Cardinal George Pell, former prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy of the Holy See and archbishop of Sydney and Melbourne, died unexpectedly in Rome on Jan. 10 from complications during a hip surgery.
Pope Francis, in a telegram expressing sorrow at the death of Cardinal Pell, remembers “with heartfelt gratitude his consistent and committed witness” and “his dedication to the Gospel and to the Church.” Referring to the recent economic reform of the Holy See, Pope Francis described Cardinal Pell as having laid the foundations of that work with “determination and wisdom.” Pope Francis concluded his message by praising the cardinal’s perseverance “even in the hour of trial” and prayed that he would receive “the joy of heaven” and “eternal peace.”
“What a shock to learn of the loss of Cardinal George Pell so soon after the death of Pope Benedict,” said Mary Ann Glendon in correspondence with Our Sunday Visitor. Glendon, a former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See and member of the Board of Superintendence of the Institute for Religious Works (the Vatican Bank) had known the cardinal well. “Cardinal Pell was such a figure of strength, and endured so many trials with such faith and courage, that he seemed invincible,” she said.
For Glendon, Pell was one of the great churchmen of our time. She said, “He will be long remembered for his leadership of the Church in Australia, his role in Holy See financial reforms, his fortitude in enduring unjust accusation, and in the long run perhaps most of all for the depth and beauty of his spiritual reflections while in prison.” Falsely accused of sexually abusing a child, Pell was acquitted in 2020 following a second appeal, after having served 13 months in prison.
Father Jerome Santamaria, a priest of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, offered some insight into the many friendships the cardinal kept, saying: “Cardinal Pell was part of our family. … He loved us, and we loved him.” Father Santamaria recalls, “One day, he was in our car going somewhere when one of my sisters called and the call came across the car’s audio. My dad told her that the cardinal was with us, to which she responded, ‘Hi George.'” Father Santamaria said the late cardinal loved such conversations and that he often called to chat and share the news.
He was always generous with his time and he had a great sense of humor, Father Santamaria recalled. While studying in Rome, Father Santamaria began a discussion group with some friends. Cardinal Pell was among the first to address the group of priests. As many of the group’s members were Americans, Cardinal Pell discussed the Church in the United States, lauding its virtues and encouraging the American priests present. One priest asked the cardinal if he had any criticisms, to which he mischievously replied, “Too much canon law and cufflinks.”
Father Santamaria was even able to celebrate Mass for Cardinal Pell while he was in prison. During a conversation with the cardinal and Sister Mary, the prison chaplain, about the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (considering whether or not she died), Father Santamaria was struck by how free he was spiritually. “Though in solitary confinement,” Father Santamaria insists, “he wanted simply to know more about the Lord and the Church.”
“This comes through in his prison journals, which are free of affect,” added Father Santamaria, “but through the lens of a tall footballer who grew up in a pub, was highly educated and a cardinal of the Church, and most of all was a good and faithful servant of the Good Shepherd.”
Father Patrick Briscoe, OP, is editor of Our Sunday Visitor. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMaryOP.
