Cardinal George Pell has been convicted in Australia of molesting two choirboys moments after celebrating Mass, making him the most senior Catholic cleric ever convicted of child sex abuse.
Pell abused two 13-year-old boys in the room of a Melbourne cathedral in 1996, as hundreds of worshippers were streaming out of Sunday services. He had pleaded not guilty.
Pell, now 77, but aged 55 at the time, had just been named the most senior Catholic in the Australian city.
The jury also found Pell guilty of indecently assaulting one of the boys in a corridor weeks later.
Pell, who will be sentenced from Wednesday, faces a potential maximum 50-year prison term. Last week, he lodged an appeal against the convictions.
What Happened During The Trial And Why Was It Kept Secret?
The verdict was handed down in December, but can only be reported now due to legal reasons.
Details of the trial were kept under wraps, because until Tuesday, Pell had faced a second trial in April on charges that he indecently assaulted two boys aged nine or 10 and 11 or 12 as a young priest in the late 1970s.
Prosecutor Fran Dalziel told the court on Tuesday that those charges had been dropped and asked for the gag order to be lifted.
Jurors heard how one victim died of a heroin overdose in 2014, aged 31, without complaining of the abuse, and had denied to his mother that he had been molested while he was part of the choir.
Lawyer Lisa Flynn said his father is planning to sue the church, or Pell individually, once the appeal is resolved.
The second victim told the court: “I didn’t tell anyone at the time because I didn’t want to jeopardise anything. I didn’t want to rock the boat with my family, my schooling, my life.”
The victim said after the conviction was revealed that he has experienced “shame, loneliness, depression and struggle”.
In his statement, the man said it had taken him years to understand the impact the assault had on his life.
Neither victim can be identified.
Pell maintained he was innocent throughout, describing the accusations as “vile and disgusting conduct” that went against everything he believed in.
His lawyer had told the jury that only a “mad man” would take the risk of abusing boys in such a public place.
Who Is George Pell?
The 77-year-old is the most senior Catholic cleric ever charged with child sex abuse.
As the Vatican’s economy minister, he was Pope Francis’ top financial adviser and described as the Church’s third-ranking official. He was demoted in December.
He held Conservative views and spoke out in favour of priestly celibacy, but was plagued by claims that he covered up abuse within the institution.
What Does His Conviction Mean For The Catholic Church?
Along with Ireland and the US, Australia has been devastated by the impact of the clerical abuse scandal.
A Royal Commission inquiry found that 4,444 people reported they had been abused at more than 1,000 Catholic institutions across Australia between 1980 and 2015.
The lifting of the gag order on Pell’s trial comes after Pope Francis moved to confront clergy sexual abuse and cover-up.
Opening the first-ever Vatican summit on preventing abuse, Francis warned 190 bishops and religious superiors last week that their flocks were demanding concrete action, not just words, to punish predator priests and keep children safe.
What Has The Reaction Been?
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said the conviction had “shocked many across Australia and around the world”, reiterating its vow to make the Church “a safe place for all”.
As he walked out flanked by the press, one man yelled that Pell was “going to burn in hell,” while other survivors of sexual abuse also jeered.
The conviction was welcomed by abuse survivor groups.