Cardinal Re: Faith sustained late Cardinal Pell in difficult final years - Vatican News - English

By Amedeo Lomonaco

The Requiem Mass of Cardinal George Pell, prefect emeritus of the Secretariat for the Economy, who died unexpectedly connected 10 January, was celebrated successful St. Peter's Basilica connected Saturday.

In his homily astatine the funeral, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, recalled that "the unexpected extremity of Cardinal George Pell's earthly beingness took america each by surprise.”

The precocious Australian-born Cardinal "was contiguous with america to concelebrate the ceremonial Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI connected the parvis of the Basilica and, contempt his 81 years, helium seemed successful bully health."

Funeral Mass of Cardinal Pell

Cardinal Pell suffered but trusted successful God

Cardinal Re past recalled that the past years of the precocious Cardinal Pell's beingness "were marked by an unjust and achy condemnation."

“In June 2017, helium was accused of intersexual maltreatment successful Australia, and the proceedings resulted successful a situation sentence,” helium said. “Cardinal Pell spent 404 days successful the cells of 2 maximum information prisons, successful Melbourne and past successful Barwon, including a play of solitary confinement."

Then, noted the Cardinal Dean, the Australian High Court exonerated Cardinal Pell successful April 2020 by overturning the blameworthy verdict.

"His was an acquisition of large suffering endured with assurance successful God's judgment," said Cardinal Re, saying it offered an illustration of however to judge adjacent unjust punishments with dignity and interior peace.

Faith and prayer, added the Cardinal Dean, were of large comfortableness and enactment to Cardinal Pell during that hard time.

"In bid to marque known however overmuch religion and supplication assistance america successful the hard moments of beingness and besides to enactment those who indispensable unjustly suffer," said Cardinal Re, "he published a diary written during his agelong days successful prison.”

Cardinal Re celebrated the Funeral Mass

A antheral of God

Finally, Cardinal Re emphasized that the precocious Cardinal Pell was a "man of God and antheral of the Church characterized by a heavy religion and large steadfastness of doctrine, which helium ever defended without hesitation and with courage, acrophobic lone with being faithful to Christ.”

At the decision of the Eucharistic celebration, Pope Francis presided implicit the rites of the Ultima Commendatio and Valedictio.

Pope Francis presides implicit the past rites