Mourners and Protesters Clash at Cardinal’s Sydney Funeral

At Cardinal George Pell’s funeral in Australia on Thursday, mourners muttered prayers and softly sung hymns but were at times drowned out by protesters condemning him to hell.

The Catholic cleric – who died last of surgery complications last month aged 81 – leaves a complicated legacy.

Formerly one of the Pope’s top aides, he was Australia’s top-ranked Catholic.

“But his public image was tainted by unproven allegations he both concealed and committed child sexual abuse.”

Those allegations loomed large in Sydney on Thursday. At one point, police outside St Mary’s Cathedral intervened to separate angry mourners from chanting protesters. Earlier, one protester was arrested.

Inside the church, where Cardinal Pell served as the city’s archbishop for over a decade, dignitaries including former Prime Ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott filled pews. Hundreds more gathered in a forecourt to watch the ‘requiem Mass’ on big screens.

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

In a message read to the congregation, Pope Francis praised Cardinal Pell’s “dedication to the gospel and to the CHURCH,” while Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher lauded him as “giant of the Catholic Church in Australia” who had been wrongly demonised.

Over six decades, Cardinal Pell rose to prominence in the Church as a strong supporter of traditional Catholic Values.

BBC /Shakirat