However, a civil complaint brought by the parent of a choirboy who was allegedly molested by Cardinal Pell is still pending.

Meanwhile, a significant investigation revealed that he was aware of priests abusing children in Australia as early as the 1970s but did nothing about it.

The Child Abuse Royal Commission interviewed thousands of people over the course of several years, and its conclusions on Cardinal Pell were made public following his acquittal. The accusation was refuted by Cardinal Pell, who insisted that it was “not backed by evidence.”

Cardinal Pell was praised by Peter Comensoli, the archbishop of Melbourne, as “a very powerful and influential Church leader.”

Tony Abbott, a Catholic former prime minister, called the cleric a “saint for our times” and “an inspiration for the ages,” calling the accusations against him “a new type of crucifixion.”

However, Steve Dimopoulos, a minister in Cardinal Pell’s native state of Victoria, was one among several who expressed conflicted emotions.

He added that in addition to the cardinal’s family and friends, “today would be a very terrible day for survivors and victims of child sexual abuse and their families, and my sympathies are with them.”