Cardinal George Pell: Vatican to open its own investigation

The Vatican has announced it will conduct its own canonical inquiry into George Pell after the cardinal was found guilty of child sexual abuse.

The Vatican has launched its own investigation into disgraced Cardinal George Pell, on the day he was jailed in Australia for sexually abusing two boys.

Vatican interim media director Alessandro Gisotti said the Vatican body which investigates clerical sexual abuse complaints, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, would handle the inquiry.

This photo illustration shows the front pages of Australia's major newspapers reporting the conviction of Cardinal George Pell. Picture: AFP

The move is the first step in the Vatican potentially defrocking Cardinal Pell, the most extreme punishment the church is able to mete out.

“After the guilty verdict in the first instance concerning Cardinal Pell, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will now handle the case, following the procedure and within the time established by canonical norm,’’ Mr Gisotti said in a statement.

Priests can be laicised, or defrocked, only after a trial under canon law.

The internal investigation launched by the Vatican is the first step in establishing a potential

canonical trial, which could result in Pell being defrocked.

Interim Director of the Holy See Press Office, Alessandro Gisotti. Picture: AFP

The 77-year-old Australian was the third most senior official at the Vatican, and the highest-ranking church figure ever convicted of sexual assault.

He was removed from Pope Francis’ C-9 Council of Cardinals advisory body last October, and this week the Vatican quietly let his contract as Vatican treasurer expire, meaning he holds no official position except as a priest – the hardest position for the church to remove him from.

George Pell pictured arriving at the County Court Of Victoria. Picture: Supplied

Pell was convicted of two counts of sexually assaulting two 13-year-old boys by a unanimous jury verdict back in December.

The church knew the result of that trial, but did not announce its own inquiry until this week, when a suppression order was lifted allowing Pell’s guilty verdict to be publicly reported.

Pope Francis put Cardinal George Pell in charge of the Vatican’s finances. Picture: Supplied

Pope Francis defrocked an American cardinal, Theodore McCarrick, last week, after he was found to have sexually abused children and adults for decades. He was the first cardinal ever to be defrocked by the Catholic Church and the move appears to have set a precedent which could allow the Vatican to defrock Pell.

George Pell rose to the highest ranks of the Vatican.

The Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith inquiry will carefully watch the outcome of Pell’s appeal hearing in Victoria. Vatican observers say if the appeal upholds the guilty verdicts, Pell will almost certainly be defrocked.

The Vatican describes the congregation as having responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the faith.