An Australian cardinal Geroge Pell, a most controversial catholic cleric died due to heart complications after hip surgery.
He previously served as Archbishop of both Melbourne and Sydney.
In 2014 after Pope Francis’s call, he was appointed the prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy in Rome. A third-ranking position in the Vatican.
George Pell’s career as Archbishop and Cardinal was not smooth, he has also been accused of the charges of child sexual abuse.
What Charges Faced by the Cardinal George Pell
Cardinals George Pell 2017 faced trial on child sexual abuse charges.
A jury convicted him of five counts related to molestation in 2018 with abusing two boys while he was Archbishop of Melbourne in the 1990s. Due to these charges, he spent 13 months in prison.
But later he appealed in the Australian high court and in April 2020 a panel of seven High Court judges dismissed the jury verdict as unreasonable.
He was released from jail in 2020. It was criticized by legal experts, who noted that judgment was improper and testimony of the George Pell accuser was not released.
He expressed his experience in jail as undignified and humiliated.
And also Australian media was prevented from reporting any trial report related to this case. So the authenticity of this judgment was questioned by the media.
Also Read: Pastor Jack W. Hayford Left The World
The Child Abuse Royal Commission Report About George Pell Case
The Child Abuse Royal Commission released its findings after the acquittal of George Pell.
In their report, they took interviewed several witnesses. One of the witnesses said that “ as a young teen in 1974, he’d approached then-Father Pell to tell him that another priest was abusing children.
The panel also inquired about the former case in 2015 where George Pell hide the sexual abuse charges of an Australian Priest Gerald Ridsdale, who was later convicted of abusing close to 70 victims.
Vatican and Australian Prime Minister Paying Tribute to Cardinal George Pell
🔴 BREAKING | El cardenal George Pell ha fallecido tras complicaciones derivadas de una operación de prótesis de cadera. Tenía 81 años de edad.
Que Descanse en Paz 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/Fnm1TarfNn
— EWTN Vaticano (@EWTNVaticano) January 10, 2023
With great sadness, the news is out that Cardinal George Pell died a few hours ago, from heart complications following hip surgery. May eternal light now be his, who so steadfastly believed in the God of Jesus Christ.
— Archbishop Peter A Comensoli (@BishopComensoli) January 10, 2023
Vale, Cardinal George Pell AC pic.twitter.com/DaSUNso9Lj
— Tony Abbott (@HonTonyAbbott) January 11, 2023