Cardinal George Pell will serve his prison sentence well in Australia. The condemnation of Pope Francis 'former advisor to six years' imprisonment for sexual abuse of minors was upheld on Wednesday, August 21, on appeal by the Supreme Court of the State of Victoria.
"He will continue to serve his six-year sentence," said Justice Anne Ferguson, dismissing a series of appeals by the defenders of the 78-year-old prelate. George Pell will be eligible for parole after three years and eight months in prison.
The former Vatican number three was convicted last March of sexual abuse in the late 1990s on two choir children then aged 13 at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne, where he was then archbishop.
>> See also: "Vatican number three, George Pell, convicted of pedophile acts"
George Pell is the highest official of the Catholic Church convicted of pedophilia and faces up to 50 years' imprisonment.
With AFP and Reuters