Former Archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney, His Eminence Cardinal George Pell, has died in Vatican City aged 81 from cardiac arrest in Rome. His death has come after hip replacement surgery when he suffered heart complications.
Earlier, Pell was in Rome attending the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI.
In a media statement released on January 11, the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Most Reverend Anthony Fisher OP said:
“I was in Rome last week for the funeral of another great churchman and close friend of Cardinal Pell, Pope Benedict XVI. The Cardinal and I did not know it would be the last time we would see each other in this life, but he was in good spirits and his regular, witty self, and I am thankful that we shared this time together.”
Pell was a devoted traditional Catholic, who was outspokenly against homosexuality, abortion, and contraception. He was a polarising figure in the community, and he attracted criticism for labelling contraception as a “heresy”. He defined same-sex marriage as a “grave injustice” to children and appealed to the Australian government not to legalise it.
Archbishop Fisher spoke fondly about Cardinal Pell:
“[Cardinal Pell] fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel and worked to explain the teachings of the Church. He spoke the truth as he found it, however difficult or unpopular. He was also a man of prayer, of deep Christian faith and a loving shepherd to his flock in parishes, schools, hospitals and throughout his diocese.”
Pell was ordained an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and Titular Bishop of Scala in 1987. In 1996, Pope John Paul II announced Cardinal Pell’s appointment as the seventh Metropolitan Archbishop of Melbourne. In 2001, Pell became the eighth Metropolitan Archbishop of Sydney.
In 2018, he was accused and convicted of molesting two teenage choirboys while he was the Archbishop of Melbourne in 1996. In March 2019, Pell was sentenced to six years in prison.
He consistently preserved his innocence, and his convictions were annulled in a unanimous verdict by the High Court in 2020. There were no further trials, and Pell walked free after more than 400 days in prison.
Cardinal Pell returned to the Vatican in September 2020, six months after he was exonerated of child sexual abuse charges.
Cardinal Pell progressed through the ranks of the Catholic Church in Australia and had the Vatican’s finances placed under his care in 2014, making him the most senior Australian Catholic in history.
The tributes flowed throughout the day from current and former leaders of government.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said>
“For many people, particularly of the Catholic faith, this will be a difficult day and I express my condolences to all those who are mourning today.”
The Honourable Tony Abbott AC placed his statement on Twitter, saying: “The Cardinal was a committed defender of Catholic orthodoxy and a staunch advocate for the virtues of Western Civilisation”, whilst former Coalition minister Joe Hockey also paid tribute to the Cardinal, saying that “he was a man of deep faith and great integrity.”
The Archbishop of Sydney, Most Reverend Anthony Fisher, has confirmed there will be a service held in the Vatican in the coming days. There will also be a service at St Mary’s Cathedral soon. Further details will be made public in the coming days.