Colm Fitzpatrick
Cardinal Pell BREAKING NEWS
The conviction of Cardinal George Pell has been upheld after the Supreme Court in Victoria dismissed his appeal today.
In a 2-1 ruling, the court rejected the Australian prelate’s appeal of a unanimous jury verdict in December that Pope Francis’ former finance minister was guilty of molesting two 13-year-old choirboys in Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral more than two decades ago. After the ruling, Cardinal Pell was returned to prison.
“By majority (2 to 1), the Court of Appeals has dismissed Cardinal George Pell’s appeal against his conviction for the commission of sexual offences. He will continue to serve his sentence of 6 years’ imprisonment. He will remain eligible to apply for parole after he has served 3 years 8 months of his sentence,” Chief Justice Anne Ferguson said in her opening remarks in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
“The offences in respect of which Cardinal Pell was found guilty by a County Court jury were one charge of sexual penetration of a child under 16, and four charges of indecent act with a child under 16. The trial lasted for five weeks. The jury deliberated for several days. The jury’s verdict was unanimous,” Ferguson noted.
In a statement released hours after the decision was announced, Pell’s spokesperson, Katrina Lee, wrote that “Cardinal Pell is obviously disappointed with the decision today.
“However, his legal team will thoroughly examine the judgement in order to determine a special leave application to the High Court,” Lee added.
“While noting the 2-1 split decision, Cardinal Pell maintains his innocence. We thank his many supporters.”
With the conviction upheld, Cardinal Pell could be stripped of his priesthood and may also be expelled from the College of Cardinals.
Judge Ferguson said that: “Cardinal Pell’s conviction and this appeal have attracted widespread attention, both in Australia and beyond. He is a senior figure in the Catholic Church and is internationally well known.
“As the trial judge, Chief Judge Kidd, commented when sentencing cardinal Pell, there has been vigorous and sometimes emotional criticism of the cardinal and he has been publicly vilified in some sections of the community.”
“There has also been strong public support for the cardinal by others. Indeed, it is fair to say that his case has divided the community.”
The decision from the three-judge panel followed a two-day hearing June 5-6 in which Cardinal Pell, 78, and his attorneys argued that his December 2018 conviction on five counts of sexually assaulting two choirboys was “unreasonable” given the evidence presented.