Third most important figure in Vatican convicted of pedophilia
Australian Cardinal George Pell, who helped elect popes and ran the Vatican’s finances, has been convicted of all five counts of sexually abusing two choirboys when he was Archbishop of Melbourne. He’s the most senior Catholic cleric ever convicted of child sex crimes.
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An Australian court found Pell guilty by a trial jury on one count of sexual abuse and four counts of indecent assault of two boys at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne in the 1990s.
Pell, now aged 77, was accused of cornering the boys, aged 12 and 13 at the time, in the cathedral's sacristy and forcing them to perform a sex act on him.
The cleric, who has remained free on bail, denied all the charges and an initial trial ended with a hung jury in September, but he was convicted on retrial on 11 December.
Since then has remained in his position as Vatican treasurer, effectively the church's third-ranking official.
Suppressing order
A wide-ranging gag order from the presiding judge had prevented the media from reporting even the existence of court proceedings and the following trials since May.
But the suppression order was lifted during a court hearing on Tuesday when prosecutors decided against proceeding with a planned second trial dealing with separate allegations against Pell.
Pell has rigorously denied all the allegations against him and has lodged an appeal.
A pre-sentencing hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, when Pell is expected to be remanded in custody.
Survivor’s struggle
Of the two choirboys that Pell was found to have assaulted, one died in 2014 and the second said in a statement issued by his lawyer Tuesday that the ongoing legal process was stressful and "not over yet".
"Like many survivors I have experienced shame, loneliness, depression and struggle. Like many survivors it has taken me years to understand the impact upon my life," said the man, who has not been publicly identified.
Blow to the Vatican
The Vatican has yet to react but Pell’s conviction marks another blow to the Church, which is struggling to convince the world it is serious about tackling widespread child abuse and pedophilia.
News of Pell's conviction came just days after a historic Vatican summit on sexual abuse by the clergy, which Pope Francis compared to “human sacrifice”.
On 16 February the Vatican said it had defrocked former cardinal Theodore McCarrick after the church found him guilty of sexual abuse.
(with newswires)
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