Vatican #3 man convicted for child abuse

This 25 February 2019 video says about itself:

Cardinal Pell found guilty of 5 counts of historical child sexual abuse | Nine News Australia

A court-ordered suppression order has been lifted, revealing Cardinal George Pell was found guilty of five historical sex abuse charges last year.

Translated from Dutch NOS TV today:

The Australian cardinal George Pell, one of the most powerful people in the Vatican, has been convicted of child abuse. The Court considers that it is proved that in 1996, in Melbourne, he abused two minor altar boys. Pell denies the five charges and is expected to appeal against his sentence, which he will hear tomorrow.

The now 77-year-old Pell is said to have abused the boys when he was archbishop of Melbourne in 1996. One of his two victims stated that Pell caught him and another altar boy after a service when they secretly drank from the altar wine together. Pell is said to have reprimanded the two 13-year-old boys and have forced them into sexual acts.

… His lawyer … considered it physically impossible that Pell had bared himself because of his heavy stole.

At the court were survivors who called Pell “a monster”. …

In 2014 Pell was appointed treasurer of the Vatican, meaning he is one of the highest officials within the Roman Catholic Church … Since 2017 he has been on leave.

The jury had already ruled in December last year, but nothing was published about this by order of the court. Since the beginning of the case, a publication ban is in force, in order not to influence the course of the trial and a second lawsuit against Pell. This morning the publication ban was lifted.

The verdict against Pell comes at a painful moment for the Vatican. Last week was a conference with participants from all over the world about abuse within the church. The pope called perpetrators of sexual abuse there tools of the devil and called for measures.

VATICAN TREASURER CONVICTED OF CHILD SEX ABUSE Cardinal George Pell, once one of the highest-ranking members of the Vatican, has been convicted of multiple counts of child sexual abuse. He faces a maximum 50-year sentence. [HuffPost]