Australian Cardinal George Pell is dead. Pell, who was 81, died in Rome, Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher said on his Facebook page Wednesday night. The archdiocese confirmed the authenticity of the message to the German press agency.
The Archbishop of Melbourne, Peter Comensoli, said the cardinal had recently undergone hip surgery. Accordingly, heart problems had occurred in connection with Pell’s surgery, to which the 81-year-old eventually succumbed.
Pell was one of the most controversial figures in the Catholic Church. From 2014 to 2019, the influential cleric was the finance director of the Vatican and one of Pope Francis’ confidants. At the time, however, Pell was facing an abuse lawsuit in Australia for allegedly sexually abusing two boys in the 1990s.
The trial drew international attention as Pell became the highest-ranking Catholic minister to stand trial on sexual assault charges. In 2019, a jury unanimously sentenced him to six years in prison and initially went to prison. However, he only stayed there for 405 days.
Surprisingly, the following year the Australian Supreme Court acquitted him. The reason for this was a legal formal error in a previous instance in which Pell had appealed against the original verdict. The cardinal’s acquittal sparked outrage among the victims.
(t-online/cc/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
