In Australia, Cardinal George Pellthe most senior Catholic cleric ever charged with child sex abusehas been convicted of molesting two 13-year-old choirboys, USA Today reported.
Pell, Pope Francis' top financial adviser and the Vatican's economy minister, was convicted by a 12-member jury that delivered unanimous verdicts in the Victoria state County Court on Dec. 11, 2018. The court had forbidden publication of any details about the trial until Feb. 26, 2019 ( in Australia ).
The convictions were confirmed the same week that the pontiff concluded his summit of Catholic leaders summoned to Rome for a tutorial on preventing clergy sexual abuse and protecting children from predatory priests.
The crimes took place in 1996.
The USA Today article is at Website Link Here .