Commentary “I hope he rots in hell!” shouted the voice on the phone. He was furious with me for my defence of Cardinal George Pell, who at that time (this was a couple of years ago), faced the worst imaginable legal and personal persecution. My caller made it clear that he loathed Christianity equally. I…

Tension rose outside St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney as protesters clashed with the Catholic faithful during the solemn funeral of Catholic Cardinal George Pell. As the casket of the conservative former archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney was carried outside the cathedral for the public procession to his burial crypt, some protesters cried “shame” and played Highway to…

Commentary The deaths of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Cardinal George Pell, within 11 days of each other, have focused attention on Pope Francis’ legacy. Jorge Bergoglio was elected pope to stem the flow of the faithful away from the Church, particularly in South America, clean up Church finances, and sexual abuse scandals. However, on…

A Melbourne school has praised Vatican leader Cardinal George Pell, who recently died from heart complications in Rome, for his administrative strength. Pell, formerly the archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney and Australia’s most senior Catholic, passed away on Jan. 10 following hip replacement surgery aged 81. He gained notoriety in Australia after standing trial and being found…

Commentary Cardinal George Pell was a paradoxical figure. His life and work will give ammunition to those who admired him and those who hated him, as we see in the conflicting articles about him in the media. While he rightly deserved criticism for his treatment of a number of victims of child abuse, he was…

Cardinal George Pell has been remembered as a man who experienced great suffering at a requiem mass at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where Pope Francis gave the final blessing. Cardinal Pell was farewelled on Saturday at the Vatican in the same church where he was ordained in 1966 and where Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s…

Commentary Given that permanent European settlement in Australia dates back just some 235 years, this country has had more than its fair share of extraordinary Catholics. Of course, we have St Mary of the Cross, better known as Mary MacKillop. As far as churchmen go, three giants spring to mind: the English Benedictine, Bede Polding,…

Commentary Cardinal George Pell, Australia’s most senior Catholic leader, died in Vatican City on Jan. 10, aged 81. He will be buried in St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, where he served as archbishop for 13 years. Pell was born in Ballarat, Victoria, in 1941, the second and youngest child to an Anglican father and a…

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has ruled out a state funeral or memorial service for Vatican leader Cardinal George Pell saying it would be “distressing” for survivors of sexual abuse. Pell, formerly the archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney, died from heart complications in Rome on Jan. 10 following hip replacement surgery. The 81-year-old gained notoriety in…

Cardinal George Pell and formerly the Vatican’s top finance minister, has died aged 81. Pell was the former Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney before becoming the Secretariat of the Economy for the Vatican in 2014, regarded as the third highest position in the hierarchy. It was the highest position ever held by an Australian….