Australian Cardinal George Pell, a leading Roman Catholic conservative and former top Vatican official who in 2020 was acquitted of sexual abuse allegations, dies at 81
Fr. Joseph Hamilton told Reuters Pell died in a Rome hospital on Tuesday night. Archbishop Peter Comensoli, the Archbishop of Melbourne, said Pell had died from heart complications following hip surgery.
Even before the sexual assault allegations, Pell was a polarising figure in the two decades that he dominated the Australian Catholic hierarchy, revered by conservative Catholics but scorned by liberals for his staunch opposition to same-sex marriage and women's ordination. He was a close friend of former Pope Benedict, who died last month. But he disagreed with Benedict's decision to continuing wearing white, saying it had confused the faithful. In an interview with Reuters after his return to Rome, he said the Church needed rules on the role of popes who retire.
"Look, it was bad, it wasn't like a holiday, but I don’t want to exaggerate how difficult that was. But there were many dark moments," Pell told Reuters of his jail time. Former Australia Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Australia had lost a great son and the Church had lost a great leader.
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