The late Australian cardinal was a model in Christian perseverance.
The late Australian cardinal was a model in Christian perseverance.
C ardinal George Pell died on Tuesday, aged 81, after suffering heart complications from a hip replacement. His legacy is a mixed one. It oughtn’t be. There is strong evidence of his faithfulness and personal integrity, and very little evidence in support of the charges against him. Still, the nature of calumny is that when mud is thrown, it sticks.
George Arthur Pell was born in 1941 in Ballarat, Victoria. As a young man, he was a talented sportsman. In 1959, the Richmond Football Club offered him a position, which he turned down to join the seminary. He was ordained a priest in 1966, a bishop in 1987, and a cardinal in 2003.
Pell’s reputation for orthodoxy gained him many enemies; nevertheless he maintained an uncompromising adherence to it until the end. In a piece he wrote for the Spectator, published days after his death, he rejected the Catholic Synod of Bishops’ new 45-page document as a “toxic nightmare”: “The synods have to choose whether they are servants and defenders of the apostolic tradition on faith and morals, or whether their discernment compels them to assert their sovereignty over Catholic teaching.”
After his death, the BBC went with the headline “Cardinal Pell’s death brings few tears in Australia,” describing him as “powerful” but “reviled by many.” The Guardian cast him as a “staunch conservative who opposed same-sex marriage, homosexuality” (meaning homosexual activity), “abortion and contraception.” All of which are consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Unlike liberal journalists, Pell understood that in Catholicism, there are no liberals or conservatives, only the faithful and heretics.
To some people, Pell, who could do no right in life, offended them even in death. “The fact that he has died will be another trigger for the survivors of abuse,” a spokesperson for an organization called the Catholic Women’s Ordination told the Guardian. The spokesperson was vaguely referring to Pell’s conviction for child abuse, which the Australian high court quashed in 2020 on the grounds that there was significant “doubt as to the applicant’s guilt.” There is no need to go into the allegations against him here. But for those interested, the Pillar has an excellent report documenting the relevant facts and evidence.
While Pell eventually had his freedom restored, the damage to his reputation could never be repaired. This he understood and embraced as a cross.
Pell’s reputation for integrity is why, in 2014, Pope Francis appointed him to become the first secretariat for the economy, which involved reforming the Vatican’s finances and rooting out corruption. Pell was in Rome in June 2017 when the Victoria police charged him with sexual-assault offenses. Though he denied all charges, he returned to Australia to settle the matter in person. After documents from a Vatican investigation were leaked to the Italian press, Pell’s defense counsel, Robert Richter, called for an official inquiry into reports that Pell had been set up by his financially corrupt enemies in Rome.
Those who knew Pell spoke of his courage and steadfastness in faith. Pope Francis called Pell a “faithful servant who, without vacillating, followed his Lord with perseverance even in the hour of trial.” George Weigel, the biographer of John Paul II and a friend of Pell’s, described him as a “good and great man.” Father Raymond de Souza wrote that “his witness during wrongful imprisonment was the crown of a public, deeply faithful and remarkably inspiring Catholic life.”
There is no need to take their word for it. It is easy enough to talk about “compassion” and “kindness” — or being “a good person.” But a real test of character is how a person behaves when they are wronged. That kind of virtue is hard to fake.
In his Prison Journals, Pell wrote of the pain of being unable to celebrate Mass or even receive communion, even on Easter Sunday. Yet he also wrote prayers for his fellow prisoners, for his loved ones, and even for his persecutors. “God our Father,” he wrote, “I thank you that my faith remains firm and that I have a good measure of peace; probably one tangible fruit of the torrents of prayers offered up for me.”
It is true that Pell was hated by many. But that alone cannot condemn him. It was Christ who said: “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.” R.I.P., Cardinal Pell — a Christian, worthy of the name.