A stream of death threats is causing grave concern over the well-being of Cardinal George Pell.
Pell, who is now waiting for a ruling on his appeal, may need to take refuge in a secure compound should his conviction be overturned.
The Daily Mail reports that while supporters of Pell are not making any assumptions about the appeal, they say if he were released, they believe he may need to take shelter in a west Sydney seminary.
They believe a second option is to return to Rome.
Pell’s appeal is based on three grounds.
- Claims the verdicts were unreasonable and were not supported by evidence.
- that Pell was not accused in the presence of a jury, and
- Pell’s defence team should have been permitted to present a video animation of its arguments during the closing statements.
But if the Victorian Court of Appeal rule against Pell, his case could be escalated to the High Court.
The exact date the ruling will be delivered has not yet been confirmed.
The Australian reports there is intense speculation about the timing of the Court of Appeals decision.
“There is a window of opportunity for it to rule next week, but it goes into recess from June 29 to July 14, raising the spectre of the judgment not being delivered for several weeks”, reports The Australian.
Currently, Pell is considered a safety risk, and for 23 hours a day is being held in solitary confinement in the Melbourne Assessment Prison.
The Vatican will decide Pell’s future within the Church once all legal proceedings have concluded.
