George Pell, the Australian cardinal who was the Vatican's former prefect of finance and who was unjustly accused of abuse, died early this morning of cardiac arrest following complications from hip replacement surgery he underwent on January 10.
"An innocent person could have been convicted."
The last years of Cardinal Pell's life have been marked by his spending more than a year in prison after being convicted of five charges related to the abuse of two choir boys. In June 2002, Archbishop Pell stepped aside from his duties as Archbishop of Melbourne when he was accused, for the first time, of sexual abuse of a minor. An ecclesiastical investigation was unable to find sufficient evidence to substantiate the allegation, which dated back to 1961.
A year later, Archbishop Pell was created a cardinal by Pope John Paul II. As he himself pointed out in an interview on this occasion, preaching the message of Christ and clearly presenting the doctrine was, in his view, the only way to ensure the continued growth and fidelity of the Catholic Church.
Cardinal Pell participated in the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI and the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis. He was appointed by Pope Francis as inaugural prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, a role he technically held from 2014 to 2019. Although, as early as 2017 Pell took a leave of absence from his prefect position to return to Australia to deal with allegations of historical sexual abuse of minors. He staunchly defended his innocence throughout the process that led to a conviction on December 11, 2018 on the five charges against him. Two days later, Pope Francis removed him from his inner circle of cardinals.
On March 13, 2019, Cardinal Pell was sentenced to six years in prison. After 13 months of imprisonment, he was released in April 2020 following his second appeal.
During his stay in prison, eight months in solitary confinement, Cardinal Pell wrote his thoughts and experiences in the book "Prison Diary". The book reflects the irregularities in his trial, the loneliness he experienced and even the regret for the suspicion that many people in the Church had towards him and the abandonment he suffered even in ecclesiastical circles.
In a decision handed down on April 7, 2020, the High Court of Australia overturned that conviction, concluding that there was "a significant possibility that an innocent person may have been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt to the requisite standard of proof."
Pope Francis himself was grateful for the Australian cardinal's witness of faith, forgiveness and courage in a private meeting on October 12, 2020, six months after the High Court of Australia overturned the cardinal's conviction on sex abuse charges.
Cardinal Pell pointed out that his experience of wrongful conviction in prison helped him to understand the suffering of Christ: "Whoever does not accept his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple," recalled the cardinal, who admitted that this passage through suffering "makes it difficult for Christians".
The President of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, SDB, has noted that "Cardinal Pell has provided strong and clear leadership within the Catholic Church in Australia, as Archbishop of Melbourne and Archbishop of Sydney and as a member of the Bishops' Conference for more than 25 years. As we remember him and reflect on his legacy, I invite all Catholics and other people of good will to join in prayer for Cardinal Pell, a man of deep and abiding faith, and for the repose of his soul."
For his part, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Sydney and Primate of Australia, Archbishop Anthony Fisher, O.P., celebrated Mass for the Cardinal who died on January 11 in St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, where he will be buried. Anthony Fisher, O.P., celebrated Mass for the Cardinal who died on January 11 at St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, in whose crypt he will be buried.
Life of Cardinal George Pell
George Pell was born on June 8, 1941 in Ballarat, Australia, the son of George Arthur and Margaret Lillian Pell. His father was a non-practicing Anglican; his mother was a devout Catholic of Irish descent.
Pell attended St. Patrick's College in Ballarat from 1956 to 1959. An outstanding soccer player, after college he signed with what is now the Australian Football League, but then felt the call to the priesthood, so he began his theological studies in 1960 at Corpus Christi College Regional Seminary.
In 1963, Pell continued his studies at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome, and graduated in Theology in 1967. During his final year of studies, he was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Ballarat on December 16, 1966, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
In 1971, he received a doctorate in Philosophy and Church History from Oxford University (England), and in 1982 he obtained a master's degree in education from Monash University (Australia). As a priest, he held various parish and diocesan positions, including episcopal vicar for education and rector of Corpus Christi Seminary.
In 1987, George Pell was appointed auxiliary bishop of Melbourne (Australia). On July 16, 1996, he was appointed Archbishop of Melbourne. Five years later, on March 26, 2001, he was appointed Archbishop of Sydney, and was sworn in on May 10, 2001.
In June 2002, Archbishop Pell stepped aside from his duties when he was accused, for the first time, of sexual abuse of a minor. An ecclesiastical investigation could not find sufficient evidence to corroborate the allegation, which dated back to 1961.
In a consistory held on October 21, 2003, Archbishop Pell was created a cardinal by Pope John Paul II.
He was also a member of various positions in the Roman Curia. There he served on the Pontifical Council for Peace and Justice, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. In 2002, he was appointed chairman of Vox Clara, the committee that advises Divine Worship and the Sacraments on liturgical translations into English. He was also a consultant to the Pontifical Council for the Family. He was a member of the steering committee of the International Catholic Migration Commission, and a member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. In 2012, he was appointed a member of the Congregation for Bishops.
Cardinal Pell participated in the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI and the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis. He was appointed by Pope Francis as the inaugural prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, a role he technically held from 2014 to 2019. His vision and determination to restore cleanliness and transparency to Vatican finances brought him no small amount of pressure.
In 2017, Cardinal Pell took a leave of absence from his position as prefect to return to Australia to face allegations of historic sexual abuse of minors. He staunchly professed his innocence throughout the trial that led to a unanimous conviction on December 11, 2018 on all five charges against him. Two days later, Pope Francis removed him from his inner circle of cardinals.
Cardinal Pell's conviction was made public on February 26, 2019. Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane, then president of the Australian Bishops' Conference, said in a statement at the time that "the news of Cardinal George Pell's conviction on historic charges of child sexual abuse has shocked many across Australia and around the world, including Australia's Catholic bishops."
On March 13, 2019, Cardinal Pell was sentenced to six years in prison with a non-parole period of three years and eight months. After 13 months of incarceration, he was released in April 2020 following his second appeal. Just over a year later, the High Court of Australia overturned that conviction, concluding that there was "a significant possibility that an innocent person may have been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt to the required standard of proof."
