MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Another blow for the Catholic Church: Cardinal Pell found guilty of sexually assaulting choirboys

An Australian court found Pell guilty on one count of sexual abuse and four counts of indecent assault of two boys at Melbourne Saint Patrick's Cathedral

Australian Cardinal George Pell who helped elect popes and ran the Vatican's finances, has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two choirboys, becoming the most senior Catholic cleric ever convicted of child sex crimes.

An Australian court found Pell guilty by a trial jury on one count of sexual abuse and four counts of indecent assault of two boys at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne in the 1990s.

Pell, now aged 77, was accused of cornering the boys - then aged 12 and 13 - in the cathedral's sacristy and forcing them to perform a sex act on him.

The cleric, who has remained free on bail, denied all the charges and an initial trial ended with a hung jury in September, but he was convicted on retrial on Dec 11.

A wide-ranging gag order from the presiding judge had prevented the media from reporting even the existence of court proceedings and the ensuing trials since May.

The suppression order was lifted during a court hearing on Tuesday when prosecutors decided against proceeding with a planned second trial dealing with separate allegations against Pell.

Pell has steadfastly denied all the allegations against him and has lodged an appeal.

Child abuse survivor advocates yelled “monster” and “rot in hell” as Pell, walking slowly with the aid of a cane, left the County Court of Victoria and entered a car.

“It is a miracle. It is unbelievable,” one survivor who only gave his name as Michael, told reporters outside the court, adding that he wanted to see the cleric excommunicated from the Church and in jail.

Of the two choirboys that Pell was found to have assaulted, one died in 2014 and the second said in a statement issued by his lawyer Tuesday that the ongoing legal process was stressful and “not over yet”.

“Like many survivors I have experienced shame, loneliness, depression and struggle. Like many survivors it has taken me years to understand the impact upon my life,” said the man, who has not been publicly identified.

“At some point we realize that we trusted someone we should have feared and we fear those genuine relationships that we should trust.”

A pre-sentencing hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, when Pell is expected to be remanded in custody.

Pell sat impassively during Tuesday's court hearing, wearing a beige sport coat over a dark shirt and clerical collar.

His conviction is another hammer blow to the Church, which has struggled to convince the world it is serious about tackling widespread child abuse and pedophilia.

News of Pell's conviction came just two days after a historic Vatican summit on sexual abuse by priests, which Pope Francis likened to “human sacrifice”.

Pell was named in 2003 to the Vatican's powerful College of Cardinals, a position that allowed him to vote in the conclaves that elected popes Benedict and Francis.

In 2014, he was handpicked by Pope Francis to make the church's finances more transparent.

For decades, Pell denied being an abuser or covering up sex abuse, but he did admit he “mucked up” in dealing with pedophile priests in the state of Victoria.

Around one in five Australians are Catholic, roughly five million people.