George Pell

George Pell - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/George_Pell
George Pell
George Pell AC (born 8 June 1941) is an Australian
His Eminence
prelate of the Catholic Church convicted of child
George Pell
sexual abuse. He served as the inaugural Prefect of
AC
the Secretariat for the Economy between 2014 and
2019; and was a member of the Council of Cardinal Cardinal
Advisers between 2013 and 2018. He previously
served as the eighth Archbishop of Sydney
(2001–2014), the seventh Archbishop of Melbourne
(1996–2001) and an auxiliary bishop of Melbourne
(1987–1996).[1] He was created a cardinal in
2003.[2] Ordained in 1966, he has also been an
author, columnist, and public speaker.[3] Since
becoming Archbishop of Melbourne in 1996, he has
maintained a high public profile on a wide range of
issues, while retaining a strict adherence to Catholic
orthodoxy on most matters. His views on the
environment, and global warming in particular, are
inconsistent with mainstream science, and
contradict the positions held by Pope Francis.[4]
Pell in 2012
Pell first studied in Rome and Oxford and later at Church Latin Church
Monash University in Melbourne. He has been a Appointed 24 February 2014
visiting lecturer at Oxford and Cambridge.[3] He
Other posts Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria Domenica
worked as a priest in regional Victoria and in
Mazzarello
Melbourne and has since worked widely in
Orders
education, seminaries and the charity sector,
chairing the aid organisation Caritas Australia from Ordination 16 December 1966
1988 to 1997. He has written widely on religious by Gregorio Pietro Agagianian
subjects, authoring several books and writing a Consecration 21 May 1987
weekly column in Sydney's Sunday Telegraph.[3] He by Frank Little
was appointed as a delegate to the Australian Created 21 October 2003
Constitutional Convention in 1998, received the cardinal by John Paul II
Centenary Medal from the Australian government in
Rank Cardinal-Priest
2003, and was appointed a Companion of the Order
Personal details
of Australia in 2005.[3][5]
Born 8 June 1941
Upon becoming Archbishop of Melbourne, Pell set Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
up the "Melbourne Response" diocesan protocol to
Denomination Roman Catholicism
investigate and deal with complaints of sexual abuse
Previous post
in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.[6][7][8] The Titular Bishop of Scala (1987–1996)
protocol was the first of its kind in the world, but
Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne
has been subject to a variety of criticisms.[6][8][7][9]
(1987–1996)
Pell himself used the platforms to both condemn
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George Pell - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Pell
past failings of his Church and to defend his own Archbishop of Melbourne
efforts to combat child abuse in the church and care (1996–2001)
for victims.[10]
Archbishop of Sydney (2001–2014)
Pell is the Catholic Church's most senior official to Member of the Council of Cardinal
be convicted of child sexual abuse.[11] In June 2017, Advisers (2013–2018)
Pell was charged in Victoria with multiple historical Prefect of the Secretariat for the
sexual assault offences; he denied all charges. Economy (2014–2019)
[9][12][13] The most serious charges were thrown out
Alma mater
for "fundamental defects in evidence" and credibility Corpus Christi College, Melbourne
issues over witnesses, but Pell was committed to
Pontifical Urban University
stand trial on other charges, pleading not guilty.[14]
Campion Hall, Oxford
Due to the charges raised against him, Pope Francis
removed Pell from the Council of Cardinal Advisers
Monash University
on 16 August 2018.[15] On 11 December 2018, Pell Motto Nolite Timere ("Be not afraid")
was found guilty on five charges related to sexual
misconduct involving two boys in the 1990s.[16][17][18] Pell's bail has Styles of
been revoked and he is held in custody, with his sentencing scheduled George Pell
for 13 March 2019.[19] Pell has lodged an appeal against his conviction
on three grounds, including a claim that the jury verdict was
unreasonable.[19] In February 2019, the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith initiated its own investigation of the charges against Pell, Reference His Eminence
which could lead to Pell being defrocked.[19] style
Spoken Your Eminence or My
style Lord Cardinal
Contents Informal Cardinal
Early life and education style
Ecclesiastical career
Priesthood
Diocesan episcopal career
Secretariat for the Economy
Health in later life
Views
Theology and worship
Pope Benedict XVI
Political issues
Environmental positions
Interfaith issues
Sexuality, marriage and bioethics
Other roles
Handling of sexual abuse cases by clergy while archbishop
"Melbourne Response"
2013 Victorian parliamentary inquiry
Response to historic allegations in Sydney
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual
Abuse
Accusations and charges regarding child sexual abuse
2002 allegation
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Victoria Police investigations

Criminal charges and conviction
Writings
Distinctions
Orders
Awards
Other
See also
Notes
References
Further reading
External links
Early life and education

Pell was born 8 June 1941 in Ballarat, Victoria,[20] to George Arthur and Margaret Lillian (née Burke) Pell.[2] His
father was a non-practising Anglican whose ancestors were from Leicestershire in England; he was also a
heavyweight boxing champion.[21] His mother was a devout Catholic of Irish descent.[22]:21 As a child, Pell
underwent 24 operations to remove an abscess in his throat.[22]:25
Pell attended Loreto Convent and St Patrick's College (from which he matriculated) in Ballarat.[23] At St Patrick's,
Pell played Australian rules football as a ruckman on the first XVIII from 1956 to 1959.[24] He signed with the
Richmond Football Club in 1959 and played for the club in the VFL reserves.[25] However, his ambitions later
turned to the priesthood. Speaking of his decision to become a priest, Pell once said, "To put it crudely, I feared
and suspected and eventually became convinced that God wanted me to do His work, and I was never able to
successfully escape that conviction."[22]:34
In 1960, he began his studies for the priesthood at Corpus Christi College, then located in Werribee.[23][a] Pell
continued to play football and served as class prefect in his second and third years.[22]:41–42 In 1963, he was
assigned to continue his studies at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome.[24] He was ordained to the diaconate
on 15 August 1966.[2]
Ecclesiastical career
Priesthood
On 16 December 1966, Pell was ordained a priest by Cardinal Gregorio Pietro Agagianian at St. Peter's Basilica.[1]
He received a Licentiate of Sacred Theology degree from the Pontificia Università Urbaniana in 1967 and
continued his studies at the University of Oxford where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in church history
in 1971 with a thesis entitled The exercise of authority in early Christianity from about 170 to about 270.[2][26]
During his studies at Oxford, he also served as a chaplain to Catholic students at Eton College, where he celebrated
the first Roman Catholic Mass since the English Reformation.[22]:72
In 1971, he returned to Australia and was assigned to serve as an assistant priest in Swan Hill, where he remained
for two years.[2] He then served at a parish in Ballarat East from 1973 to 1983, becoming administrator of the
parish of Bungaree in 1984.[2] In 1982, he earned a Master of Education degree from Monash University in
Melbourne.[23] During his tenure in Ballarat East and Bungaree, he also served as Episcopal Vicar for Education
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(1973–84), director of the Aquinas campus of the Institute of Catholic Education (1974–84) and principal of the
Institute of Catholic Education (1981–84).[23][20] He was also editor of Light, the newspaper of the Diocese of
Ballarat, from 1979 to 1984.[2]
From 1985 to 1987, Pell served as seminary rector of his alma mater, Corpus Christi College.[23]
Diocesan episcopal career

