The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, spoke out through a statement read by his lawyer Viv Waller following the dismissal on Wednesday of Pell's appeal of his child sexual abuse conviction.

It has been four years since the man went to the police with his complaint against Pell, who at the time was one of the Vatican's most powerful figures.

"The criminal process has been stressful. The journey has taken me to places that, in my darkest moments, I feared I could not return from," he said.

"Some commentators have suggested that I reported to the police somehow for my own personal gain. Nothing could be further from the truth.

"I have risked my privacy, my health, my wellbeing, my family.

"I have not instructed my solicitor in relation to any claim for compensation. This is not about money and never has been."

The man said he also never sought to damage the Catholic Church.

"Although my faith has taken a battering it is still a part of my life and part of the lives of my loved ones."

The father of George Pell's second victim, who has since died, shed tears of relief as the decision was read.

"For myself that was a great load lifted off my shoulders. It really was," he told reporters.

"I'm sad that my son's not here to see it. I'm really happy for the other victim."

He also cannot be named and is pursuing compensation.

"Something must have happened to those boys because my son suffered a lot of torment. It destroyed my marriage, it destroyed my life and my ex-wife's life and my daughter's," he said.

"But to get a verdict like that - it's absolutely amazing."

His lawyer said the court made the "correct decision" by upholding the jury's verdict.

"The disgraced cardinal is in the right place behind bars," Lisa Flynn said in a statement.

"Our client has always said that he does not want the man who he holds responsible for his son's downhill spiral and subsequent fatal heroin overdose to ever again have contact with any members of society."

Ms Flynn said the father would continue to pursue compensation through a civil claim against Pell.

AAP