The 77-year-old Vatican treasurer Cardinal, a trusted advisor of the Pope, found guilty of orally raping one choirboy and molesting another
Cardinal Pell
Cardinal George Pell, one of the most powerful men in the Roman Catholic Church, has been found guilty of child sexual assault in Australia in a verdict which has sent shockwaves through the Vatican and around the world.
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Each of the five charges of which he was found guilty carries a maximum 10-year jail term. The 77-year-old Vatican treasurer Cardinal, a trusted advisor of the Pope, was found guilty of orally raping one choirboy and molesting another in Melbourne's St Patrick's Cathedral 22 years ago. Pell, Australia's most senior Catholic cleric, will be sentenced after the end of a five-week trial in the Victorian County Court and over three days of deliberations by the jury.
The Cardinal was Archbishop of Melbourne when he abused the two 13-year-old boys and was managing the church's response to widespread child abuse by priests through the "Melbourne Response", which he designed, The Age reported. One of the victims, now in his 30s, testified against Pell during the trial while other victim died in 2014 in accidental circumstances. He was found guilty in a retrial last December. His legal team will appeal against the conviction, the paper reported.
The incident
In 1996, Pell was the newly-appointed Archbishop of Melbourne and had just given mass one Sunday when he assaulted two 13-year-old boys who were found having sacramental wine. Pell scolded them, exposed his genital from beneath the ornate ceremonial robes, and molested them. He has maintained his innocence.
Vatican calls news 'painful'
The Vatican on Tuesday described as "painful" the news of Pell's conviction but insisted the prelate has the right to defend himself until the appeals process is completed. Acting Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti on Tuesday said, "In the name of this respect, we now await the outcome of the appeals trial."
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