Pell was appointed an auxiliary bishop of Melbourne and titular Bishop of Scala on 30 March 1987. He received his
episcopal consecration on 21 May 1987 from Archbishop Frank Little, with bishops Ronald Mulkearns and Joseph
O'Connell serving as co-consecrators. He served as Bishop for the Southern Region of Melbourne (1987–1996).
During this time, he was a parish priest in Mentone.[23]
Pell was named seventh Archbishop of Melbourne on 16 July 1996, receiving the pallium from Pope John Paul II
on 29 June 1997. He was later appointed eighth Archbishop of Sydney on 26 March 2001 and again received the
pallium from John Paul on 29 June 2001.[27]
Pell was a consultor of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace from 1990 to 1995 and a member from 2002.
From 1990 to 2000 he was a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In April 2002, John Paul II
named him President of the Vox Clara commission to advise the Congregation for Divine Worship on English
translations of liturgical texts.[27] On 21 December 2002 he was appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for
the Family,[28] having previously served as a consultor to the council. On 22 September 2012, Pell was appointed a
member of the Congregation for Bishops.[29]
As Archbishop of Melbourne, Pell maintained a high public profile on a wide range of issues, while retaining a
strict adherence to Catholic orthodoxy; with some dispute over the issue of Catholics and "primacy of conscience".
[30][31]
In 2001, he argued: "We must not allow the situation to deteriorate as it had in Elijah's time, 850 years before
Christ, where monotheism was nearly swamped by the aggressive paganism of the followers of Baal." In 2010, on
reviewing the movie Avatar, he wrote: "Worship of the powerful forces of nature is half right, a primitive stage in
the movement towards acknowledging the one: the single Transcendent God, above and beyond nature. It is a
symptom of our age that Hollywood is pumping out this old-fashioned pagan propaganda."[32]
On 28 September 2003, Pope John Paul II announced that he would appoint Pell and 28 others to the College of
Cardinals.[33] In the consistory of 21 October he was made Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria Domenica Mazzarello. With
Pell as cardinal, Australia had for the first time, three cardinals eligible to participate in a papal election: Pell,
Edward Bede Clancy, and Edward Idris Cassidy.[34]
Pell was one of the electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that elected Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
Pope Benedict XVI. He is reported to have served as an unauthorized "campaign manager" for Ratzinger.[35][36]
While there was a little speculation in the Australian media that he had an outside chance of becoming Pope
himself, international commentary on the papal succession (aside from one Italian source) did not mention Pell as
a contender. Pell was mentioned as a possible successor to Benedict XVI as head of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith.[36]
In February 2007, Pell instituted new guidelines for family members speaking at funerals. He said that, "on not a
few occasions, inappropriate remarks glossing over the deceased's proclivities (drinking prowess, romantic
conquests etc) or about the Church (attacking its moral teachings) have been made at funeral Masses." Under Pell's
guidelines, the eulogy must never replace the celebrant's homily, which should focus on the scripture readings
selected, God's compassion, and the resurrection of Jesus.[37]
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Pell lobbied for the successful Sydney bid to host the 2008 World Youth
Day,[38] which brought Benedict XVI on his first papal visit to
Australia.[39] The event drew approximately half a million young people
from 200 countries and one million people came to see the Pope. On 19
July 2008, Benedict issued his first public apology to victims of child
sexual abuse by Catholic priests.[40]
In their 2010 Good Friday sermons, both Pell and his Anglican counterpart
Archbishop Peter Jensen attacked atheism.[41][42] Both men were also
closely aligned on policy issues[43] and Jensen launched Pell's
biography.[44]
On 18 September 2012, Pell was named by Benedict XVI to be one of the

papally appointed Synod Fathers for the October 2012 Ordinary General
Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization.[45]
Pell was the only cardinal from Oceania to take part in the 2013 papal
Pell in Rome in 2007
conclave.[46] At that conclave, he was thought to be organizing votes on
behalf of Cardinal Angelo Scola of Milan, the favorite candidate of the
Italian cardinals.[47]
Following his election, Pope Francis named Pell, the only cardinal available to represent Oceania,[47] one of eight
members to advise the Pope on how to reform of the Roman Curia.[48][49] In December 2018, Pell and two others
were removed from this role, with effect from late October 2018.[50][51]
Secretariat for the Economy

In February 2014, Pell was appointed to be the first prefect of the newly created Secretariat for the Economy.[52] In
this role, Pell is responsible for the annual budget of the Holy See and the Vatican.[53]
In July 2014 it was announced that Pell, with the consent of Pope Francis, had the Ordinary Section of
Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA) transferred to the Secretariat for the Economy and
claimed that this was an important step to enable the Secretariat for the Economy to exercise its responsibilities of
economic control and vigilance over the agencies of the Holy See. It was also announced that remaining staff of
APSA would begin to focus exclusively on its role as a treasury for the Holy See and the Vatican City State.[54]
Following the confirmation of the Institute for the Works of Religion's mission by the Pope on 7 April 2014 the IOR
announced plans for the next stage of development. The Council of Cardinals, the Secretariat for the Economy, the
Supervisory Commission of Cardinals and the current IOR Board of Superintendence have agreed that this plan
will be carried out by a new executive team led by Jean-Baptiste de Franssu.[54]
Pell was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on 13 September 2014.[55]
It was reported in November 2014 that the Secretariat for the Economy has distributed a new handbook to all
Vatican offices outlining financial management policies that would go into effect on 1 January 2015. The manual
was endorsed by the Council for the Economy and approved by the Pope in forma specifica. "The purpose of the
manual is very simple", said Pell, "it brings Financial Management practices in line with international standards
and will help all Entities and Administrations of the Holy See and the Vatican City State prepare financial reports
in a consistent and transparent manner." The Secretariat for the Economy will provide training and support to the
Vatican/Holy See offices to help implement the new policies.[56]
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In 2015, Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio questioned the scope of the authority given to the Secretariat for the
Economy and to Pell himself. These questions involved not the demand for transparency in all financial
operations, but the consolidation of management under the Secretariat for the Economy.[57][58]
Health in later life

In February 2010, Pell had heart troubles in Rome and was taken to hospital. He was taken to hospital when he
first arrived in Rome after he collapsed due to ill health and exhaustion. He was released from hospital the same
day and sources close to him said he had been in good health since.[59]
In 2015, Pell's heart condition was judged serious enough to prevent air travel from Italy to Australia to appear
before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. He was expected to be well
enough to travel in February 2016.[60] However, in the end he testified from a hotel in Rome through a video link
up.[61] A Ballarat-based state MP, Sharon Knight, said, after hearing that Pell would not return to Australia to
appear before the commission due to an undisclosed heart condition, "if we do ever see you back in this country,
then we will know that everything you have said about your health – everything that you have said to avoid
personally appearing at the hearings – is an absolute sham."[62]
Pell was granted bail during his criminal trial to undergo knee surgery and has since walked with the aid of a cane.
An assessment was made of his mental and physical health when he was taken into custody following his
conviction. He was assessed healthy enough to be kept in Melbourne Assessment Prison for the time being.[63]
Views
In the Australian context, Pell is regarded as progressive on many social issues but a conservative on matters of
faith and morals.[64] He has often been wary of what he calls the "callousness" of unrestrained capitalism. He has
written that a Catholic is someone who is not only a person of personal conscience but "is someone who believes
Christ is Son of God, accepts His teachings and lives a life of worship, service and duty in the community. Catholics
are not created by the accident of birth to remain only because their tribe has an interesting history."[65]
Theology and worship
Ad orientem liturgy
In 2009 Pell supported, in the abstract but not as a proposal for immediate application, mandatory celebration of
the Canon of the Mass with the orientation of the priest ad orientem, facing in the same direction as the
congregation. "There's nothing like a consensus in favour of that at the moment", he said. "I think I would be in
favour of it because it makes it patently clear that the priest is not the centre of the show, that this is an act of
worship of the one true God, and the people are joining with the priest for that."[66]
Adam and Eve

