Cardinal George Pell, whose conviction on child molestation charges shook the Catholic Church before being overturned, has passed away at the age of 81.
The former Vatican treasurer is the highest-ranking Catholic clergyman in Australia and the highest-ranking Church official ever imprisoned for similar offenses.
Church officials said he died of cardiac issues after a hip surgery.
Before becoming one of the Pope’s closest advisors, Cardinal Pell served as archbishop in both Melbourne and Sydney.
Often referred to as the Church’s third-highest official, he was summoned to Rome in 2014 to clean up the Vatican’s finances.
However, the cleric resigned in 2017 and returned to Australia to face child sex abuse charges.
A jury determined in 2018 that he assaulted two boys in the 1990s while serving as Archbishop of Melbourne.
Pell dies at 81.
Cardinal Pell, who has always maintained his innocence, was incarcerated for thirteen months before the High Court of Australia overturned the decision in 2020.
However, a civil lawsuit filed by the parent of a choirboy whom Cardinal Pell allegedly assaulted is still ongoing.
In the meantime, a major investigation revealed that he was aware of priests’ sexual abuse of children in Australia as early as the 1970s but did nothing.
The Child Abuse Royal Commission conducted thousands of interviews over the course of several years. And its conclusions about Cardinal Pell were made public following his acquittal. Cardinal Pell disputed the allegation, claiming there was no evidence to justify it.
Cardinal Pell was described by the Archbishop of Melbourne, Peter Comensoli, as a “very major and influential Church leader”. While the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, said his death would “shock many.”
Former Catholic Prime Minister Tony Abbott hailed the cleric as a “saint for our times” and “an inspiration for the ages,” describing the charges against him as “a new type of crucifixion.”
Steve Dimopoulos, a government minister in Victoria, the home state of Cardinal Pell, was among many who expressed mixed emotions.
“Today would be a sad day for the cardinal’s family and loved ones. Also for survivors and victims of child sexual abuse and their families,” he stated.
The cardinal was a divisive figure in Australia and overseas, a fact that he admitted.
He rose to prominence in the Church as a staunch defender of traditional Catholic traditions. Frequently pushing for clerical celibacy and holding conservative views.
Cardinal Pell told that there was “no doubt” that his “direct” attitude and conventional approach to matters. Such as abortion had alienated certain segments of society.
He told, “The fact that I support Christian teachings irritates many people.”
