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George Cardinal Pell: Pax Invictis, A Biography
This definitive biography traces Cardinal George Pell’s life from his childhood in Australia to his role as the Vatican treasurer; through his trials, unjust imprisonment, and exoneration to his untimely passing away on January 10, 2023.
Richly endowed with intellectual and athletic talent, strong faith in Christ, a solid family, and a great capacity for friendship, the young Pell turned down a professional Australian Rules football contract and instead entered the seminary in 1960. After his ordination to the priesthood at Saint Peter’s Basilica in 1966 and completing a doctorate in Church history at Oxford, he served as a country curate, a Catholic university leader, a seminary rector, the archbishop of Melbourne, and the archbishop of Sydney. Made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2003, he was chosen by Pope Francis as the prefect for the new Secretariat for the Economy in 2014.
His legacy includes rebuilding Church precincts in Melbourne and Sydney, revitalizing seminary formation, founding Catholic universities, leading Australia’s main Catholic foreign aid agency, and heading World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney. From a weekly column in Australia’s largest-circulation Sunday newspaper to bestselling books and scholarly lectures, he has left a trove of writings. This book includes snippets of some of the best of them and captures his ideas, wit, and personality.
Like many bishops of his generation, Pell found dealing with corruption in the Church a herculean challenge. After being falsely accused of indifference to clerical sex abuse and of committing it himself, he suffered 404 days in solitary confinement for a crime he did not commit. In his role as Vatican treasurer, his efforts to reform the Church’s finances met with resistance from an entrenched “old guard’’. Through it all, he retained his dignity and integrity as a faithful successor to the apostles.
Richly endowed with intellectual and athletic talent, strong faith in Christ, a solid family, and a great capacity for friendship, the young Pell turned down a professional Australian Rules football contract and instead entered the seminary in 1960. After his ordination to the priesthood at Saint Peter’s Basilica in 1966 and completing a doctorate in Church history at Oxford, he served as a country curate, a Catholic university leader, a seminary rector, the archbishop of Melbourne, and the archbishop of Sydney. Made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2003, he was chosen by Pope Francis as the prefect for the new Secretariat for the Economy in 2014.
His legacy includes rebuilding Church precincts in Melbourne and Sydney, revitalizing seminary formation, founding Catholic universities, leading Australia’s main Catholic foreign aid agency, and heading World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney. From a weekly column in Australia’s largest-circulation Sunday newspaper to bestselling books and scholarly lectures, he has left a trove of writings. This book includes snippets of some of the best of them and captures his ideas, wit, and personality.
Like many bishops of his generation, Pell found dealing with corruption in the Church a herculean challenge. After being falsely accused of indifference to clerical sex abuse and of committing it himself, he suffered 404 days in solitary confinement for a crime he did not commit. In his role as Vatican treasurer, his efforts to reform the Church’s finances met with resistance from an entrenched “old guard’’. Through it all, he retained his dignity and integrity as a faithful successor to the apostles.
544 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 23, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 11, 2025
A thoroughly enjoyable read; scholarly and empathic to the subject and his times. Splashing enough colour to see the whole picture, without getting bogged down in needless detail. To condense the extraordinary full life of Cardinal George Pell into one readable volume is a worthy accomplishment for the biographer. This revised second edition, includes the horrible charges by a corrupt and inept Victorian Police Force, and subsequent unanimous acquittal of Pell by the Hight Court, 7-0.
The line that resonates with me the most in these 500+ pages and, for me, sums up the Cardinal best, is “The fear of God delivered Cardinal Pell from the fear of men”. A Catholic understands this sentiment as the informed awe and love of God that spurs us on, forthrightly and confidently.
The Cardinal was learned, extremely well read, focused and hardworking, and did so much good for the local dioceses of Melbourne and Sydney, as well as on the many committees and roles he performed for the Vatican and the Holy See. It makes one question one’s own life accomplishments, inasmuch as what do we actually do and know?
Astonishingly, Pell was horribly scrutinised and criticised for being Catholic, for holding firm to the faith, truths and moral norms set by the Church. Is it really that extraordinary that a priest, bishop or Cardinal defends his faith and Church, and its teachings? It would appear that this orthodoxy was his greatest strength after all. An excellent example to us all.
Informative and spiritually uplifting.
Recommended reading.
The line that resonates with me the most in these 500+ pages and, for me, sums up the Cardinal best, is “The fear of God delivered Cardinal Pell from the fear of men”. A Catholic understands this sentiment as the informed awe and love of God that spurs us on, forthrightly and confidently.