During a debate against Richard Dawkins on the show Q&A in 2012, in response to whether there had ever been a
Garden of Eden scenario with an "actual" Adam and Eve, Pell said:[67][68]
Adam and Eve are terms – what do they mean: life and earth. It’s like every man. That’s a beautiful,
sophisticated, mythological account. It’s not science but it’s there to tell us two or three things. First
of all that God created the world and the universe. Secondly, that the key to the whole of universe,
the really significant thing, are humans and, thirdly, it is a very sophisticated mythology to try to
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explain the evil and suffering in the world.
Ordination of women and priestly celibacy

In 2005 Pell supported the view that the ordination of women as priests is impossible according to the church's
divine constitution and said that abandoning the tradition of clerical celibacy would be a "serious blunder".[69]
Pope Benedict XVI

Pell said that the decision of Pope Benedict XVI to retire in 2013 could set a precedent which may be a problem for
future leaders. He thought Benedict's decision to step down had destabilised the church and some of those
surrounding the Pope had failed to support him in his ministry. "He was well aware that this is a break with
tradition [and] slightly destabilising", Pell said. According to him, the Pope was a better theologian than he was a
leader.[70]
In response to the claim that he had criticised Benedict XVI, Pell confirmed he was stating what the Pope already
mentioned himself, and his comments were "not breaking any ground".[70] During a youth conference in
Parramatta, Bishop Anthony Fisher confirmed that Pell was merely "stating the pros and cons of the Pope's
decision" and those who claimed his comments were critical were taking him out of context.[71]
Political issues
Asylum seekers and refugees

Pell has criticised the bipartisan policy of mandatory detention of asylum seekers in Australia and called for
"empathy and compassion" towards displaced peoples.[72] Pell said that while a policy of deterrence was justifiable,
the practice of the policy was coming at too great a "moral cost".[73] Describing conditions in some of Australia's
mandatory detention camps in 2001 as "pretty tight and miserable" and "no place for women and children", Pell
called for investigation of any maltreatment of detainees and said that, while Australia has the right to regulate the
number of refugees it accepts, as a rich and prosperous country, it can "afford to be generous" and must treat
humanely those refugees who reach Australia.[74]
Environmental positions
Pell is a climate change denier.[75] In a 2006 speech he said that "hysterical and extreme claims" about the natural
environment were the result of the "pagan emptiness" of Western culture. He said: "In the past pagans sacrificed
animals and even humans in vain attempts to placate capricious and cruel gods. Today they demand a reduction in
carbon dioxide emissions."[76]
In a 2007 article for the Sydney Sunday Telegraph, Pell wrote that while climate had changed, he was '"certainly
sceptical about extravagant claims of impending man-made climatic catastrophes, because the evidence is
insufficient".[77]
Responding to the Anglican bishop and environmentalist George Browning, who told the Anglican Church of
Australia's general synod that Pell was out of touch with the Catholic Church as well as with the general
community,[78] Pell stated:[79]
Radical environmentalists are more than up to the task of moralising their own agenda and imposing
it on people through fear. They don't need church leaders to help them with this, although it is a very
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effective way of further muting Christian witness. Church leaders in particular should be allergic to
nonsense ... I am certainly sceptical about extravagant claims of impending man-made climatic
catastrophes. Uncertainties on climate change abound ... my task as a Christian leader is to engage
with reality, to contribute to debate on important issues, to open people's minds, and to point out
when the emperor is wearing few or no clothes.
In July 2015. Pell criticised Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato si' for associating the church with the need to
address climate. Pell said:[80]
It’s got many, many interesting elements. There are parts of it which are beautiful. But the church
has no particular expertise in science ... the church has got no mandate from the Lord to pronounce
on scientific matters. We believe in the autonomy of science.
Interfaith issues
Islam
Pell has written of a need to "deepen friendship and understanding" with Muslims in the post–September 11
environment and has said that though there is a continuing struggle throughout the Muslim world between
moderates and men of violence, he believes that, in Australia, "the moderates are in control".[81]
In 2004, speaking to the Acton Institute on the problems of "secular democracy", Pell drew a parallel between
Islam and communism: "Islam may provide in the 21st century, the attraction that communism provided in the
20th, both for those that are alienated and embittered on the one hand and for those who seek order or justice on
the other."[82]
In February 2006, addressing Catholic business leaders in Naples, Florida, Pell stated: "Considered strictly on its
own terms, Islam is not a tolerant religion and its capacity for far-reaching renovation is severely limited."[83] He
doubted that Islam possesses the capacity for theological development because "In the Muslim understanding, the
Koran comes directly from God, unmediated. The Bible, in contrast, is a product of human co-operation with
divine inspiration."[84]
In 2012 and 2013, Pell hosted Iftar dinners to mark the end of the Islamic celebration of Ramadan.[85] The Grand
Mufti of Australia, Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Pell on behalf of Muslims
for hosting the dinner.[86] Pell said during the 2012 dinner that such gatherings are one of the fruits of tolerance
that flourishes in Australian society and is a sign of respect for diversity, stating:[86]
We are all called to be instruments of peace and harmony among aggressors and those who practice
terrorism although we worship the one God in different ways... We gather united in our plans for
respect and friendship.
Judaism
Pell has participated in many interfaith dialogues and celebrations involving Jewish people. In 2001, he told one
such audience at Mandelbaum House that he had come from a strongly pro-Jewish family and of being saddened
during his studies of history to find Christian ill-treatment of Jews. Pell spoke of the need to remember the
Holocaust and of his visits to concentration camps and of his support for the right of the state of Israel to exist. He
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praised the role of Vatican II and of Pope John Paul II in advancing the cause of Christian-Jewish dialogue and co-
operation. Pell also spoke in praise of the Jewish psalms as "a body of prayerful literature" unequalled in any other
tradition and singled out the Jewish prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel as authors for whom he has a deep love
and Elijah as one whom he views as highly significant. Pell called on Christian and Jewish leaders alike to speak
together and respectfully listen to each other, saying of the Christian-Jewish relationship:[87]
During the last 30 or 40 years there has been a significant reduction in the amount of Christian anti-
Semitism. We thank God for that. To adapt to our circumstances the word of Martin Luther King "we
are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. Whatever affects one directly affects all
indirectly". Our fortunes, as brothers, are inextricably linked.
During a 2012 televised panel discussion including himself and Richard Dawkins on the Australian TV programme
Q&A, Pell stated that he had "a great admiration for the Jews" and repeatedly condemned Adolf Hitler. During the
course of the discussion, ABC moderator Tony Jones sought to imply anti-Semitism in Pell's remarks regarding the
relative intellectual development of ancient Jewish society with that of great powers like Egypt, as well as in Pell's
comment that Germany was punished for its role in the Second World War.[88]
In responding to a series of questions by Jones as to why God would "randomly decide to provide proof of his
existence to a small group of Jews 2,000 years ago", Pell said that, while the intellectual life of the ancient Jews
was not the equal of the surrounding great powers like Egypt, Persia and Chaldea, "Jesus came not as a
philosopher to the elite. He came to the poor and the battlers". Jones cross examined Pell over his use of the word
"intellectual" and Pell said (in reference to Biblical times) that "the little Jewish people, they were originally
shepherds. They were stuck. They're still stuck between these great powers."[67]
Referring to "The Holocaust, to genocide, to famine", Jones asked why an omnipotent God would permit such
events to occur. In response, Pell and Jones had the following exchange:[67]
Pell: That's a mighty question. He helped probably through secondary causes for the Jews to
escape and continue. It is interesting through these secondary causes probably no people in
history have been punished the way the Germans were. It is a terrible mystery.
Moderator: There would be a very strong argument saying that the Jews of Europe suffered
worse than the Germans.
Pell: Yes, that might be right. Certainly the suffering in both I mean the Jews there was no
reason why they should suffer.
Pell's remarks were widely misreported and misinterpreted, leading to a clarification from his office – reported by
The Times of Israel as an apology.[89] Pell said, "My commitment to friendship with the Jewish community, and
my esteem for the Jewish faith is a matter of public record, and the last thing I would want to do is give offence to
either" and that the Holocaust was "a crime unique in history for the death and suffering it caused and its
diabolical attempt to wipe out an entire people."[89][90]
Sexuality, marriage and bioethics

