Cardinal George Pell loses appeal on child sexual assault conviction

Australian senior Catholic Church figure Cardinal George Pell has lost his appeal against his conviction for sexually abusing choirboys in Melbourne in the 1990s.

The decision, adopted by a 2-1 majority vote by the Victorian Court of Appeal, means that Pell will remain in prison to serve out his six-year sentence.

The former Vatican treasurer was unanimously convicted last December for abusing the 13-year-old boys after a mass at St Patrick's Cathedral. The 78-year-old is still eligible to apply for parole after he's served three years and eight months of the sentence.