Lawyers set out grounds for Pell appeal

George Pell's lawyers are pushing for a retrial - or for the cardinal's child sex convictions to be set aside.

His legal team applied for leave to appeal his convictions with the Court of Appeal on February 21, Robert Richter QC told Victoria's County Court on Tuesday.

Pell's guilty verdict was made public on Tuesday after months of secrecy surrounding the trial.

He was convicted in December of orally raping one choirboy in Melbourne's St Patrick's Cathedral and molesting another in 1996.

Mr Richter said the appeal application was made on three grounds, firstly that the verdict of the jury was unreasonable and contrary to evidence.

He said he'd also argue there should be a retrial, on the grounds a graphic he wanted to use in the trial was rejected - and that there was a problem with the way the jury was constituted.

The Court of Appeal will hear the application for leave to appeal at a date to be confirmed.

If leave is granted, an appeal hearing may then proceed.