Australia's highest court overturns abuse convictions of Cardinal George Pell

Cardinal George Pell.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Cardinal George Pell, the most senior Catholic leader ever found guilty of sexually abusing children, has had his convictions overturned and will be released from prison.

He was found guilty in 2018 of molesting two boys in 1996, when he was archbishop of Melbourne, and sentenced to six years in prison. Australia's high court on Tuesday overturned his convictions after finding the jury "ought to have entertained a doubt as to the applicant's guilt with respect to each of the offenses for which he was convicted."

Pell, who once served as an adviser to Pope Francis and was the Vatican's chief financial officer, has spent the last 13 months in prison.

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