Cardinal George Pell, the former chief financial officer of the Vatican and the most senior Roman Catholic leader to ever stand trial for child sexual abuse, has died in Rome at the age of 79.
Father Joseph Hamilton confirmed Pell’s death on Tuesday evening local time after the cardinal was admitted to a Rome hospital for hip replacement surgery. The cause of death was believed to be complications from a cardiac arrest following the operation.
Pell was born in the regional city of Ballarat, Australia, on June 8, 1941, and rose through the ranks of the Roman Catholic Church to become Vatican treasurer, considered by many to be the third most senior position within the church. He served in that role from 2014 to 2019 in charge of Pope Francis’ financial reforms, which largely stalled when he was called back to Australia to face allegations of child sexual abuse.
In 2018, Pell was found guilty of five charges of child sexual abuse and sentenced to six years in prison. He was acquitted in 2020 after the High Court of Australia overturned the conviction.
Anthony Fisher, the Archbishop of Sydney, said in a statement to The Guardian: “It is with deep sadness that I can confirm His Eminence, George Cardinal Pell, passed away in Rome in the early hours of this morning.”
Pell’s death comes just days after he was seen attending the consistory celebrated by Pope Francis for the creation of new cardinals in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on Aug. 27.
Key takeaways:
- Cardinal George Pell, the former chief financial officer of the Vatican and the most senior Roman Catholic leader to ever stand trial for child sexual abuse, has died in Rome at the age of 79.
- Pell was born in Ballarat, Australia, and rose to become Vatican treasurer, considered by many to be the third most senior position within the church.
- Pell was found guilty of five charges of child sexual abuse in 2018 and was acquitted in 2020 after the High Court of Australia overturned the conviction.
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