Cardinal George Pell; third most senior Catholic in the world, has been found guilty of child sexual assault

The vatican treasurer and close adviser of Pope Francis;Australian Cardinal George Pell, 77, who is one of the most powerful men in the Roman Catholic Church, has been found guilty of multiple historical child sex offenses at a secret trial in Melbourne.

The jury found him guilty of one charge of sexual penetration of a child and four charges of an indecent act with or in the presence of a child in the late 1990s.

The prosecution’s case hinged on the testimony of one man, who said Pell sexually abused him and another boy in Melbourne’s historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral after mass one Sunday.

The second victim later died from a drug overdose having never revealed the abuse to anyone, while the surviving accuser can not be identified under Australian law governing sex abuse victims.

The conviction of Pell, will send shock waves through the church, which is already reeling from accusations of sexual abuse committed by priests worldwide. His conviction brings the escalating international controversy around the abuse of children in Catholic institutions straight to the doors of the Holy See.

Pell is the most senior Catholic official to be found guilty of child sex offenses to date.

News about the judgement broke out after a court order banning media reporting of Pell’s five-week long trial, which began in November 2018, was lifted by Chief Judge Peter Kidd on Tuesday.

Our ears are still on the ground. We shall provide you with more information as the story unfolds.