What Was George Pell Crime? People are interested in learning more about George Pell’s accusations because he was the oldest Catholic to serve time in prison for child sex assault.
According to his secretary, 81-year-old Australian Cardinal George Pell, a prominent Catholic conservative and former top Vatican official cleared of sexual abuse charges in 2020, died on Tuesday.
Pell died on Tuesday night in Rome, according to Father Joseph Hamilton. He stated that the Sydney archdiocese would issue a statement later.
Pell had hip surgery and then suffered heart complications, according to Melbourne’s archbishop, Peter Comensoli. He revealed on Facebook that Cardinal Pell was a powerful and influential church leader in Australia and around the world.
In 2020, an Australian appeals court overturned Pell’s convictions for sexually assaulting two choir boys in the 1990s.
What Was George Pell Crime?
Several historical sexual offense charges against Pell stemming from alleged incidents at a pool in his hometown of Ballarat in the 1970s and Melbourne’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the 1990s led to his commitment to stand trial in May 2018. The so-called swimmer’s case was dismissed due to the judge disallowing particular evidence.
Pell vehemently denied the accusations and chose not to testify in the first two trials, resulting in a deadlocked jury.
He received a six-year prison term, making him the highest ranking Catholic official ever to serve time in prison for child sex abuse.
George Pell Assaulted Two Teenage Choirboys
George Pell was found guilty on all five counts at the retrial of assaulting two teenage choirboys at the cathedral while serving as the archbishop of Melbourne and was given a six-year sentence.
The controversial case was one of Australia’s most contentious, and some media outlets even violated a court order barring trial coverage.
Was George Pell Freed From Prison?
After serving 13 months in prison, the decision allowed Pell, who was then 78, to be released, putting an end to the case of the most senior figure accused in the global scandal of historical sex abuse that has shaken the Catholic Church all over the world.
Former Melbourne and Sydney archbishop Pell was the Vatican’s minister of the economy from 2014. Then, in 2017, he took a time off to travel back to Australia to defend himself against the allegations.
Since his 2020 acquittal, he has resided in Rome. Pell frequently attended the pontiff’s Masses, and Francis publicly praised him after his return.
Pell Was A Polarizing Figure In Church
Pell was a divisive figure in the Australian Catholic hierarchy for two decades prior to the sexual assault allegations.
He was revered by conservative Catholics but despised by liberals for his adamant opposition to same-sex marriage, abortion, and women’s ordination.
Several historical sexual offense charges against Pell stemming from alleged incidents at a pool in his hometown of Ballarat in the 1970s and Melbourne’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the 1990s led to his commitment to stand trial in May 2018. The so-called swimmer’s case was dismissed due to the judge disallowing particular evidence.
Pell, who had been sent to Rome to take care of the Vatican’s finances, returned and refuted the charges. He did not testify during the two trials, the first of which had a hung jury. Home
