Key Point:
- Cardinal George Pell has died in Vatican City at the age of 81.
- Cardinal Pell was convicted of child molestation in 2018 while he was Archbishop of Melbourne.
- His conviction was overturned after being appealed by the High Court in 2020.
This article contains references to child abuse.
Cardinal George Pell, former Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, has died in Vatican City at the age of 81.
The US-based EWTN Catholic News Service reported that Cardinal Pell suffered cardiac arrest and died Tuesday night after undergoing hip replacement surgery in Rome.
EWTN’s Vatican correspondent Colm Flynn said he had confirmed Cardinal Pell’s death to his family.
Cardinal Pell, Australia’s highest-ranking Catholic ever, was the Vatican’s finance minister until 2017, when he resigned to stand trial on child abuse charges in Australia.
Shortly before his death, Cardinal Pell was among those who attended Pope Benedict’s funeral last Thursday.
Cardinal Pell was convicted in 2018 of sexually abusing two teenage choirmen in the sacristy of St Patrick’s Cathedral when he was Archbishop of Melbourne in 1996.
He has always pleaded not guilty, and in 2020 the High Court passed a unanimous verdict, overturning his conviction.
Father Edward Moloney, custodian of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Ballarat, where Cardinal Pell was a priest, said the parish entrusts his soul to God and His merciful judgment.
Father Molony told the AAP, “I thank and pray for all the good he has done.
“Like all those who die, we remember the words of Scripture – praying for the dead is a sacred and wholesome idea.”
Cardinal George Pell has died at the age of 81. sauce: AAP / Gregorio Borgia
“A Hard Day for Child Sexual Abuse Victims”
Victorian government minister Steve Dimopoulos said it was going to be a very difficult day for Cardinal Pell’s family and loved ones.
“But it’s also a very difficult day for child sexual abuse survivors and victims and their families, and my thoughts are with them,” Dimopoulos told reporters Wednesday.
When asked in a BBC interview in May 2021 how he felt about being remembered for allegations of child sexual abuse when he died, Cardinal Pell said he had left He said that heritage is a “good thing.”
“My only concern is getting the truth out. It doesn’t matter in the big picture what people think of me. he said.
“I’m a little old-fashioned and buttoned up. I think there are worse things than being stoic. I don’t think it’s always a virtue to wear your heart on your sleeve. The thing is, what you do is to help people.”
Six months after his appeal was granted in September 2020, he returned to the Vatican.
This is a developing story and this article will be updated.
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https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/cardinal-george-pell-dies-aged-81-after-hip-surgery-complications/q0uzfftm3 Cardinal George Pell dies at 81 in Vatican City