What Cardinal Pell Meant: A Personal Reflection


Wednesday, March 8, 2023 | 6–8 PM
Catholic Information Center
1501 K Street NW Suite 175
Washington, DC 20005 United States

With the unexpected death of Cardinal George Pell on January 10, 2023, the Church lost a champion of orthodoxy and one of this century’s great examples of Christian witness. Pell led a storied ecclesiastical career, serving as Archbishop of Sydney from 2001 to 2014 and as inaugural Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy from 2014 to 2019. But it was in his final years that the cardinal faced perhaps his greatest trial—a false conviction, followed by 404 days of imprisonment, before his eventual acquittal by Australia’s highest court.

Join George Weigel, who was in Rome with Pell during the cardinal’s final week, reflects on the moral courage of his dear friend.