The result is an unusual dichotomy. Australia’s Catholic Church is financially stronger than its counterparts in many countries. It is also more spiritually abandoned. And Cardinal Pell, 77, a domineering figure who was until recently the Vatican’s chief financial officer, shaped both trends in ways that many Australians are now questioning.

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As archbishop of Melbourne in October 1996 — two months, it turns out, before the incidents that led to his recent conviction — Cardinal Pell set up what would become a firewall for the church’s finances and reputation. He called it “The Melbourne Response.”

On paper, it was an alternative resolution process for abuse survivors. Cardinal Pell said it aimed to “make it easier for victims to achieve justice” outside the courts. But it capped payments, initially at 50,000 Australian dollars, or $35,000, and usually forced victims to keep their traumas confidential.

Cardinal Pell brought a similar approach to Sydney, where he served as archbishop from 2001 to 2014. He fought hard to discourage victims from going to court, even as he could often be heard condemning homosexuality and raising money for conservative causes and politicians, like the former prime ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard. Both men expressed support for Cardinal Pell after news of his conviction became public.

Most notably, he led an aggressive defense against a former altar boy, John Ellis, who said he had been raped and abused as a child by a priest in Sydney, the Rev. Aidan Duggan.