Australian Cardinal George Pell Dies

January 12, 2023

Cardinal George Pell had hip replacement surgery on Jan. 10. Hours afterward, he went into cardiac arrest and died.

Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Pell the first perfect of the Vatican's Secretariat in 2014. Pell conducted investigations which culminated in the trial for "financial crimes" of Cardinal Angelo Becciu.

Pell was accused of sexual abuse and convicted well into his seventies back in 2018. Pell served 404 days in prison, with much of that time being in solitary confinement. He was "completely exonerated" of all charges by the Australian High Court in April 2020.

Archbishop Peter Comensoli of Melbourne shared "great sadness" over the news of Pell's death, saying:

May eternal light now be his, who so steadfastly believed in the God of Jesus Christ.

Bishop Richard Umbers felt the same way, saying "Larger than life, Cardinal Pell was a highly intelligent and well-read man who took a genuine interest in everyone around him."