Disgraced Cardinal George Pell has arrived at court as he begins his appeal to overturn his child sex abuse convictions.
The former senior Vatican official was transported from prison to the Victorian Supreme Court in Melbourne on Wednesday for his appeal hearing.
Lawyers for Pell will try to convince the court that their client was treated unreasonably during a jury trial which found him guilty of molesting choirboys.
Pell has continued to deny sexually abusing two choirboys in the 1990s, which saw him sentenced to a maximum six-year jail term with a parole period of 3 years and eight months.
He had been found guilty in December of raping one choirboy and molesting another after mass at St Patrick's Cathedral in 1996.
Disgraced Cardinal George Pell (pictured) has arrived at court as he begins his appeal to overturn his child sex abuse convictions
The former senior Vatican official was transported from prison to the Victorian Supreme Court in Melbourne on Wednesday for his appeal hearing
The conviction was only publicised in February after a gag-order was lifted.
A judge noted the cardinal could well die in prison.
Pells appearance at court marks the first time he has been spotted since sentencing in mid-March.
Professor Jeremy Gans, who heads the Melbourne Law School and is an expert on Victoria criminal law, said Pell has a strong chance of winning the appeal on the ground that the verdicts were 'unreasonable'.
Pell's lawyers will firstly seek leave to appeal and, if granted permission, push ahead with a two-day challenge to the criminal convictions.
His legal team, led by Sydney specialist appeals barrister Bret Walker SC, will argue the jury verdicts were 'unreasonable' on three grounds.
His first argument will be
