Former prime minister John Howard is one of 10 people to provide a character reference for George Pell after his conviction for child sex offences, while Melbourne's Archbishop says he plans to visit Pell in prison.

Key points: A judge is considering George Pell's sentence for abusing two choirboys

A judge is considering George Pell's sentence for abusing two choirboys His defence lawyer said 10 references show Pell is a person "of highest character"

His defence lawyer said 10 references show Pell is a person "of highest character" Melbourne's Archbishop said he did not shy away from his ongoing friendship with Pell

Mr Howard said none of the matters in the context of the charges "alters my opinion of the Cardinal."

Another ex-prime minister, Tony Abbott, has also weighed in on the court's decision, saying although it was a "horrible crime" Pell had been found guilty of, it was still subject to appeal.

Pell was convicted of child sex offences in December and was remanded in custody today following a pre-sentence submissions hearing before Melbourne's County Court.

Pell's barrister, Robert Richter QC, said the 10 character references tendered at today's hearing came from people who did not "believe him capable" of the crimes.

"They speak of a … man who has a great deal of passion … has a great sense of humour, a man who relates to everyone from prime ministers down to street beggars," Mr Richter said.

Mr Howard said he had known Pell for about 30 years.

"Cardinal Pell is a person of both high intelligence and exemplary character," the letter said.

"Strength and sincerity have always been features of his personality.

"I have always found him to be lacking hypocrisy and cant."

Mr Howard said Pell was a "lively conversationalist with a "deep and objective interest" in contemporary social and political issues.

"In his chosen vocation he has frequently displayed much courage and held to his values and beliefs, irrespective of the prevailing wisdom of the time," he said.

"It is my view that he has dedicated his life to his nation and his church."

Another of the references was from Greg Craven, the vice-chancellor of Australian Catholic University.

Mr Richter said if they had cast the net wider they could have tendered hundreds of character references on Pell's behalf.

Mr Abbott was one of those to speak out for his friend, saying Pell's conviction was "devastating for all who believe in the Catholic Church".

"This is a grim time, no doubt about that," Mr Abbott said.

"But as I also said, I also have faith in our justice system. Yes, he has been convicted, he had been found guilty. And as the Prime Minister said yesterday, no-one is above the law … let's wait and see what the law ultimately produces, because that's what we'll know once this thing has gone to an appeal."

Meanwhile, Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli defended his personal friendship with Pell, telling commercial radio he was able to separate it from his role as leader of the city's archdiocese.

"Cardinal Pell has been a friend of mine for a number of years, a good teacher to me, so I remain a friend and I don't shy away from that," he told 3AW's Neil Mitchell.

"But as the Archbishop of Melbourne, I separate that sort of sense of a personal relationship, to how do I — as the Archbishop of Melbourne — reach out to our own people, especially those who have been harmed by sexual abuse."

Archbishop Peter Comensoli told ABC Radio Melbourne he was looking into the Melbourne Response. ( ABC News: Dylan Anderson )

When asked by interviewer Mitchell if he would visit Pell in jail, the Archbishop replied "yes".

"As soon as possible?" Mitchell asked.

"As soon as I can get in, yeah," Archbishop Comensoli said.

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Pell backers doubt verdict

Mr Howard and Mr Craven are not the only high-profile people to back Pell since his conviction.

News Corp newspaper columnists Andrew Bolt and Miranda Devine have both published opinion pieces criticising the jury's guilty verdict.

Bolt said Pell was "a scapegoat, not a child abuser", and Devine argued "making a martyr of an innocent man" only "compounds the evil" of child abuse.

Christian lobbyist Lyle Shelton and Jesuit priest Father Frank Brennan have also publicly raised concerns about the verdict.

Speaking to ABC Radio Melbourne's Jon Faine, Archbishop Comensoli said he believed Pell had received a fair trial.

"You and I might have a belief about where the matter stands but neither of us were in the court," he said.

"Those who were actually in the court, particularly the jury and the judge himself, went through the processes, they've heard the whole story … and in hearing both sides have come to the conclusion they have."

He said the Melbourne Archdiocese did not pay for Pell's defence, nor did any other church body to his knowledge.

"I imagine it is very expensive, but as far as I know it has come from private sources," he said.

Sorry, this video has expired Jon Faine says Pell talkback response overwhelmingly one of disgust

Conviction prompts new clergy allegations

Archbishop Comensoli said more people had come forward to report cases of abuse by members of the Catholic clergy following coverage of Pell's conviction.

"There were others who made contact with us yesterday and I suspect will over the next few days, because of what's come to light through the lifting of the suppression order, who will come forward and say I too was abused at a particular time in certain circumstances," he said.

"That's already happened."

In the past, 131 alleged survivors of sexual abuse had come forward under the church's Melbourne Response, he said.

He said people were still coming to the church, despite the battering the institution's reputation had taken.

"Because people continue to want to process their own situation best as possible," he said.

Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli, who took over the role in August, says the church needs to rebuild trust. ( ABC News: Dylan Anderson )

A lawyer representing one of Pell's victims said the cardinal's conviction had raised mixed feelings among survivors of abuse by other members of the clergy.

Lawyer Vivian Waller told Radio National she hoped the findings led to a review of the Melbourne Response, which was established by Pell to deal with claims of sexual assault within the church.

"Recent events have cast a pall over the entire response of the Archdiocese of Melbourne," she said.

"It would be good if, of its own initiative, the archdiocese would agree to reconsider all matters that have resolved under the Melbourne Response."

The call to review the Melbourne Response has been made from other quarters since Pell's conviction was made public, including by Chrissie Foster, whose two daughters were abused by a Catholic priest.

Archbishop Comensoli said not everyone had a bad experience seeking compensation through the church.

"I've spoken to a number of them — a couple of dozen of them — and they've given me their own sense, a lot of them feeling quite brutalised, but most have not had that experience," he said.

The Archbishop, who took over the role in July last year, said he was reviewing the scheme and believed it would come to an end in "due course".

Here is the full text of Mr Howard's letter:

This character reference is provided in the context of charges being dealt with in relation to Cardinal Pell. I am aware he has been convicted of those charges: that an appeal against the conviction has been lodged and that he maintains his innocence in respect of these charges. None of these matters alter my opinion of the Cardinal. I have known Cardinal Pell for approximately 30 years. We first became acquainted when he was, I think, an Assistant Bishop in the Archdiocese of Melbourne and, later still, Archbishop of Sydney. Cardinal Pell is a person of both high intelligence and exemplary character. Strength and sincerity have always been features of his personality. I have always found him to be lacking hypocrisy and cant. In his chosen vocation he has frequently displayed much courage and held to his values and beliefs, irrespective of the prevailing wisdom of the time. Cardinal Pell is a lively conversationalist who maintains a deep and objective interest in contemporary social and political issues. It is my view that he has dedicated his life to his nation and his church.

Editor's note: On Tuesday April 7, 2020, the High Court in a unanimous decision upheld Cardinal Pell's appeal and quashed his convictions on all five charges.