Update: George Pell has now had his conviction quashed by the High Court of Australia.
Catholic Cardinal George Pell will have his Order of Australia medal stripped after his appeal on a conviction of child sex abuse was dismissed this morning, says Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament House after the Victorian Court of Appeal’s majority decision to quash Pell’s appeal, Morrison said “my understanding is that this will result in the stripping of the honours which are decided externally to the government.
“That is a process that is done independently, and that of course will now follow.”
Prime Minister @ScottMorrisonMP addresses the media after George Pell’s appeal was dismissed. #9Today pic.twitter.com/cfZGgFek9M
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) August 21, 2019
It is expected the matter will now be passed on to Governor-General David Hurley, who oversees Australian’s civilian honours system.
At time of writing, Pell still appears on the Order of Australia’s online database.
Pell was granted the title in 2005 for “raising debate on matters of an ethical and spiritual nature, to education, and to social justice.”
Given the fact a jury trial and an appeals court found he sexually abused children between 1996 and 1997, his contributions on matters of ethics and “social justice” are now suspect.
While Pell seems destined to live the rest of his days in infamy, it’s yet to be seen what the Vatican will do about the cardinal. It seems incredibly unlikely the church would maintain the former Vatican treasurer’s place within the priesthood, but the church is yet to officially respond to the failed appeal.
Pell will remain behind bars. The 78-year-old was sentenced to six years in prison, with a non-parole period of three years and eight months.
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