Pell has received much attention for his attitudes to sexuality issues, particularly homosexuality. When installed as
Archbishop of Sydney in May 2001, he said that "Christian teaching on sexuality is only one part of the Ten
Commandments, of the virtues and vices, but it is essential for human wellbeing and especially for the proper
flourishing of marriages and families, for the continuity of the human race."[91]
Divorce
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Pell says that, outside exceptional circumstances such as relationships involving physical abuse, it is better for
individuals and for society if couples do not divorce, particularly where children are involved.[92]
In 2001, ABC radio's The World Today reported that Pell wanted a return to a divorce system based on the fault of
one spouse. Pell told the program that, in an effort to "focus attention on the damage, personal and financial, that
unfortunately often follows from divorce" he had prepared a list for public consideration of possible penalties to
discourage divorce (particularly where fault by one party was involved); as well as benefits to support couples who
stayed together.[93]
Gay rights
In 1990, Pell stated publicly that while he recognised that homosexuality existed, such activity was nevertheless
wrong and "for the good of society it should not be encouraged."[94] He has also expressed his belief that suicide
linked to homophobia was a valid reason to discourage recognition of a gay identity, arguing that "Homosexual
activity is a much greater health hazard than smoking."[95]
In 1998, Pell refused communion to members of the Rainbow Sash Movement who had attended Mass at the
cathedral in Melbourne. He publicly rebuked their actions to the applause of other parishioners.[96]
Pell opposed Australian legislation in 2006 that would have permitted gay couples to adopt children. In 2007, he
said that discrimination against people who are gay was not comparable to that against racial minorities.[97]
HIV/AIDS
In 2009, Pell supported the comments made by Pope Benedict XVI in Africa in relation to controlling the spread of
AIDS, in which the Pope reiterated the Catholic teaching that the solution to the AIDS epidemic lay not in the
distribution of condoms, but in the practice of sexual abstinence and monogamy within marriage. The Pope said
that AIDS could not be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which "can even increase the problem". In
response to global coverage of these remarks, Pell said that AIDS was a "great spiritual and health crisis" and a
huge challenge, but that "Condoms are encouraging promiscuity. They are encouraging irresponsibility."[98]
The idea that you can solve a great spiritual and health crisis like AIDS with a few mechanical
contraptions like condoms is ridiculous. If you look at the Philippines you'll see the incidence of
AIDS is much lower than it is in Thailand, which is awash with condoms. There are condoms
everywhere and the rate of infection is enormous.
The president of the AIDS Council of NSW, Marc Orr, said Pell's comments were "irresponsible" and "contradicted
all evidence" that condoms reduced the transmission of HIV:[99] Mike Toole (Burnet Institute) and Rob Moodie
(Nossal Institute for Global Health) wrote in The Age that Pell had said a health worker from an African country
told him that "people in remote areas are too poor to afford condoms and the ones that are available are often of
very poor quality and weren't used effectively". Both professors argue that "this is not an argument against
promoting condoms – it is an argument that we need to ensure that good quality condoms are affordable for
everyone and are widely distributed with information about how to use them effectively" and concluded "the sexual
abstinence message is clearly not working."[100]
In 2010, Benedict told an interviewer that while the church did not consider condoms as a "real or moral solution",
there were times where the "intention of reducing the risk of infection" made condom use "a first step" towards a
better way. Pell released a statement saying this did not signal a major new shift in Vatican thinking.[101]
As Archbishop of Sydney, Pell supported the work of Catholic health organisations such as St Vincent's Hospital
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and the Tree of Hope Centre in caring for those living with HIV/AIDS.[102]
Stem cell research

Pell supports research on the therapeutic potential of adult stem cells but opposes embryonic stem cell research on
the basis that the church cannot support anything which involves "the destruction of human life at any stage after
conception". Under Pell, the Sydney archdiocese has provided funding for adult stem cell research but has actively
opposed moves by the Parliament of New South Wales to liberalise laws pertaining to use of embryonic stem cells.
[65][103]
In remarks made at a media conference, in June 2007 on a conscience vote overturning the state ban on
therapeutic cloning, Pell said that "Catholic politicians who vote for this legislation must realise that their voting
has consequences for their place in the life of the church."[104]:133[105] Some members of parliament, including
ministers such as Kristina Keneally and Nathan Rees, condemned Pell's comments, calling them hypocritical; Rees
drew comparisons with comments made earlier in the year by Sheik Hilali.[105][106] Australian Greens MLC Lee
Rhiannon referred Pell's remarks to the New South Wales parliamentary privileges committee for allegedly being
in contempt of parliament. Pell described this move as a "clumsy attempt to curb religious freedom and freedom of
speech".[107] In September the committee tabled a report clearing him of this charge and recommending that no
further action be taken.[108]
The legal scholar and theologian Cathleen Kaveny wrote that "In every possible respect, Pell's statement backfired"
as, following backlash from elected officials and the general public, the bill passed the lower house with what she
describes as "an overwhelming 65–26 vote" and passed the upper house with a 27–13 vote.[104]:133–134
Other roles
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney takes the role of visitor[109] of St John's College, a residential college
within the University of Sydney. This is a largely ceremonial role but he can also be called upon to give guidance
and resolve internal disputes. Under the direction of the archbishop the college associates itself with the interests
of the church and its mission, particularly by the fostering of appropriate academic directions in education, charity,
social justice, ethics and the environment.
Pell accepted the invitation to be patron of the Oxford University Newman Society and to deliver their inaugural St
Thomas More Lecture on 6 March 2009.[110] Pell is a regular contributor of articles for the Australian media,
including regular columns for Sydney's The Sunday Telegraph newspaper. He is a former Fellow of the Australian
College of Education.
Handling of sexual abuse cases by clergy while

archbishop
Pell's tenure as Archbishop of Melbourne began when the issue of handling of child sex abuse allegations by
institutions was coming to the fore in public debate. Launching his pioneering Melbourne Response protocol in
1996, Pell said: "It's a matter of regret that the Catholic Church has taken some time to come to grips with the sex
abuse issue adequately."[9] In his final sermon as Archbishop of Sydney in 2014 before departing Australia for
Rome, Pell told the congregation "I apologise once again to the victims and their families for the terrible suffering
that has been brought to bear by these crimes". He said procedural improvements could still be made to the
church's efforts against abuse, and then he added that he "looked forward" to the findings of the Royal
Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse which he said was providing a "public service" in
allowing victims to air their experiences. His choice of words drew wide criticism as they were perceived as being
11 of 32 3/5/2019, 4:23 PM
inappropriately blithe and unempathetic to the victims of the abuse.[111]
"Melbourne Response"
Shortly after becoming Archbishop of Melbourne in August 1996, Pell discussed the issue of child abuse with the
Victorian premier, governor and retired judge Richard McGarvie, who all recommended swift action.[112] He
engaged the law firm Corrs to draft a scheme which would be funded by but operate independently of the
Archdiocese of Melbourne.[113]:29–30 A public forum was held on 19 October, and the resulting "Melbourne
Response" was announced on 30 October 1996.[113]:30–31[5][113]:29, 31 Victims were publicly encouraged to come
forward. Pell's Melbourne-specific policy preceded the national church response, known as "Towards Healing",
which the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference approved in November and took effect in March 1997.[112]
When Pell was appointed a Cardinal in 2003, the ABC noted that he had established Australia's first independent
commissioner to handle sexual abuse complaints against clergy.[3]
The Melbourne Response was the subject of Case Study 16 in the 2013–2017 Royal Commission into Institutional
Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and was also examined in the 2013 Victorian government Inquiry into the
Handling of Child Abuse by Religious and other Organisations. Pell was called to testify at both inquiries.[5][113] In
2017, the Royal Commission reported that the Melbourne Response was "widely criticised as being legalistic and
offering inadequate support to victims".[9] According to the royal commission, the Melbourne Response set its
goals as "truth, humility, healing for the victims, assistance to other persons affected, an adequate response to
those accused and to offenders and the prevention of any such offences in the future".[113]:32 Its key features were
the appointment of Independent Commissioners to inquire into allegations and make recommendations; a
counselling and support service (Carelink); and the establishment of a Compensation Panel to advise on making
"ex-gratia" payments to victims of abuse.[113] The ex gratia payments are made without the church recognising any
liability to victims and were initially capped at $50,000.[9] It was increased to $55,000 in 2000 and to $75,000 in
2008.[113] Peter O'Callaghan was appointed the first Independent Commissioner. He went on to investigate 351
complaints of child abuse, and upheld 97% of those.[113]:6
2013 Victorian parliamentary inquiry

