Disgraced Catholic Cardinal George Pell's appeal against his convictions for child-sex crimes will be heard in the High Court.
The Sydney Morning Herald has reported the High Court granted Pell special leave to appeal his convictions on five child sex abuse charges that he was found guilty of last year.
Pell, 78, was found guilty by a jury of the rape of a 13-year-old choirboy and sexual assault of another at St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne in 1996, but he has always denied any wrongdoing.
Related: Pell granted leave to appeal in High Court
Pell is serving a six-year jail term and is ineligible for parole until he has served three years and eight months of his sentence.
Pell took his appeal to the High Court after his convictions was upheld in August by the Victorian Court of Appeal.
Chief Justice Anne Ferguson said at the time that a former choirboy who was a key prosecution witness was "clearly not a liar".
Pell was jailed earlier this year and is currently in the Melbourne Assessment Prison, isolated from the general prison population.
He is serving a six-year jail term and will not be eligible for parole until he has served three years and eight months.
The jailed cardinal's lawyers will now need to lodge a formal appeal.
- The Sydney Morning Herald, AAP
