The Cardinal Who Called Pope Francis’ Papacy “Catastrophic” Is Laid To Rest

Pope Francis gave a final blessing at the funeral of the former high-ranking Vatican official, an Australian cardinal who had called Pope Francis’ presidency a “catastrophe.” The funeral was held in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Shortly following hip surgery in a Rome hospital, Cardinal George Pell, 81, passed away on January 10.

During his three years as the Vatican’s finance minister, Cardinal Pell was a significant figure in the early years of Francis’ pontificate, whose objectives included overhauling the Holy See’s finances, which had a long history of scandals and poor administration.

Later, Cardinal Pell traveled back to Australia to stand trial for alleged child sex abuse after allegations that he had raped two choirboys while serving as the archbishop of Melbourne. Before an earlier court sentence was overturned in 2020, he spent a year in solitary incarceration.

Pope Francis gave a final benediction, delivered in Latin and taking the form of a prayer for mercy and eternal repose, as is traditional for cardinal funerals.

As Dean of the College of Cardinals, an Italian cardinal named Giovanni Battista Re officiated at the funeral Mass.

Soon after Cardinal Pell’s passing, it was made public that the cardinal had written a document that had been going around for a while.

Cardinal Pell bemoaned the present papacy in the document, calling it a “disaster” and a “catastrophe.”

Separately, the day after the cardinal passed away, a conservative magazine published what it claimed to be an article by the cardinal criticizing Francis’ intention to consult Catholic laity on matters like church teaching on sexuality and women’s roles as a “toxic nightmare” and calling it a “misguided endeavor.”

These topics are anticipated to spark intense discussion when Francis gathers bishops from all across the world at the Vatican later this year.

The day after Cardinal Pell passed away, Francis paid tribute to the cardinal in a condolence telegram, noting that while the prelate oversaw the economy office, “he laid the foundation with resolve and wisdom” for changes to the Holy See’s financial system, which had been criticized for years by global financial watchdog organizations.

Another prominent Vatican prelate who had recently denounced Francis’ leadership of the Roman Catholic church was one of the concelebrants at the altar on Saturday.