Cardinal Pell Granted Leave to Appeal in High Court

Cardinal Pell Granted Leave to Appeal in High Court
Vatican Treasurer Cardinal George Pell is surrounded by Australian police as he leaves the Melbourne Magistrates Court in Australia, Oct. 6, 2017. (REUTERS/Mark Dadswell)
AAP
By AAP
11/12/2019
Updated:
11/12/2019

Catholic Cardinal George Pell has been granted leave to appeal his child sex abuse conviction in the High Court.

The court announced its decision on Nov. 13 in Canberra.

Pell, 78, was found guilty by a jury of the rape of a 13-year-old choirboy and sexual assault of another at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne in 1996, but he has always denied any wrongdoing.

The Victorian Court of Appeal in August upheld a jury verdict convicting Pell in a 2-1 ruling.

Pell is serving a six-year jail term and is ineligible for parole until he has served three years and eight months of his sentence.