George Pell


George Pell

Pell in 2012
ChurchCatholic
Appointed24 February 2014
Term ended24 February 2019
SuccessorJuan Antonio Guerrero Alves
Other post(s)Cardinal Priest of Santa Maria Domenica Mazzarello (2003‍–‍2023)
Orders
Ordination16 December 1966
by Gregorio Pietro Agagianian
Consecration21 May 1987
by Frank Little
Created cardinal21 October 2003
by John Paul II
RankCardinal priest
Personal details
Born(1941-06-08)8 June 1941
Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
Died10 January 2023(2023-01-10) (aged 81)
Rome, Italy
BuriedSt Mary's Cathedral, Sydney
Previous post(s)
Education
MottoNolite timere
(Latin for 'Be not afraid')
SignatureGeorge Pell's signature
Coat of armsGeorge Pell's coat of arms
Ordination history
History
Priestly ordination
Ordained byGregorio Pietro Agagianian
Date16 December 1966
PlaceSt. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
Episcopal consecration
Principal consecratorFrank Little (Melbourne)
Co-consecrators
Date21 May 1987
PlaceSt Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne
Cardinalate
Elevated byPope John Paul II
Date21 October 2003
Episcopal succession
Bishops consecrated by George Pell as principal consecrator
Denis Hart9 December 1997
Joseph Grech10 February 1999
Christopher Toohey30 August 2001
Julian Porteous3 September 2003
Anthony Fisher3 September 2003
Terence Brady16 November 2007
Michael McKenna26 June 2009
Peter Comensoli8 June 2011
William Wright15 June 2011
Styles of
George Pell
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal

George Pell AC (8 June 1941 – 10 January 2023) was an Australian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as the inaugural prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy between 2014 and 2019, and was a member of the Council of Cardinal Advisers between 2013 and 2018. Ordained a priest in 1966 and bishop in 1987, he was made a cardinal in 2003. Pell served as the eighth Archbishop of Sydney (2001–2014), the seventh Archbishop of Melbourne (1996–2001) and an auxiliary bishop of Melbourne (1987–1996). He was also an author, columnist and public speaker. From 1996, Pell maintained a high public profile on a wide range of issues, while retaining an adherence to Catholic orthodoxy.

Pell worked as a priest in rural Victoria and in Melbourne and also chaired the aid organisation Caritas Australia (part of Caritas Internationalis) from 1988 to 1997. He was appointed a delegate to the Australian Constitutional Convention in 1998, received the Centenary Medal from the Australian government in 2003 and was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours.[1] During his tenure as Archbishop of Melbourne, Pell set up the "Melbourne Response" protocol in 1996 to investigate and deal with complaints of child sexual abuse in the archdiocese.[2][3] The protocol was the first of its kind in the world and was subjected to a variety of criticisms.[2]

In 2018, Pell was convicted of child sexual abuse, but on appeal, the convictions were quashed, and Pell acquitted, in 2020 by the High Court of Australia.[4] A separate investigation by the Holy See's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith into these allegations of abuse concluded upon his acquittal by the High Court.[5]

According to findings released by Australia's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2020, Pell knew of child sexual abuse by clergy by the 1970s but did not take adequate action to address it. Pell said he was "surprised" and that the commission's views "are not supported by evidence".[6]

  1. ^ "The Queen's Birthday 2005 Honours: The Governor-General is pleased to announce the following appointments and awards". Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. Special (National : 1977 - 2012). 13 June 2005. p. 1. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b Catholic Church Victoria (21 September 2012). Facing the Truth – Learning from the Past – How the Catholic Church in Victoria has Responded to Child Abuse (submission to Parliamentary Inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse by Religious and other Non-Government Organisations) (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  3. ^ Family and Community Development Committee (2013). Betrayal of trust: inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other non-government organisations (Volume 2) (PDF). East Melbourne, Victoria: Parliament of Victoria. ISBN 9780987372857.
  4. ^ Posthumous sources:
  5. ^ Collett, Michael (18 September 2019). "The Catholic Church has its own secret investigation into Pell. Here's who is running it". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cardinal Pell-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search