Lawyers representing the father of an alleged victim of Cardinal George Pell say they will continue to pursue a civil case despite the church leader’s death.

The claim is on behalf of the father of a former altar boy, now deceased, who alleged he was sexually abused by Pell.

Shine Lawyers chief legal officer Lisa Flynn said there was a “great deal of evidence” to pursue the case.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne is also listed as a defendant.

“The claim will continue against the church and whatever estate Pell has left behind,” said Ms Flynn in a statement.

“A civil trial likely would have provided the opportunity to cross examine Pell, and truly test his defence against these allegations.

“There is still a great deal of evidence for this claim to rely on, and the court will be asked in due course to make its ruling on that evidence.”

The father is suing Pell and the Catholic Church, claiming he suffered psychological injury and nervous shock over his son’s alleged sexual abuse by Cardinal Pell.

He said he suffered from chronic adjustment disorder and persistent complex bereavement disorder, with mixed anxiety and a depressed mood, court documents reveal.

The father also said he had lost money due to medical expenses and had lost his earning capacity.

The church tried to be excused from the trial, by arguing the man could not sue as he was not the direct victim. A judge dismissed this, allowing the civil trial to continue, but the case is on hold as the church is appealing.

It was alleged, that after a choir practice in 1996, Cardinal Pell had caught two altar boys drinking wine in the priest’s sacristy and had exposed himself and abused them.

Cardinal Pell’s barrister, Robert Richter, had described the claims as a “far-fetched fantasy”.

“Only a madman would attempt to rape boys in the priest’s sacristy immediately after Sunday solemn mass,” he told jurors.

400 days in jail

Pell became the highest ranking Catholic to be convicted of child sexual abuse before being acquitted.

For more than 400 days, Pell sat in a prison cell convicted of the sexual abuse of two young choirboys within the inner chambers of one of Melbourne’s most prominent churches.

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.

In April 2020 he was acquitted when Australia’s High Court overturned the verdict of a jury.

The High Court’s decision and his death haven’t changed public opinions of Cardinal Pell — a divisive figure to the end.

“Rot in Hell Pell” was emblazoned on the doors of the cathedral at the centre of the allegations after he was freed, while the words “the law protects the powerful” were spray painted on the forecourt.

“There’s such strong emotions around all of these matters,” Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli said at the time.

Cardinal Pell’s surviving accuser, a man now in his 30s known as “J” said he hoped the outcome wouldn’t dissuade other survivors of child sexual abuse from coming forward.

“Most people recognise the truth when they hear it … I am content with that,” he said in 2020.

His schoolmate, whose father is pursuing the civil claim, died in April 2014.

In sentencing Cardinal Pell to six years behind bars in March 2019, County Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd described the offending as “brazen” sexual crimes.

“I am conscious that a term of imprisonment … carries with it a real, as distinct from theoretical, possibility that you may not live to be released from prison,” he said.

Then 77, the cardinal had appeared drained and slimmer after two weeks in custody. He sat emotionless and unflinching, minus his clerical collar for what was believed to be the first time in public since his 1966 ordination.

The sentence was handed down after a hearing featuring prominent voices — including a character reference from former prime minister John Howard.

Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer, who was also Australia’s first ambassador to the Vatican, had been in court for parts of the trial, and former prime minister Tony Abbott visited Cardinal Pell behind bars.

“He relates to everyone from a prime minister to street beggars,” Mr Richter had said.

Cardinal Pell said his trial was not a referendum on the Catholic Church or how Australian church authorities dealt with pedophilia.

“The point was whether I had committed these awful crimes, and I did not,” he said.

A second trial, involving allegations Cardinal Pell sexually abused two other boys — aged between nine and 12 — was discontinued by prosecutors in February 2019 after evidence crucial to their case was ruled inadmissible.

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