The death of Cardinal George Pell has prompted dramatically polarised reactions, with church officials praising his service while others shared messages of support for victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic church.
The former prime minister Tony Abbott called Pell “a saint for our times”, saying in a statement the cardinal’s overturned convictions on charges of child sex abuse was “a modern form of crucifixion … a kind of living death”.
Pell, the former Catholic archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney, died in Rome on Tuesday evening after complications from hip surgery. He was 81.
In 2018 Pell was convicted of molesting two teenage choirboys in the sacristy at St Patrick’s Cathedral while he was archbishop of Melbourne in 1996, but always maintained his innocence and his convictions were quashed in a unanimous decision by the high court in 2020.
The archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, confirmed Pell had died in the early hours of Wednesday morning (Australian eastern time).
“This news comes as a great shock to all of us,” he said in a statement.
“Please pray for the repose of the soul of Cardinal Pell, for comfort and consolation for his family and for all of those who loved him and are grieving him at this time.”
The archbishop of Melbourne, Peter Comensoli, confirmed Pell’s death “with great sadness”. He called Pell “a very significant and influential Church leader, both in Australia and internationally, deeply committed to Christian discipleship”.
“May eternal light now be his, who so steadfastly believed in the God of Jesus Christ,” Comensoli said in a statement.
He said Pell had led the church in Melbourne between 1996 and 2001 with “strong leadership in the Catholic faith and with good governance”.
Pell was supported by former prime ministers Abbott and John Howard through his trial and afterwards. Howard was among those to provide a character reference for the cardinal, praising him as “a person of both high intelligence and exemplary character”, while Abbott said he called Pell after his guilty verdict, and was in 2019 seen leaving the prison where Pell had been detained.
Abbott praised Pell’s legacy in his statement.
“Australia has lost a great son and the church has lost a great leader,” he wrote.
“His incarceration on charges that the high court ultimately scathingly dismissed was a modern form of crucifixion; reputationally at least a kind of living death.
“In his own way, by dealing so equably with a monstrous allegation, he strikes me as a saint for our times.”
Vale, Cardinal George Pell AC pic.twitter.com/DaSUNso9Lj
— Tony Abbott (@HonTonyAbbott) January 11, 2023
Howard called Pell “a strong and determined religious leader” who “displayed consistent courage in expressing Christian views in the public space”.
He also criticised the cardinal’s convictions.
“His deep and compassionate faith sustained him during more than 400 days in prison for alleged crimes which many, me included, believed should never have been the subject of charges. Cardinal Pell’s trust in Australia’s justice system was vindicated when the high court of Australia unanimously quashed his conviction,” Howard said in a statement.
“I liked and respected the late Cardinal a lot. His passing is a great loss to the intellectual and spiritual life of our country.”
Anthony Albanese, speaking at a press conference in Queensland, expressed his condolences to Fisher on behalf of the government.
“For many people, particularly of the Catholic faith, this will be a difficult day and I express my condolences to all those who are mourning today,” the prime minister said.
The federal opposition leader, Peter Dutton, called Pell “a fierce defender of the Catholic faith and Christian ideals”, saying the cardinal “made friends and enemies along the way”.
The Coalition leader also mentioned Pell’s overturned convictions.
“On his passing, the fact he spent a year in prison for a conviction that the high court of Australia unanimously quashed should provide some cause for reflection for the Victorian Labor government and its institutions that led this modern-day political persecution,” Dutton said.
Louise Milligan, the senior ABC journalist who undertook a years-long investigation into the allegations against Pell and wrote the book Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell, said on Twitter: “George Pell is dead. This will be a very triggering day for a lot of people. Thinking of them.”
Nina Funnell, a journalist and sexual assault survivor advocate, also tweeted about victims of abuse.
“Today I remember all those victims who are no longer with us. And I stand with all those survivors who still are,” she wrote.
The former Coalition treasurer Joe Hockey said on Twitter that Pell was “a man of deep faith and great integrity”.
“He was blessed with fortitude, courage, determination and intellect. He was proudly Australian,” Hockey wrote.
The Victorian state government minister Steve Dimopoulos also spoke of abuse victims in a statement.
Victorian government minister Steve Dimopoulos on George Pell's death: "Today would be a very difficult day for the cardinal's family and loved ones but also a very difficult for survivors and victims of child sexual abuse and their families and my thoughts are with them".
— Benita Kolovos (@benitakolovos) January 10, 2023
“Today would be a very difficult day for the cardinal’s family and loved ones but also a very difficult for survivors and victims of child sexual abuse and their families and my thoughts are with them,” he said.
Bernie Finn, a former Liberal MP in Victorian state parliament, wrote that Pell was “a great Churchman. A great Australian. A great human being. A martyr.”
• In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline on 800-422-4453. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International
