Months after he was cleared of child abuse allegations and walked free from prison, Cardinal George Pell will on Tuesday fly back to the Vatican.
Pell, who previously worked as Pope Francis’ finance minister, will return to Rome, flying out from Sydney, in his first trip to the Vatican since 2017.
The 79-year-old was forced to return to Australia from Rome in 2017 to clear himself of decades-old allegations of child sex abuse.
Cardinal George Pell was last in Rome in 2017. Picture: Barcroft Media via Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images
At the time, he was the third highest Holy See official, and had been attempting to fight the Vatican’s financial struggles.
Pell became the most senior Catholic to be convicted of child abuse crimes against two choir boys in the late 1990s when he was archbishop of Melbourne.
He served 13 months in prison before the High Court overturned his conviction in April this year.
Pell’s return to Roma comes just days after Pope Francis fired Cardinal Angelo Becciu amid an ongoing financial scandal.
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