Cardinal George Pell's funeral sees mourners and protesters clash

Mourners and protesters person gathered - and clashed - astatine the ceremonial for Cardinal George Pell successful his Australian homeland.

The Catholic Cardinal died successful Rome past month, aged 81, aft complications from hep surgery.

Formerly 1 of the Pope's apical aides, Cardinal Pell was Australia's highest-ranking Catholic.

But his nationalist representation was tainted by unproven allegations helium concealed and committed kid intersexual abuse.

Inside St Mary's Cathedral, wherever Cardinal Pell served arsenic Archbishop of Sydney for implicit a decade, dignitaries including erstwhile Prime Ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott filled pews.

Noticeably absent were Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet - himself a devout Catholic. Both sent delegates.

Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher led a requiem Mass, saying Cardinal Pell was a "giant of the Catholic Church successful Australia" who had been wrongly demonised.

"Even aft helium was unanimously exonerated by the High Court of Australia [of kid enactment maltreatment charges], immoderate continued to demonise him. But galore admit the bequest of this astir influential churchman successful our nation's history."

And successful a connection work to the congregation, Pope Francis paid tribute to Cardinal Pell's "consistent and committed witness, his dedication to the gospel and to the Church".

Mourners who gathered successful the cathedral quadrate to wage their respects told the BBC Cardinal Pell was a benignant antheral who went retired of his mode to enactment radical done challenging times.

Nathan, 33, said helium wants the cardinal to beryllium remembered "for the things helium did and not for the things that helium was accused of".

But extracurricular the cathedral square, kid maltreatment survivors remembered him arsenic idiosyncratic who had failed to support them. Some travelled from different states to necktie ribbons to the religion obstruction - a motion seen successful Australia arsenic a tribute to victims of the Church maltreatment crisis.

Maureen, 75, came to permission a ribbon connected behalf of a adjacent friend, who was abused by a Catholic teacher.

"I can't fto contiguous walk without lasting for him. He is not good capable to basal for himself," she told the BBC.

And protesters gathering successful parkland other the cathedral remembered him arsenic a "monstrous bigot".

"Pell stood for blatant homophobia, misogyny... covering up maltreatment wrong the Catholic Church," organiser Kim Stern told the BBC.

"We deliberation it's beauteous disgusting he's getting a send-off similar this."

Also retired successful unit were police, trying to temper simmering tensions.

At 1 point, they intervened to abstracted aggravated mourners from protesters holding signings condemning the cardinal to hell.

During a vocation spanning six decades, Cardinal Pell roseate to prominence successful the Church arsenic a beardown protagonist of accepted Catholic values, often taking blimpish views connected issues similar termination and priestly celibacy.

He worked his mode done the ranks of the Church successful Victoria, serving arsenic Archbishop of some Melbourne and past Sydney, earlier helium was summoned to Rome successful 2014 to cleanable up the Vatican's finances.

As Vatican treasurer, Cardinal Pell was often described arsenic the Church's third-ranked official.

But the cleric near his lofty station successful 2017, returning to Australia to look proceedings connected kid enactment maltreatment charges.

A assemblage successful 2018 recovered helium had abused 2 boys erstwhile helium was Archbishop of Melbourne successful the 1990s.

Cardinal Pell, who ever maintained his innocence, spent implicit a twelvemonth successful situation earlier the High Court of Australia quashed the verdict successful 2020.

But adjacent earlier helium faced charges himself, Cardinal Pell's estimation successful Australia was marred by the Church's nonaccomplishment to tackle its kid enactment maltreatment crisis.

As a leader, galore Australians felt helium bore immoderate work for the broader Church's concealment of abuse.

A landmark enquiry into kid enactment maltreatment successful organization settings recovered Cardinal Pell besides personally knew of kid intersexual maltreatment by priests successful Australia arsenic aboriginal arsenic the 1970s and had failed to act. Cardinal Pell disputed the findings, saying they were "not supported by evidence".