By Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican City, Jan 10, 2025 / 14:20 pm
Remembering the Legacy of Cardinal George Pell
Two years ago on Friday, the untimely death of Cardinal George Pell shocked the Catholic world. His biographer, Tess Livingstone, reflects on his life, describing him as a faithful leader, a reformer, and a builder.
“He had a reformist mindset… Pell would look around and think, well, what is to be done? What can we do? … Why are so many children and teenagers leaving Catholic schools not practicing [the faith]? … Why are vocations down so badly? He was, I’d say, a practical reformer,” Livingstone told CNA in an interview.
Livingstone, an Australian journalist and author, published a definitive biography on Cardinal Pell on Nov. 4, 2024, highlighting his contributions to the Church.
On the second anniversary of Pell’s passing, Livingstone spoke about the institutions and spaces he helped build during his service to the Church. From establishing Catholic universities and seminaries to creating textbooks for religious education, Pell was a visionary leader.
Both in Melbourne and Sydney, Pell left a lasting impact by building chapels, universities, and educational resources. In Rome, he built the Domus Australia, a Catholic church and guesthouse.
Despite criticism, Livingstone rejects the notion that Pell was universally unpopular in Australia, emphasizing his dedication to the Church and his reform efforts.
Discovering the Remarkable Qualities of a Public Figure
Countless individuals have come to admire the exceptional qualities of this remarkable individual.
“His contributions to the public discourse in Australia were truly articulate,” Livingstone remarked. “He even had a regular column in the country’s most popular newspaper, The Sunday Telegraph.”
