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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
David Marr

George Pell flew higher than any Australian priest, but he chose career over the safety of children

Cardinal George Pell
‘George Pell made an early choice between children and career. That choice faced many ambitious priests at the time.’ Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters

He was a company man. He did what he did to preserve the power and the assets of the church. If that meant thrashing victims of abuse through the courts and boxing them into tiny settlements, that was fine by him. Duty done.

That’s what made him the right man to clean up the financial mess of the Vatican. High among the achievements for which he deserves praise at this time was the work he and his accountants did to begin tracking the missing billions in the Holy City. Alas, Pope Francis didn’t have the guts to back him. The courtiers brought him down.

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