Cardinal George Pell released from prison, assault charges dropped
Cardinal George Pell, who was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted in late 2018 of the sexual assault of an underage choirboy in the late 1990s, was released April 7 in Australia and all charges were dropped.
Pell was the highest-ranking Catholic leader ever to be convicted of crimes relating to the sexual abuse of minors.
The High Court of Australia, comparable to the Supreme Court of the United States, voted 7–0 to release the cardinal immediately.