The conviction is a landmark moment for the Catholic Church worldwide.
It comes just days after an unprecedented summit of cardinals and senior bishops in the presence of the Pope at the Vatican, intended to signal a turning point on the issue that has gravely damaged the church and imperiled Francis’s papacy.
"As always, in times of tragedy, we gather to pray for strength and protection."
That was Australian Cardinal George Pell, who now has been found guilty by a Melbourne court of sexually penetrating a child under the age of 16, and of four charges of an indecent act with a child under the age of 16.
The offences occurred in December 1996 and early 1997 at St Patrick’s Cathedral, just months after George Pell was inaugurated as archbishop of Melbourne.
Australia’s most senior Catholic became a Cardinal in 2003 and was appointed the Vatican's Secretariat for the Economy in 2014.
He is the highest-ranking Vatican official ever to stand trial for sex abuse.
His trials have garnered worldwide attention.
George Pell's guilty verdict was delivered on December 11th last year ((2018)) but Australian media was barred from reporting the conviction until now.
The court said news of the conviction in Melbourne would influence deliberations in another case, which has now been withdrawn.
Pope Francis removed George Pell from his inner circle of advisers immediately after the conviction.
George Pell rose to the rank of archbishop in 1996, serving in Melbourne, and later Sydney, over the course of almost two decades.
He gained notoriety for his vocal opposition to the ordination of women and same-sex marriage.
"My primary concern is to defend and protect marriage and the family."
Upon becoming Archbishop of Melbourne, he set up the so-called "Melbourne Response" - an investigation into complaints of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
The protocol was the first of its kind in the world, but was criticised for offering inadequate support to victims.
In 2012, then-prime minister Julia Gillard ordered a Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
"Any instance of child abuse is a vile and evil thing. Australians know that. Too many children have suffered child abuse, but have also seen other adults let them down."
George Pell gave evidence to the Commission in 2016 on a number of charges via videolink from Rome.
He said his heart condition prevented him from travelling back to Australia safely.
When asked about why he did not report his knowledge of Brother Gerald Leo Fitzgerald's historical kissing of primary school boys at a school in Ballarat, Cardinal Pell said:
"It was common knowledge and the general conviction was that it was harmless enough. With the experience of 40 years later, certainly, I would agree that I should have done more."
So what happens now?
Child protection organisations say George Pell deserves to be jailed for a long time.
Hetty Johnston is the chairwoman of Bravehearts, a child protection organisation set up following her young daughter’s disclosure of sexual assault in 1997.
She says this conviction sets an important precedent.
"The message that it sends is that nobody is out of reach of the law. Nobody gets to harm a child because they’re richer or more famous than everybody else. So to all survivors everywhere: don’t be frightened of the person who has done this to you. Take your complaints to police, and justice hopefully will be served.”
Ms Johnston says it is crucial George Pell's sentence reflects the severity of his crimes.
When these offenders are found guilty and not punished appropriately, it just lets everybody down, including this generation of children."
It is widely expected George Pell will be asked to leave the Church.
Constant Mews, the Director of Monash University’s Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology, says his seniority within the Church means his departure could be a catalyst for real change.
"The public image that he has is so large that people are desperately wanting to move away from that generation, to have a new leadership, people provoking new ways of addressing this situation."
Professor Mews says the Church needs transparency if it is to bring about genuine change.
"And I think the issue is bigger than simply moral lapses. The larger issue is the ability to talk about difficulties confronting the church. People in the church want the leaders to speak frankly about the problems and the desire to get greater transparency within church structures."
Note: Cardinal George Pell has denied the charges and is expected to appeal the conviction.
Anyone wanting information or support relating to child sexual assault can contact Bravehearts on 1800 272 831 or Blue Knot on 1300 657 380. Lifeline is available 24 hours a day on 13 11 14.
