George Pell: Mourners and protesters clash at cardinal’s Sydney funeral

At Cardinal George Pell’s funeral nationwide on Thursday, mourners muttered prayers plus softly sung hymns but were at times drowned out simply by protesters condemning your pet to hell.

The Catholic cleric – who passed away last of surgical treatment complications last 30 days aged 81 — leaves a complicated legacy.

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

But their public image had been tainted by unproven allegations he each concealed and dedicated child sexual abuse.

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

Inside the cathedral, where Cardinal Pell served as the city’s archbishop for over ten years, dignitaries including former Prime Ministers Sara Howard and Tony Abbott filled pews. Hundreds more gathered in a forecourt to watch the requiem Mass on big displays.

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

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

Over six years, Cardinal Pell rose to prominence within the Church as a solid supporter of traditional Catholic values.

He took on the role of Vatican treasurer in 2014 but left within 2017, returning to Sydney to face trial on child sexual mistreatment charges. He had been convicted, then afterwards acquitted on charm.

Many of Cardinal Pell’s supporters believe he was unfairly persecuted, and that his record on the issue of child sexual abuse is part of what made him great.

Mr Abbott, who talked at the funeral, stated Cardinal Pell had been the first Australian Catholic to sack child abusers and record them to police. Others pointed to the milestone – but questionable – compensation plan he set up.

“He was greatest guy I’ve ever known, ” Mr Abbott said.

Others who gathered to pay their values said he was obviously a kind man, quick to offer support and encouragement to those dealing with challenging times.

1 mourner told the particular BBC he expectations the cardinal will be remembered “for the items he did rather than for the things that he or she was accused of”.

“He was a great man, ” Nathan, 33, added. “He fought for the rights of many people, contrary to popular belief. ”

But outside of the cathedral square, kid abuse survivors remembered him as somebody who had failed to safeguard them.

A few travelled from other claims to tie ribbons to the church fence – a motion seen in Australia as being a tribute to victims of the Church mistreatment crisis. Most were cut down overnight upon Wednesday by supporters of Cardinal Pell.

A landmark query into Australian child sexual abuse found Cardinal Pell had personally known of abuse by priests as early as the 1972s and had failed to respond. Cardinal Pell debated the findings, stating they were “not supported by evidence”.

Maureen, 75, came to depart a ribbon for a close friend, who was abused by a Catholic teacher.

“I still cannot let today complete without standing meant for him. He is not well enough to indicate himself, ” the lady told the BBC.

Protesters gathering in parkland opposite the cathedral remembered Cardinal Pell as a “monstrous bigot”.

“Pell stood to get blatant homophobia, misogyny… covering up abuse within the Catholic Church, ” organiser Kim Stern told the BBC.

“We believe it’s pretty unpleasant he’s getting a send-off like this. ”

Also out in force were police, trying to temper simmering tensions.

Thursday’s funeral comes after weeks of tense debate in Australia regarding Cardinal Pell’s heritage.

Mourner Louisa Pastoois personally admired the cardinal, but she told the BBC she has accepted his legacy will be mixed.

“The legacy he leaves behind in the Chapel, and the world… is definitely something different, ” Louisa said.

“I think there needed to be anyone to take the blame for any that’s happened in the church… there must be a face to the sins and unfortunately, it was his. ”