Disgraced cardinal George Pell has been granted one final chance to fight his child sexual abuse conviction.
The High Court has granted the jailed cardinal leave to appeal, announcing its decision on Wednesday morning in Canberra.
Pell, 78, was found guilty by a jury of the rape of a 13-year-old choirboy and sexual assault of another at St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne in 1996, but he has always denied any wrongdoing.
The Victorian Court of Appeal in August upheld a jury verdict convicting Pell in a 2-1 ruling.
In its submissions to the court, the cardinal's legal team argued there remained reasonable doubt about their client's opportunity to offend.
The jailed cardinal's lawyers will still need to lodge a formal appeal to the High Court and the case is unlikely to be heard until next year.
Prosecutors responded by arguing that the appeal application did not raise any questions of law for the High Court to rule on.
Pell is serving a six-year jail term and is not eligible for parole until he has served three years and eight months of his sentence.
