Former Vatican treasurer George Pell faces jail sentence for abusing two boys
Australian cardinal is the most senior Catholic to be convicted for child sex offences and his sentencing is to be broadcast live on television
Melbourne — Former Vatican treasurer Cardinal George Pell faces jail on Wednesday when an Australian court is set to sentence him for sexually abusing two choir boys in Melbourne in the 1990s. Pell is the most senior Catholic worldwide to be convicted for child sex offences and his sentencing is to be broadcast live on television, reflecting the high level of interest in the case. The broadcast will only show the judge, and not the courtroom, which is expected to be packed with advocates of abuse victims, Pell’s supporters and the media. Pell, 77, was found guilty on four charges of indecent acts and one of sexual penetration. He faces a maximum of 10 years in jail for each charge. The offences against two 13-year-old boys took place after Sunday mass in late 1996 and early 1997 in a room and a corridor at St Patrick’s Cathedral, in Melbourne, where Pell was archbishop. The top Catholic was convicted in December 2018, but the verdict was suppressed from being made public by a court ...
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