Australian Cardinal George Pell in Rome, ItalyEuropa Press
He spent 13 months in jail and was launched following an acquittal by the High Court of Australia.
Australian Cardinal George Pell died Tuesday on the age of 81 in Vatican City, Rome. Pell was convicted in 2019 of kid abuse and later, after spending 13 months in jail, acquitted of his expenses. The Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, has confirmed that Pell handed away “within the early hours of this morning,” saying that “this information is a superb shock.” “Pray for the repose of Cardinal Pell’s soul, for the comfort of his household and all who liked him and mourn him presently.”
Death of Cardinal George Pell It is with deep disappointment that I can affirm His Eminence, George Cardinal Pell, handed away in Rome within the early hours of…Posted by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 For Australians it was the… pic.twitter.com/NxQ4is8C2S
— SECRETUM MEUM MIHI (@SECRETUMMEUM) January 11, 2023
Pell, who was a former Vatican treasurer from 2014 to 2019 and Australia’s highest-ranking Catholic cleric, had been the highest-ranking church determine jailed for youngster abuse. The cardinal, who maintained his innocence till the tip of the method, spent 13 months — from February 2019 to April 2020 — in Australian prisons earlier than being acquitted of kid abuse expenses by the Australian High Court. However, after simply over a yr in jail, the Supreme Court of Australia, the nation’s highest judicial occasion, unanimously annulled the conviction for sexual abuse, as there was “the numerous chance that an harmless individual has been convicted on the idea of proof that didn’t set up guilt with the usual of proof required”, and Pell was instantly launched.
After the conviction, Pope Francis prohibited him from publicly exercising the priestly ministry and from any contact with minors, and he was additionally faraway from the Holy See’s Ministry of Economy. The Australian cardinal was often called the spearhead of the anti-Pope conservative wing. According to the Italian media, he died after struggling problems after present process a hip alternative operation.