Judd, about her thoughts at the time: “How do I get out of the room as fast as possible without alienating Harvey Weinstein?” The board of the Weinstein Company fired Weinstein on Oct. 8.

Postponed

Carles Puigdemont, president of Catalonia, postponed a declaration of independence from Spain on Oct. 10, saying he wanted to pursue negotiations with the Spanish government. Ninety percent of voters in Catalonia supported independence in an Oct. 1 referendum, but turnout was only 43 percent, and Spain’s highest court ruled the referendum illegal. “Most Catalans believe that Catalonia is their land, Spain is their country, and Europe their future,” said Inès Arrimadas of the anti-independence Ciutadans party. But Puigdemont says, “Catalonia has earned the right to be an independent state.”

Retired

U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania announced his resignation after reports surfaced that the pro-life Republican had asked a woman to consider an abortion. Several weeks ago, Murphy, who is married and has an adult daughter, admitted to an extramarital affair beginning in 2016. The allegations came to light after a court had unsealed documents in a divorce case between Murphy’s lover, Shannon Edwards, and her former husband. Further investigation by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette uncovered text messages between Murphy and Edwards during a pregnancy scare. Edwards said she might be pregnant, and Murphy asked her to consider abortion. Edwards called him a hypocrite. Murphy has been an outspoken abortion opponent since he joined the House in 2003.