EDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict.

Cardinal George Pell is used to controlling the Catholic Church's immense wealth from the medieval Saint John's Tower on the western edge of Vatican City.

Instead on Tuesday, one of the world's highest-ranked Catholics was the subject of discussions about whether he was a fugitive flight risk. In short, he was being treated as any one of the vast numbers of accused brought before the Melbourne Magistrates Court each day.

The cardinal's barrister, Robert Richter, QC, objected to a bail condition that stipulated his client would not be allowed to visit a point of international departure.