Cardinal George Pell, the most senior Catholic cleric to be convicted of sexual abuse, has failed in a legal bid to quash his convictions in Australia.
Pell was jailed for six years in March after being found guilty of abusing two boys in a Melbourne cathedral in the 1990s.
A court of appeal rejected Pell’s argument that the verdict was unfair.
The former Vatican treasurer, 78, will now consider a final appeal in the nation’s highest court.
Pell’s conviction has rocked the Catholic Church, where he had been one of the Pope’s closest advisers.
The Australian cleric will be eligible for parole in October 2022.
