George Pell
George Pell was the highest-ranking Catholic in Australia's church. He was the Vatican's third most powerful cleric. Pell served as the archbishop of Melbourne. But that all came to an end.
A jury convicted Pell of twelve sexual crimes against two thirteen-year-old boys back in the late 1990s. Pell is guilty of five offenses that took place inside St. Patrick's Cathedral, all while he was archbishop of Melbourne.
Pell even launched "The Melbourne Response" in an attempt to respond to the scandal crisis. And as we now know, he was doing exactly what his campaign was targeting, the sexual abuse of children. Pell is a prime example of someone who takes advantage of their power in the Catholic church. Furthermore, he depicts a disgusting, depraved individual. Someone who was forced into abstinence by their religion, an idea that doesn't seem to make any sense, and instead took out that sexual tension with children. This horrible person represents how cunning and manipulative the church can really be.
Pell would even attend the choir practice regularly while archbishop. After one mass, two of boys left the precession. They went into the sacristy inside of the Cathedral. Pell caught them there drinking wine and told them they were in trouble. He went on to expose himself and rape the boys.
Now 78, Pell was sentenced to six years in prison. Unsurprisingly he has appealed in court, and we still don't know if George Pell will taste freedom again. Pell continues to assert his innocence.
Pell's defense is now claiming that the trial wasn't fair, and that guilty verdicts were unreasonable given the evidence that was obtained. However, prosecutors say that the victim is compelling and telling the truth.
There will surely be a long legal road ahead, as more than twenty other charges of child sex abuse have been filed.
Update as of August 21, 2019George Pell has lost his appeal against his convictions and will be staying in prison. Learn more about it at The Daily Beast.
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