This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry O’Connell and I update you on what has been happening since the sexual abuse summit.

There are elements in the trial of Cardinal Pell that do not easily translate to a U.S. context, including a media blackout and the cardinal’s long history with the issues of sexual abuse and cover-up.

If tried and found guilty, the penalties can vary depending on the seriousness of the crime and, often, the age of the accused; possible penalties include removal from office, restricted ministry, “a life of prayer and penance” without any public ministry and dismissal from the clerical state.

After the Vatican’s historic summit on the sexual abuse of children, Archbishop Mark Coleridge says “the mission of the church” is at stake.

The Vatican said the conviction is “a painful news that, we are well aware, has shocked very many persons, not only in Australia.” At the same time, “it reaffirmed maximum respect for the Australian judicial authorities.”

He faces a potential maximum 50-year prison term after a sentencing hearing that begins on Wednesday.