On 27 May 2013, Pell gave evidence before Victoria's Parliamentary Inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse by
Religious and other Organisations.[114][115] Pell told the inquiry he was "fully apologetic and absolutely sorry". The
parliamentarians questioned Pell over allegations from the parents of a victim that he had not shown them
empathy. Pell said he had in fact fully understood the suffering. Pell agreed with the inquiry that his predecessor
had "covered up" matters for fear of scandal. The Cardinal was heckled from the gallery.[116]
Pell critic David Marr wrote that "He [Pell] admitted his church had covered up abuse for fear of scandal; that his
predecessor Archbishop Little had destroyed records, moved paedophile priests from parish to parish and
facilitated appalling crimes."[117]
During the course of the Inquiry, a victim of a paedophile Christian Brother at St Alipius Primary School claimed
that in 1969 Pell heard him pleading for help a few weeks after he had been raped. Pell denied the claim, which was
later discredited when Pell produced his passport to confirm that he was not living in Australia that year.[118]
Response to historic allegations in Sydney

During Pell's time as Archbishop of Sydney, allegations of sexual abuse were made against around 55 priests in the
archdiocese. These were largely related to incidents that occurred prior to his arrival as archbishop. The allegations
resulted in just under $8 million in reparation payments.[119]
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Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

In late 2012, the Australian federal government established a Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to
Child Sexual Abuse. Pell welcomed the inquiry and said "We think this is an opportunity to help the victims, it's an
opportunity to clear the air and separate fact from fiction." He said there had been a persistent "press campaign
against the Catholic Church".[120] The commission conducted hearings between 2013 and 2017. Pell gave evidence
on three occasions to the royal commission beginning in March 2014 in Sydney and via video link from the Vatican
in August 2014 and in February/March 2016.[5]
In his 2012 Christmas address Pell said he felt "shock and shame" at revelations of crime and wrongdoing by
Christians, which he called "disasters", completely contrary to Christ's teaching. He said he was "deeply sorry this
has happened" and told his listeners to "help those who have been hurt".[121][122][123][124]
Comments upholding the Seal of Confession

The announcement of the royal commission was accompanied by calls from some quarters for relaxing the
requirement of confidentiality in confessions, which has been upheld by the Catholic Church since the fifth
century. It is protected under Australian law in such statutes as the Evidence Act 1995 (which also provides
protections for lawyers, journalists and spouses).[125][126][127] When Pell was asked whether he thought that a
priest who hears the confession of someone who has committed child sex abuse must remain bound by the Seal of
Confession, he replied:[120][128][129][130]
If that is done outside the confessional (it can be reported to the police)... (But) the Seal of
Confession is inviolable. If the priest knows beforehand about such a situation, the priest should
refuse to hear the confession... That would be my advice, and I would never hear the confession of a
priest who is suspected of such a thing.
The ABC reported that the comment "met with disapproval", citing Catholic politician Barry O'Farrell, who told
Parliament that confessions should not be secret.[120][128][129][130]
Pell's conduct
A number of criticisms of Pell's conduct and manner towards victims and perpetrators have been aired in the
Australian media and considered at the royal commission. His appearances before the royal commission were met
with intense public interest in Australia. He was heckled from the public galleries. Pell has complained of unfair
treatment from the media and "relentless character assassination".[131]
An SBS article by Debi Marshall included suggestions Pell had ignored accounts of physical and sexual abuse and
covered up such abuse. Marshall raised the allegation that Pell had attempted to "bribe" a victim.[132] However,
Pell was cross-examined by Counsel Assisting Gail Furness over the widely publicised claim that in 1993, he
attempted to bribe David Ridsdale into silence, when David Ridsdale called him about the historical misconduct of
his pedophile-priest uncle Gerald Ridsdale. In her final submission, Furness conceded that the allegation was
unlikely to be an accurate interpretation of Pell's intent, as it was already known that Gerald Ridsdale was under
investigation by police, and David Ridsdale was requesting a private process and not suggesting he wanted to go to
police.[133]
The royal commission also considered evidence of Pell's "knowledge of rumours, allegations or complaints of
Dowlan's sexual abuse of children in Ballarat", also raised in Marshall's article. One witness said he'd gone to
"Pell's presbytery" in Ballarat to warn him about Dowlan. Pell submitted evidence that he did not live in Ballarat or
in that presbytery at the time, and the Counsel-Assisting noted in her final submission that "Cardinal Pell's
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evidence about his living arrangements and duties in 1973 and 1974 make it less likely that he was at St Patrick's
presbytery late in the afternoon on a week day."[133]
March 2014 appearance

