Mourning and protest at the funeral of controversial Cardinal George Pell

ANP

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 08:30

Cardinal George Pell is buried in Sydney. The cardinal was convicted of child abuse in 2018, but later acquitted. Thousands of mourners gathered at the cathedral where the funeral took place, but there was also protest.

In 2017, the cardinal was accused of abusing two boys during his time as Archbishop of Melbourne. He was convicted a year later, but the Australian Supreme Court overturned that ruling two years later. According to the Council, it could not be established with certainty that the allegations of abuse were correct.

Pell always emphasized that he was one of the creators of a compensation scheme for victims of sexual abuse in Melbourne. Critics later described the arrangement as a way to avoid lawsuits.

Pell passed away last month at the age of 81 from complications following hip surgery. His funeral at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney was well attended.

Protest

Former Australian Prime Ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard attended the funeral. Hundreds watched on a large screen outside the cathedral. “He was the best Catholic Australia has ever produced and the best man I have ever known,” said Abbott in his eulogy.

Hundreds of people, including from the LGBTI+ community, protested in a park opposite the cathedral to show solidarity with victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. Some held up signs reading “Pell, fire in hell.”

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