The Australian Cardinal, George Pell, passed away on January 10, 2023, at 8:50 p.m. after suffering a cardiac arrest following complications from a hip surgery. Pell was, among other things, prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy. He was 81 years old.
George Pell was born on June 8, 1941, in Ballarat, a city in the Australian state of Victoria. He owed his Catholic faith to his Irish-born mother. His father was an Anglican, born in England.
As a boy, Pell aspired to a career as a professional Australian Rules Football player before discovering his vocation for the priesthood.
Ordained a priest in 1966, he was made auxiliary bishop of Melbourne in 1987 and archbishop of Melbourne nine years later. In 2001, he was appointed archbishop of Sydney, and was ordained as a cardinal in 2003 by Pope John Paul II. 10 years later, Pope Francis appointed him to the Council of Cardinals, and, the next year, in 2014, he took up the role of director of the Secretariat for the Economy and led efforts to reform Vatican financial affairs.
2017 brought the darkest chapter in Pell’s life. Accused by a single witness of abuse, he faced a harrowing trial, was convicted, and spent 404 days in an Australian prison, mostly in solitary confinement. He was finally acquitted of all charges in 2019 with a unanimous decision by Australia’s highest court.