In 2014, the royal commission was told how lawyers representing Pell and the Archdiocese of Sydney incurred
costs of A$1.5 million against a victim of sexual abuse. The lawyers, acting on the church's instructions,
"vigorously" fought John Ellis through the courts despite warnings of his "fragile psychological state". The
resulting NSW Court of Appeal ruling established the controversial "Ellis Defence", which confirmed that the
church could not be sued as a legal entity and held liable for abuse committed by a priest in such matters.
Eventually, Ellis received $568,000 from the church. In a statement to the royal commission in March 2014, Pell
reversed his earlier stance in support of the defence, saying: "My own view is that the Church in Australia should
be able to be sued in cases of this kind."[119]
In his 2014 appearance, Pell likened the Catholic Church to a trucking company: "If the truck driver picks up some
lady and then molests her, I don't think it's appropriate, because it is contrary to the policy, for the ownership, the
leadership of that company to be held responsible."[134] He was widely criticised for this remark.[135][136][137][138]
The president of Adults Surviving Child Abuse, Cathy Kezelman, called his comments "outrageous", saying that
they denied the experience of victims. Nicky Davis, from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP),
said that Pell had made a "highly offensive" comparison.[137][139] Michael Bradley, writing in his weekly column for
ABC News, said "Yes, it was mind-blowingly insensitive to draw that analogy and to so blithely refer to 'some lady'.
But there was a much bigger hole. In the world according to Pell, if the Catholic Church has a policy that tells its
priests not to rape children then, if they still do so, the Church cannot be held accountable."[134]
2016 appearance
Appearing before the royal commission in February and March 2016 by video link from a hotel in Rome unable to
travel to Australia due to his heart condition,[61][140] Pell gave evidence in front of 15 victims of abuse who had
travelled from Australia to Rome to witness his testimony.[61][141] The hearing in Sydney was open to the
media.[142] Having sworn on the Bible, Pell stated that he did not think the problems with abuse were with the
institutional structure of the Catholic Church. "The Church has made enormous mistakes and is working to remedy
those", he said. "The Church in many places, certainly in Australia, has mucked things up, has let people down. I'm
not here to defend the indefensible."[143] Counsel assisting the royal commission alleged that there were also wider
problems with the church's hierarchy in Australia and Rome and beyond, which they thought he understated or
sidestepped.[143] Regarding the allegations of children, he said that "the predisposition was not to believe" and that
the instinct was to protect the church.[10] He continued, saying, "Too many of them certainly were dismissed and
sometimes they were dismissed in absolutely scandalous circumstances ... They were very, very, very plausible
allegations made by responsible people that were not followed up sufficiently."[10]
Pell also stated that the way Gerald Ridsdale was dealt with was "a catastrophe for the victims and a catastrophe
for the church". But referring to rumours of abuse per se, "in those days", he said, "if a priest denied such activity, I
was very strongly inclined to accept the denial".[10]
Following Pell's inability to travel in 2016, a GoFundMe campaign entitled "Send Ballarat Survivors to Rome" was
launched to enable 15 victims of abuse to travel to Rome and see him give evidence in person. It reached its target
of A$55,000 in one day, doubled that the following day and trebled it the day after.[144][145] The musician Tim
Minchin released the song "Come Home (Cardinal Pell)", with all proceeds to go to the GoFundMe campaign. The
song attacked Pell as "scum" and "coward" who should go to hell. Uploaded to YouTube, within 24 hours it had
over 400,000 views and reached the number one position on the iTunes song chart in Australia.[145][146]
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In June 2016 the Holy See Press Office director Federico Lombardi announced that Pell would continue in his role
as prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, despite being obliged to submit his resignation on turning 75.
Lombardi reminded reporters that Pope Francis had previously expressed his full confidence in Pell, and that
Francis wished him to continue as prefect.[147]
Gerald Ridsdale
Pell served as an assistant priest at St Alipius' Church in Ballarat East and, in 1973, shared a house with Gerald
Ridsdale, a priest who was later defrocked and jailed for child sex crimes.[138][148] Ridsdale was convicted between
1993 and 2017 of a very large number of child sexual abuse and indecent assault charges against children aged as
young as four years during the 1970s and 1980s, the total number of known victims standing at 79, but that is
thought to be a small proportion of his victims.[149][150][151][152] Pell was part of a leadership group of Catholic
priests in the Diocese of Ballarat that met during 1982 and discussed moving Ridsdale from the parish at Mortlake
and sending him to Sydney.[153] Pell denied knowing about any of Ridsdale's actions.[154] Journalist and former
priest Paul Bongiorno, who also lived in a presbytery with Ridsdale told ABC radio that Ridsdale concealed his
activities: "They hide it. It was certainly hidden from me. And when it came out, after I’d left the priesthood, I was
shocked and I was ashamed."[155]
In March 2016, when asked by the Royal Commission why he had agreed to walk Ridsdale into the courthouse in
Melbourne during his 1993 criminal trial, Pell responded, "I had some status as an auxiliary bishop and I was
asked to appear with the ambition that this would lessen the term of punishment, lessen his time in jail." Peter
Saunders, the victims' advocate and a former Catholic priest, said that this Pell response "demonstrates once again
the callousness, the coldheartedness and the contempt that George Pell appears to display for this whole issue and
particularly for the victims of these dreadful crimes."[156]
In 2002 on 60 Minutes, Pell was accused by David Ridsdale, a victim of child sex abuse in Ballarat and the nephew
of Gerald Ridsdale, of attempting to bribe him in 1993 in order to prevent the abuse being made public.[133] The
allegation was examined at the royal commission and received further wide publicity.[157][158] However, Counsel-
Assisting Gail Furness conceded in her final submission to the royal commission that, given it was already known
to Pell that Gerald Ridsdale was subject to police investigation, and David Ridsdale had requested a "private"
rather than police process "it is not likely that Bishop Pell would then have thought it necessary to offer Mr
Ridsdale an inducement to prevent him from going to the police or public with his allegations", and Ridsdale could
have "misinterpreted Bishop Pell's offer of assistance".[133]
Accusations and charges regarding child sexual abuse
2002 allegation
In June 2002, Pell was accused by a Melbourne man of having sexually abused a 12-year-old boy at a Catholic
youth camp in 1961, when he was a young seminarian. Pell denied the accusations and stood aside while the
inquiry continued.[159] The complainant agreed to pursue his allegations through the church's own process for
dealing with allegations of sexual misconduct, the National Committee for Professional Standards. Retired
Victorian Supreme Court Justice Alec Southwell, appointed Commissioner by the church to investigate the matter,
found that the complainant, despite his long criminal record, had mostly given the impression of "speaking
honestly from actual recollection" but concluded as follows: "bearing in mind the forensic difficulties of the defence
occasioned by the very long delay, some valid criticism of the complainant's credibility, the lack of corroborative
evidence and the sworn denial of the respondent, I find I am not 'satisfied that the complaint has been
established'".[160][161] Pell said he had been exonerated, while the complainant's solicitor said his client had been
15 of 32 3/5/2019, 4:23 PM
vindicated.[161]
Victoria Police investigations

In March 2013, Victoria Police launched "Operation Tethering", to investigate whether Pell had committed
unreported crimes.[162] On 20 February 2016, the Herald Sun newspaper reported that Pell had been under
investigation for the past year by detectives from the Victoria Police SANO Taskforce over sexual abuse allegations
involving between five and ten boys that occurred between 1978 and 2001 when he was a priest in Ballarat and
when archbishop of Melbourne.[163] His office issued a public statement denying the allegations calling them
"utterly false" and asked for an inquiry into the leaking of information by Victoria Police officers to the media.[163]
Victoria Police remained silent on whether Pell was being investigated.[163] The SANO Taskforce was established in
2012 to investigate allegations arising from the Victorian Government Inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse by
Religious and other Organisations and the subsequent Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child
Sexual Abuse.[163][164]
On 28 July 2016, the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, Graham Ashton, confirmed that there was an
investigation into alleged child sexual abuse by Pell following a report by the ABC's 7.30 program the previous day
and stated that he was awaiting advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).[165][166][167] On 17 August
2016, Victoria Police confirmed a response had been received from the DPP, but would not disclose the DPP's
recommendations.[168]
In October 2016, three Victoria Police officers from the SANO Task Force flew to Rome to interview Pell, who
voluntarily participated, regarding allegations of sexual assault.[169] In February 2017, Victoria Police advised that
the brief of evidence against Pell for sexual assault allegations had been returned to the Office of Public
Prosecutions for review with advice subsequently provided to Victoria Police in May 2017.[170][171]
Criminal charges and conviction

