The Vatican needs clear rules to govern the status of popes who resign in the future, according to Cardinal George Pell, a leading Roman Catholic conservative. Pell is one of the highest-ranking Church figures to speak publicly on the need for these new rules. The situation became an issue in 2013 when Pope Benedict, 93, Read more
Cardinal George Pell has spoken of his surprise at the apparent extent of ‘criminality’ involved in recent Vatican financial scandals. “I didn’t know that there was so much criminality involved,” Pell said. He was speaking to the AP before the Dec. 15 release of the first volume of his jailhouse memoir, ‘Prison Journal.’ The book Read more
An Australian anti-corruption agency said it was not investigating speculation about the transfer of Vatican funds to Australia in the Cardinal Pell case. The anti-corruption agency statement contradicts Italian media speculation that the money might be linked to the overturned convictions of Cardinal George Pell for child sex abuse. Last month, several Italian newspapers reported Read more
The Australian Federal Police is looking for evidence that money transfers from the Vactican came to Australia in an attempt to influence the case against Cardinal George Pell. AUSTRAC, the Australian Government agency responsible for detecting, deterring and disrupting criminal abuse of the financial system to protect the community from serious and organised crime is Read more
After having been freed from jail in April when Australia’s High Court ruled unanimously he never should have been convicted of child sexual abuse in the first place, and after watching his erstwhile Vatican archenemy not just fall but plummet from grace last month, Cardinal George Pell completed his comeback tour Oct. 12 with a Read more
Pope Francis welcomed Cardinal George Pell to the Vatican for the first time since the Australian cardinal’s conviction for child sexual abuse was overturned. The pair met in a private audience without masks. In greeting Pell, Francis thanked him for his witness. The meeting was confirmed in the Holy See’s daily bulletin. The Vatican released Read more
The accuser of Cardinal George Pell has denied bribery allegations regarding his complaint of abuse against the cardinal, after Italian media have reported the allegation that Cardinal Angelo Becciu might have wired money to Australia as a bribe during Pell’s trial. “My client denies any knowledge or receipt of any payments,” attorney Vivian Waller, who Read more
There is no connection between the timing of Cardinal George Pell’s return to Rome and the recent resignation of Cardinal Angelo Becciu. Pell and Becciu were known rivals in the bid to reform the finances of the Holy See before Pell returned to Australia to face child sex abuse charges. “There is no connection between Read more
According to Italian media, recently-sacked Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu allegedly sent funds covertly to Australia during Cardinal George Pell’s child sex-abuse trial. Denying the claims, Becciu issued a strongly worded statement saying: “I categorically deny interfering in any way in the trial of Cardinal Pell.” Becciu called the allegations against him “surreal” and a misunderstanding. Read more
Cardinal George Pell has returned to Rome. It is the first time Pell has returned to the Holy See since 2017, since he left to face historic child abuse charges. In 2014 Pope Francis appointed Pell, then aged 73, to lead the Vatican Secretariat of State. His role was to reform the Vatican’s finances. However, Read more