Cardinal George Pell opens up on his time behind bars for the first time to reveal he was abused by inmates - and how says he considered abandoning the fight to clear his name in his darkest hours
- Cardinal George Pell revealed he was spat on and verbally abuse by inmates
- Pell, 78 said he almost gave up appealing his conviction in the High Court
- The cardinal was released from jail in April after convictions were quashed
- Pell was convicted in December 2018 of five charges of child sexual abuse
Cardinal George Pell says he was spat on and abused while in jail for alleged child sex offences and almost abandoned his appeal until a prison boss urged him not to give up.
Pell has opened up for the first time about his 405 days behind bars during which he says he received the disdain of even murderers.
Australia's highest-ranking Catholic was convicted in December 2018 of five charges of child sexual abuse relating to allegations he raped a 13-year-old choirboy and molested another at St Patrick's Cathedral in 1996.
Pell served 13 months in Barwon Prison, near Geelong and the Melbourne Assessment Prison and says he was a target of fellow prisoners.
Cardinal George Pell in handcuffs as he left the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne (pictured June 6, 2019)
'All of us are tempted to despise those we define as worse than ourselves,' he told The Australian.
'Even murderers share in the disdain toward those who violate the young'
Pell said the abuse, while unpleasant, reassured his belief in man and right and wrong.
'However ironic, this disdain is not all bad, as it expresses a belief in the existence of right and wrong, good and evil,' he said.
Prisoners convicted of sexually abusing children are often attacked in prison and therefore tend to be separated from other inmates for their protection, but Pell said that didn't stop them from honing in on him.
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The 78-year-old said he was once targetted while in one of the two outdoor exercise areas.
A high wall with a wire opening on top at head height separated him from other inmates.
The cardinal said he walking the perimeter when someone in the other compound spat at him through the wire while hurling abuse.
Pell said he thought about not appealing his six-year sentence at the High Court because of the media frenzy that would ensue and he believed the judges would 'close ranks.'
The cardinal was convicted in December 2018 of five charges of child sexual abuse relating to allegations he raped a 13-year-old choirboy and molested another at St Patrick's Cathedral in 1996
After his first appeal failed in August 2019, he said he thought he would never be a free man again but said he was convinced to continue from an unexpected place.
'The boss of the prison in Melbourne, a bigger man than I and a straight shooter, urged me to persevere. I was encouraged and remain grateful to him,' he said.
Cardinal Pell and Pope Benedict XVI at an inter-fait meeting during World Youth Day in Sydney, NSW (pictured; July 18, 2008)
Pell appealed to the High Court, which overturned the verdict in a unanimous 7-0 judgement and was released from jail after 405 days behind bars.
He said his Catholic faith 'sustained' him and helped the cardinal get through his time in prison and the appeals process.
Pell is reportedly under police investigation after a new accuser came forward with fresh allegations of child abuse.
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