Cardinal George Pell walks free after shocking convictions overturned
Former Vatican treasurer was serving a six-year sentence for child sex abuse
Cardinal George Pell has been released from jail after Australia’s highest court overturned his conviction for child sexual abuse.
In 2018, a jury found the former Vatican treasurer, now 78, abused two boys in Melbourne in the 1990s, making Pell the most senior figure in the Catholic Church ever jailed for such crimes.
He received a six-year prison term following a unanimous jury decision.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What happened in the original case?
In December 2018, a jury found Pell guilty of sexually abusing two 13-year-old choir boys in private rooms at St Patrick’s Cathedral in the mid-1990s.
The convictions, which dated back to when Pell was the Archbishop of Melbourne, included one count of sexual penetration and four counts of committing indecent acts, the BBC reports.
The trial heard testimony from a man who claimed to be the sole surviving victim of the assault, the broadcaster adds. The second alleged victim died of a heroin overdose in 2014.
The surviving victim said he went to the police to report abuse after attending his friend’s funeral, according to Deutsche Welle (DW).
The Guardian reports that the “allegations had been the prosecution’s to prove”, adding that many of the witnesses called during the trial in 2018, including former altar servers and senior choir managers, were now elderly.
“Former choirboys who gave evidence struggled to remember details about the choir procession and the church layout more than two decades after the fact,” the paper adds.
Pell did not testify at the trial, though the jury saw a video of his recorded statement during police interviews in Rome in October 2016.
“The allegations involve vile and disgusting conduct contrary to everything I hold dear and contrary to the explicit teachings of the church which I have spent my life representing,” Pell read from a statement at the time.
However, Pell was unanimously convicted and later had an appeal rejected at the Victoria Court of Appeal after judges ruled against him in a 2-1 majority decision.
What has happened now?
Pell has now been freed from prison in Geelong, near Melbourne, and had his convictions overturned following a two-year legal battle.
The bench of the high court in Brisbane, Australia, granted leave for Pell to appeal, ordering his immediate release and quashing the conviction.
The Guardian reports that the court found the jury that convicted Pell “ought to have entertained a doubt as to Pell’s guilt with respect to each of the offences for which he was convicted”.
“In other words,” the paper adds, “it was not enough that the jurors found the witness believable, compelling and honest. The other evidence should have called his account into question.”
Pell’s lawyers did not seek to discredit that testimony, the BBC says, but rather argued that the jury had not properly considered other evidence.
The High Court agreed, deciding that other testimonies had introduced “a reasonable possibility that the offending had not taken place”.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
What has the reaction been?
While there was quiet in the court owing to restrictions on the number of people present during the coronavirus pandemic, “the decision to quash Cardinal Pell’s conviction brought jeers, tears and some cheers across Australia”, writes BBC reporter, Simon Atkinson.
Cardinal Pell said an injustice had been “remedied”, and said he held “no ill will to my accuser”.
“I do not want my acquittal to add to the hurt and bitterness so many feel; there is certainly hurt and bitterness enough,” he said in a statement.
“However my trial was not a referendum on the Catholic Church; nor a referendum on how Church authorities in Australia dealt with the crime of paedophilia in the Church.”
The father of the deceased choir boy was in shock at the decision, his lawyer said.
“Our client says he is heartbroken for [his son’s friend, the accuser in the case] who stuck his neck out by coming forward to tell his story but was ultimately let down by a legal process that forced him to relive his pain and trauma for no benefit,” said lawyer Lisa Flynn.
Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, said: “The High Court has made its decision and that must be respected.”
Meanwhile, Pope Francis recalled the “persecution that Jesus suffered” and has prayed for those who suffer “unjust sentences” at mass celebrated at his lodgings at Santa Marta this morning.
While not mentioning Pell by name, Francis said: “I would like to pray today for all those people who suffer unjust sentences resulting from intransigence [against them].”
The BBC reports that the Pope had not stripped Pell of his clerical titles while “all legal avenues had not been exhausted”. The broadcaster adds that it is “unclear” if Pell will return to his previous role within the Vatican.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 ways to help the environment while on vacation
The Week Recommends An afternoon of planting trees could be the best part of your trip
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Doctors are taking on dental duties in low-income areas
Under the radar Physicians are biting into the dentistry industry
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Instagram hopes that blurring nudity in messages will make teens safer
The Explainer The option will be turned on by default for users under 18
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The potential consequences of Pope Francis' call for a ban on surrogacy
Talking Point Francis called the practice 'despicable' and a 'commercialization' of pregnancy
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The Vatican's same-sex blessing approval: What is Pope Francis doing?
Today's Big Question The pope rocked the Catholic world by giving the green light to blessing same-sex couples, with plenty of caveats
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Vatican half-embraces transgender Catholic godparents, wedding witnesses
Under the Radar Pope Francis signed off on a series of clarifications about the roles LGBTQ Catholics can play in the church, with ample theological fine print
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Pope, the ‘false prophet’, and the battle for Argentina
feature Opinion has been split on whether the pontiff's intervention into politics in his home nation is appropriate
By Rebekah Evans Published
-
Rebellious nuns ban Texas bishop from monastery in chastity row
Speed Read Wheelchair-using Mother Prioress has been accused of ‘sexting’
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Pope Francis investigates Texas bishop, accepts early resignation of embattled Tennessee prelate
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
QR codes could reveal sex-offending French priests
Speed Read Move by Catholic Church denounced as a ‘publicity stunt’ by sexual abuse survivors’ group
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Pope Francis is involved in 'mission' to bring peace to Ukraine
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published