Cardinal George Pell granted special leave to appeal conviction

Disgraced Cardinal George Pell will be given another chance to clear his name. A new ruling means his lawyers can now argue for an appeal, before the full bench of the High Court. The decision has angered abuse survivors.

Cardinal George Pell arrives at the County Court in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019. Source: AAP

There was some relief for victims of clergy abuse when the Victorian Court of Appeal upheld a guilty verdict against George Pell in August.

Australia’s highest ranking Catholic had months earlier been convicted for abusing two choirboys at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne in the 1990s. 

And the convictions were upheld in a 2-1 ruling. But now the High Court has ruled Pell could be given another chance to plead his case.

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