Recently Imprisoned Cardinal Sued By Choirboy’s Father

The BBC reports:

The father of a choirboy who prosecutors alleged was sexually abused by Cardinal George Pell has launched a lawsuit against the cleric and the Catholic Church.

The man is seeking damages for mental injury that he suffered after learning of the allegations, his lawyers said. In 2018 Cardinal Pell was convicted of abusing two choirboys in the 1990s.

But Australia’s top court later quashed the convictions. Cardinal Pell has always maintained his innocence. The Australian cleric had spent more than a year in prison when he was released in 2020 following a successful appeal.

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Pell last appeared on JMG in March 2022 when he called for the Vatican to reprimand two bishops for making pro-LGBTQ statements.

His six-year sentence was overturned by Australia’s High Court in 2020 on the grounds that the jury “ought to have entertained a doubt” about his guilt.

Pell’s 2017 arrest was widely followed in the international press, with Australian pop singer and atheist Tim Minchin going viral with a song [below] about the scandal.

Pell has written three books about his year in prison and concluded an international tour in support of the third volume in November 2021.