On 29 June 2017, Victoria Police charged Pell with sexual assault offences with several counts and several
victims.[9] At a press conference, Pell stated that he would return to Australia and that "I'm looking forward,
finally, to having my day in court" and "I'm innocent of those charges. They are false".[13][172] On 26 July 2017,
whilst not required to attend in person, he appeared at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court for a filing hearing
represented by barrister Robert Richter and, although not required at this stage of the court committal process, he
entered a plea of not guilty.[173][174] An application by the media seeking the public disclosure of the details of the
charges was refused by the magistrate.[173]
At a procedural hearing on 22 November 2017, Pell's lawyers requested documents from ABC News journalist
Louise Milligan and Melbourne University Press relating to a book named Cardinal: the Rise and Fall of George
Pell which was published in early 2017.[175]
In January 2018, a man who had accused Pell of sexual abuse died after a long illness. Former chief Victorian
magistrate Nicholas Papas said that the man's death would affect the structure of Pell's court case, and stated that
in a case of historical sexual abuse it can "seriously affect the case" due to a lack of witnesses.[176] That charge was
withdrawn on the Friday before the committal hearing was due to begin.[177] Pell's lawyers requested and were
denied the personal medical information of the complainants.[178] Pell's defence was reported to be based on
questioning the timing of allegations.[179] Some other charges were dropped after a complainant was ruled
medically unfit to give evidence.[180]
The committal hearing to determine whether there was enough evidence to commit him to stand trial commenced
on 5 March 2018.[181][182] The committal hearing allowed for approximately fifty witnesses to give evidence,
16 of 32 3/5/2019, 4:23 PM
including former choirboys.[183][181] The magistrate allowed Pell's barrister to cross-examine all but five
witnesses.[181] As a result, the hearing was scheduled to allow for four weeks of testimony and cross-
examination.[184] Pell's barrister said the matter would go to trial and that some of the allegations, those involving
St Patrick's Cathedral, were impossible.[183][182][185]
On 1 May 2018, Pell was committed to stand trial on several historical sexual offence charges. Magistrate Belinda
Wallington concluded that there was enough evidence for the case to proceed on about half of the charges.
Allegations that Pell committed sexual assault in a Ballarat cinema during the screening of a film was among the
charges dismissed.[186] Pell entered pleas of not guilty to the remaining charges.[14][187] As a bail condition, Pell
surrendered his Vatican passport and is not permitted to leave Australia.[188][189]
On 2 May 2018, Pell appeared in the County Court of Victoria for a directions hearing before Judge Sue Pullen and
it was agreed that he would undergo two separate trials with two separate juries and that the charges would be
heard separately for each trial. He was to be tried in relation to allegations of sexual offences taking place at a
Ballarat swimming pool in the 1970s in the first case, and in relation to further allegations taking place in 1990 at
St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, in the second case.[190] The Catholic Weekly, a publication of the Catholic
Archdiocese of Sydney, advertised seeking donations for Pell's legal fund and wrote an article promoting the appeal
for funding. It is unknown who was responsible for the advertising or the donation drive.[191] Prosecutors sought a
media ban on reporting of proceedings until the beginning of a final trial, including suppression of reporting an
initial trial and no further reporting on earlier trials until completion of the final one.[192] A suppression order was
subsequently issued by Judge Peter Kidd. The purpose of the order was to avoid biasing potential jurors against
Pell in a future criminal trial.[193][194][195][196] The suppression order was lifted after the second trial, relating to
alleged incidents at the Ballarat swimming pool, was cancelled due to issues with evidence. An alleged victim
intends to launch a claim for damages against Pell and other parties.[197]
On 11 December 2018, Pell was convicted on five counts of child sexual abuse of two boys in the 1990s, after a jury
returned a unanimous guilty verdict.[198][199] Evidence against Pell described wilful exposure, fondling,
masturbation and oral rape.[200] International news sources reported the conviction at the time, but the
suppression order was generally respected by the Australian media.[194] The Melbourne-based Herald Sun posted
on its front page "CENSORED" in large print in protest of the ban, noting that international sources were reporting
on a "very important story that is relevant to Victorians".[193] In a statement made to the Washington Post, Noah
Shachtman, editor in chief of the online news magazine The Daily Beast, consulted with American and Australian
lawyers, but ultimately considered it an "easy call" to report on the conviction, though he did place geo-blocking
restrictions to prevent online access to the story from Australia.[193] News of Pell's conviction was published in
Australia on 26 February 2019 when the suppression order was lifted.[201][199][202]
On 12 December 2018, the Vatican announced that Pell was one of the three oldest cardinals who had been
thanked in October and were no longer part of the Pope's Council of Cardinal Advisers.[203][204][205]
In February 2019 it was reported that Pell's legal team had lodged an appeal against his conviction.[201] Bret
Walker will replace Richter as Pell's lead counsel for the appeal.[206] Pell's bail was revoked on 27 February 2019
and he is held in custody, with his sentencing by Kidd scheduled for 13 March 2019.[207]
Writings
Pell has written widely in religious and secular magazines, learned journals and newspapers in Australia and
overseas. He regularly spoke on television and radio. His other publications include The Sisters of St Joseph in
Swan Hill 1922–72 (1972), Catholicism in Australia (1988), Rerum Novarum – One Hundred Years Later (1992),
Catholicism and the Architecture of Freedom.
17 of 32 3/5/2019, 4:23 PM
Pell, George (1977). Bread, stones or fairy floss: religious education today (http://trove.nla.gov.au
/work/20295189?q&versionId=23968030) (pamphlet). Melbourne: Australian Catholic Truth Society
Publications.
Pell, George (1979). Are our secondary schools Catholic? (pamphlet). Melbourne: Australian Catholic Truth
Society Publications.
Pell, George (1982). An evaluation of the goal of moral autonomy in the theory and practice of Lawrence
Kohlberg (microfiche). Clayton, Melbourne: Monash University.
Pell, George; Woods, Mary Helen (1996). Issues of Faith and Morals (paperback). Melbourne: Oxford
University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-553978-3. For senior secondary classes and parish groups.
Pell, George (1999). Catholicism and the architecture of freedom (https://www.cis.org.au/events/catholicism-
and-the-architecture-of-freedom-archbishop-george-pell) (oration). The Inaugural Acton Lecture on Religion
and Freedom. St Leonards, Sydney: Centre for Independent Studies (Australia). p. 14.
ISBN 978-1-86432-044-2.
Pell, George (2004). Livingstone, Tess, ed. Be not afraid : collected writing (paperback). Sydney: Duffy &
Snellgrove. ISBN 978-1-876631-97-0. A collection of homilies and reflections.
Pell, George (2007). Casey, M. A., ed. God and Caesar: Selected Essays on Religion, Politics, and Society
(paperback). Ballan, Victoria: Connor Court. ISBN 978-0-8132-1503-7.
Pell, George (2010). Livingstone, Tess, ed. Test Everything: Hold Fast to What Is Good (paperback). Ballan,
Victoria: Connor Court. ISBN 978-1-9214-2137-2.
Distinctions
Orders
Holy See: Grand Prior of the New South Wales Lieutenancy of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
[3]
(2001), Grand Prior of the Australian Lieutenancy – Southern of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
(1998–2001)
Australia: Companion of the Order of Australia (2005) for service to the Catholic Church in
Australia and internationally, to raising debate on matters of an ethical and spiritual nature, to education and
social justice[208]
Awards
Australia: Centenary Medal (2001) for service to Australian society through the Catholic
Church[209]
Other
Ecclesiastical Grand Cross and Ecclestical Grand Cross of Merit of the Malta-Paris obedience of
the Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910) (2003) for longstanding commitment to ecumenism,[210] National
Chaplain (2001)
See also
St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney
Notes
a. One of his fellow seminarians at Corpus Christi was Denis Hart,[22]:38–39 Pell's successor as Archbishop of
Melbourne.[22]
References
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1. "George Cardinal Pell" (http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bpell.html). Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M.

Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
2. Miranda, Salvador. "Pell, George" (http://www2.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios-p.htm#Pell). The Cardinals of the Holy
Roman Church.
3. "Meet George Pell, Australia's Newest Cardinal" (https://web.archive.org/web/20180404052916/http:
//www.abc.net.au/religion/stories/s956918.htm). ABC News. Australia. October 2003. Archived from the
original (http://www.abc.net.au/religion/stories/s956918.htm) on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
4. Latika Bourke (10 November 2015). "Kevin Rudd blasts George Pell over climate change"
(https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/kevin-rudd-blasts-george-pell-over-climate-change-20151110-
gkv8lx.html). The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
5. "George Pell's career in the Catholic Church" (https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/06/29/george-pells-
career-catholic-church). SBS News. SBS. 29 June 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
6. 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) (https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au
/images/stories/committees/fcdc/inquiries/57th/Child_Abuse_Inquiry/Submissions
/Catholic_Church_in_Victoria.pdf) (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 6 July 2017.
7. 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) (https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au
/images/stories/committees/fcdc/inquiries/57th/Child_Abuse_Inquiry/Report
/Inquiry_into_Handling_of_Abuse_Volume_2_FINAL_web.pdf) (PDF). East Melbourne, Victoria: Parliament of
Victoria. ISBN 9780987372857.
8. Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse 2015.
9. "George Pell, Catholic cardinal, charged with historical sexual assault offences" (http://www.abc.net.au
/news/2017-06-29/cardinal-george-pell-charged-sexual-assault-offences/8547668). ABC News. Australia. 29
June 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
10. "Cardinal George Pell tells child abuse royal commission Catholic Church made 'enormous mistakes' "
(http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-29/george-pell-says-catholic-church-made-'enormous-mistakes'
/7206676). ABC News. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
11. Younger, Emma (25 February 2019). "George Pell guilty of sexually abusing choirboys"
(https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-26/george-pell-guilty-child-sexual-abuse-court-trial/10837564). ABC
News. Australia. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
12. "George Pell: How Italian media reacted to the historical sexual offence charges" (http://www.abc.net.au
/news/2017-06-30/george-pell-how-italian-media-reacted-to-sex-assault-charges/8666944). ABC News.
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194. "Cardinal George Pell Reportedly Convicted of Sex Abuse Amid Gag Order in Australia" (https://www.npr.org
/2018/12/13/676441949/cardinal-george-pell-reportedly-convicted-of-sex-abuse-amid-gag-order-in-austral).
NPR. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
195. Cartwright, Lachlan (11 December 2018). "Vatican No. 3 Cardinal George Pell Convicted on Charges He
Sexually Abused Choir Boys" (https://www.thedailybeast.com/vatican-no-3-cardinal-george-pell-on-trial-for-
historical-child-sex-charges/). The Daily Beast. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
196. "Report: Third-Highest Ranking Vatican Official Convicted on Sex Abuse Charges in Australia"
(https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/12/cardinal-george-pell-convicted-sex-abuse-australia.html). Slate.
12 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
197. Cunningham, Melissa (4 March 2019). " 'I felt empty, and that an injustice had occurred': George Pell sued
over claim of Ballarat swimming pool sex abuse" (https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/i-felt-empty-and-
that-an-injustice-had-occurred-george-pell-sued-over-claim-of-ballarat-swimming-pool-sex-abuse-20190304-
p511kp.html). The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
198. Farhl, Paul (13 December 2018). "An Australian court's gag order is no match for the Internet, as word gets
out about prominent cardinal's conviction" (https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/an-australian-
courts-gag-order-is-no-match-for-the-internet-as-word-gets-out-about-prominent-cardinals-conviction/2018/12
/13/5137005c-fef5-11e8-83c0-b06139e540e5_story.html). The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 December
2018.
199. "George Pell guilty of sexually abusing choirboys" (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-26/george-pell-
guilty-child-sexual-abuse-court-trial/10837564). ABC News. Australia. 26 February 2019.
200. Davey, Melissa (26 February 2019). "George Pell: cardinal found guilty of child sexual assault"
(https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/feb/26/cardinal-george-pell-vatican-treasurer-found-guilty-
of-child-sexual-assault). theguardian.com. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
201. Davey, Melissa (26 February 2019). "George Pell: cardinal found guilty of child sexual assault"
(https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/feb/26/cardinal-george-pell-vatican-treasurer-found-guilty-
of-child-sexual-assault). Guardian Australia. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
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202. "George Pell's conviction for child sexual abuse reverberates around Australia" (https://www.abc.net.au
/news/2019-02-26/george-pell-sexual-abuse-conviction-reaction-to-guilty-verdict/10851446). ABC News.
Australia. Associated Press. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
203. "George Pell removed from Vatican's cardinal council" (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-13/george-pell-
no-longer-part-of-vatican-council-of-cardinals/10614092). ABC News. Australia. 13 December 2018. Retrieved
13 December 2018.
204. Horowitz, Jason; Povoledo, Elisabetta (12 December 2018). "Pope Expels Two Cardinals Implicated in Sex
Abuse From His Council" (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/12/world/europe/pope-cardinals-pell-abuse.html).
The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved 13 December
2018.
205. Bordoni, Linda (12 December 2018). "Council of Cardinal Advisors wrap-up December meeting"
(https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2018-12/council-cardinal-advisors-december-meeting-
burke.html). Vatican News. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
206. Cooper, Royce Millar, Chris Vedelago, Adam (5 March 2019). "Robert Richter no longer part of George Pell's
legal team for appeal" (https://www.smh.com.au/national/robert-richter-no-longer-part-of-george-pell-s-legal-
team-for-appeal-20190305-p511xj.html). The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
207. "George Pell remanded in custody after bail revoked at court hearing for child sex offences"
(https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-27/george-pell-faces-court-after-conviction-for-abusing-choirboys
/10852940). ABC News. Australia. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
208. "PELL, Eminence Cardinal George: Companion of the Order of Australia" (http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au
/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1135850&search_type=quick&showInd=true). It's an Honour.
Australian Government. 13 June 2005. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
209. "Pell, George: Centenary Medal" (http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll
/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1135850&search_type=quick&showInd=true). It's an Honour. Australian
Government. 1 January 2001. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
210. "Cardinal George Pell, EGCLJ GCMLJ" (http://www.st-lazarus.org.au
/pdf/CARDINAL%20GEORGE%20PELL%20bio.pdf) (PDF). Grand Priory of Australia, a Jurisdiction of the
Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
Further reading
Marr, David (2013). The Prince: Faith, Abuse and George Pell. Quarterly Essay. 51. Carlton, Victoria: Black
Inc. Books. ISBN 978-1-86395-616-1.
External links
"Pell Card. George" (https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie
/cardinali_bio_pell_g.html). Holy See Press Office. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20170904063515
/http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_pell_g.html)
from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
"Cardinal George Pell" (https://www.sydneycatholic.org/past-bishops/#archbishops). Biography. Archdiocese
of Sydney.
31 of 32 3/5/2019, 4:23 PM
Catholic Church titles
Succeeded by
— TITULAR —
Preceded by Edward Joseph Adams
Bishop of Scala
Marion Francis Forst as Titular Archbishop of
1987–1996
Scala
Preceded by Archbishop of Melbourne Succeeded by

Frank Little 1996–2001 Denis Hart
Preceded by Archbishop of Sydney Succeeded by

Edward Clancy 2001–2014 Anthony Fisher
Prefect of the Secretariat for the

Succeeded by
New dicastery Economy
Vacant
2014–2019
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Victoria Police investigations

Early life and education

Diocesan episcopal career

On 18 September 2012, Pell was named by Benedict XVI to be one of the

Secretariat for the Economy

Health in later life

Theology and worship

Adam and Eve

explain the evil and suffering in the world.

Ordination of women and priestly celibacy

Pope Benedict XVI

Asylum seekers and refugees

Sexuality, marriage and bioethics

Stem cell research

Handling of sexual abuse cases by clergy while

inappropriately blithe and unempathetic to the victims of the abuse.[111]

2013 Victorian parliamentary inquiry

Response to historic allegations in Sydney

Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

Comments upholding the Seal of Confession

March 2014 appearance

Accusations and charges regarding child sexual abuse

Victoria Police investigations

Criminal charges and conviction

1. "George Cardinal Pell" (http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bpell.html). Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M.

55. "Rinunce e nomine, 13.09.2014" (http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2014/09

89. "Australian cardinal apologizes for 'problematic' remarks on Jews" (http://www.timesofisrael.com/australian-

106. "Cardinal Pell sounding like Sheik Hilali, MP says" (https://web.archive.org/web/20071009214143/http:

Catholic Church titles

Preceded by Archbishop of Melbourne Succeeded by

Preceded by Archbishop of Sydney Succeeded by

Prefect of the Secretariat for the

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Pell&oldid=886279509"

This page was last edited on 5 March 2019, at 07:51 (UTC).

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