Australia’s Pope aide Pell to stand trial on multiple sex abuse charges
Melbourne, May 1: From country priest to trusted top Vatican aide, Australia’s most senior Catholic cleric George Pell has seen his reputation plagued in the twilight of his career by controversy swirling around a 1970s paedophile scandal in the former gold rush town of Ballarat.
To his admirers, the 76year- old cardinal embodies the orthodox traditions of Australian Catholicism, but to his critics he represents an institution that has failed to properly deal with sex abuse allegations.
Pell, who was ordered on Tuesday to stand trial over “multiple” historical sex abuse offences, becoming the highest- ranked Catholic to face such serious charges, strongly denies the claims. He also says he has no knowledge of widespread paedophilia in the church in Australia.
Born in 1941, he grew up in Ballarat, a rural Australian town, where he was a keen member of his college debating team, a lead actor in school productions and a champion Australian Rules footballer. His devout Catholic mother was reportedly pleased that her son decided to pursue a career in the Church, whereas his father, an Anglican, was bewildered that he turned down a contract from one of the country’s top football teams.
Having chosen a religious path, Pell completed part of his studies in Rome before being ordained a priest for the Ballarat diocese in 1966.
As his star rose, he went on to become Archbishop of Melbourne and then Sydney at the behest of Pope John Paul II and in 2003 was named to the Vatican’s powerful College of Cardinals, a position that allowed him to vote for the next Pope of the day. Then in 2014 he was handpicked by Pope Francis to make the church’s finances more transparent.
“Cardinal Pell is one of the greatest churchmen that Australia has seen,” former conservative Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said.
From the pulpit, and publicly, Pell has espoused traditional Catholic values and been sceptical on some political issues, from a tough stance on euthanasia and gay marriage to his rejection of climate science and criticism of harsh treatment of asylumseekers.