The Cardinal was learned, extremely well read, focused and hardworking, and did so much good for the local dioceses of Melbourne and Sydney, as well as on the many committees and roles he performed for the Vatican and the Holy See. It makes one question one’s own life accomplishments, inasmuch as what do we actually do and know?
Astonishingly, Pell was horribly scrutinised and criticised for being Catholic, for holding firm to the faith, truths and moral norms set by the Church. Is it really that extraordinary that a priest, bishop or Cardinal defends his faith and Church, and its teachings? It would appear that this orthodoxy was his greatest strength after all. An excellent example to us all.
Informative and spiritually uplifting.
Recommended reading.
October 25, 2025
Se me ha hecho un poco larga la biografía, también porque no leo en inglés con la facilidad del español. Admiraba a Pell sin conocerlo mucho y he comprobado de nuevo su entereza y su prudencia.
Le acompañaron toda su vida, mucho antes de ser cardenal, los ataques personales por su ortodoxia católica en un entorno clerical "progresista", una sociedad de planteamientos poco cristianos (relativismo, aborto, etc.) y antipatía, a veces odio, hacia la ortodoxia ("Me da igual si es o no culpable," decía una mujer, "pero quiero que vaya a la cárcel." "Pell go to hell!").
Fue chivo expiatorio de ese odio popular a la moral y de la repugna ante los abusos sexuales por parte de sacerdotes. Él asumió que le tocaba purgar los crímenes de otros ("alguien en la Iglesia tiene que pagar por este daño"). También recibió enemigos como consecuencia de los encargos difíciles que le tocó sacar adelante: director (reformador) de un seminario decadente, obispo en diócesis hostiles, responsable económico del Vaticano...
La acusación inverosímil por la que fue vilmente deshonrado y sufrió casi año y medio de cárcel parece haber sido promovida más en Roma que en Australia.
La biografía trata las intrigas con la misma prudencia que el biografiado: no suele dar nombres ni hacer acusaciones pero presenta los elementos que justifican las sospechas.
Pell, de todas formas, no va buscando la justicia humana ni una rehabilitación (imposible, por otra parte) sino que se muestra un hombre de fe profunda y esperanza cristiana.
Omite casi por completo la biografía cualquier discrepancia entre Pell y el Papa Francisco, aunque al poco de fallecer se daba por hecho que Pell era el responsable de un memorándum, firmado con el seudónimo de "Demos", muy crítico con el pontificado del papa argentino.
Se alaban repetidamente los diarios que Pell escribió en la cárcel pero no creo que me anime a leerlos (demasiado largos e irregulares me parecen). En cambio sí me quedo con una recomendación bibliográfica que Pell valoraba mucho: "Augustine" de Patrick Brown, sobre san Agustín.
Le acompañaron toda su vida, mucho antes de ser cardenal, los ataques personales por su ortodoxia católica en un entorno clerical "progresista", una sociedad de planteamientos poco cristianos (relativismo, aborto, etc.) y antipatía, a veces odio, hacia la ortodoxia ("Me da igual si es o no culpable," decía una mujer, "pero quiero que vaya a la cárcel." "Pell go to hell!").
Fue chivo expiatorio de ese odio popular a la moral y de la repugna ante los abusos sexuales por parte de sacerdotes. Él asumió que le tocaba purgar los crímenes de otros ("alguien en la Iglesia tiene que pagar por este daño"). También recibió enemigos como consecuencia de los encargos difíciles que le tocó sacar adelante: director (reformador) de un seminario decadente, obispo en diócesis hostiles, responsable económico del Vaticano...
La acusación inverosímil por la que fue vilmente deshonrado y sufrió casi año y medio de cárcel parece haber sido promovida más en Roma que en Australia.
La biografía trata las intrigas con la misma prudencia que el biografiado: no suele dar nombres ni hacer acusaciones pero presenta los elementos que justifican las sospechas.
Pell, de todas formas, no va buscando la justicia humana ni una rehabilitación (imposible, por otra parte) sino que se muestra un hombre de fe profunda y esperanza cristiana.
Omite casi por completo la biografía cualquier discrepancia entre Pell y el Papa Francisco, aunque al poco de fallecer se daba por hecho que Pell era el responsable de un memorándum, firmado con el seudónimo de "Demos", muy crítico con el pontificado del papa argentino.
Se alaban repetidamente los diarios que Pell escribió en la cárcel pero no creo que me anime a leerlos (demasiado largos e irregulares me parecen). En cambio sí me quedo con una recomendación bibliográfica que Pell valoraba mucho: "Augustine" de Patrick Brown, sobre san Agustín.
July 13, 2025
Very good biography about the life of a great man, maligned and targeted because of his deep faith and strong leadership. Good background for reading the Prison Journals.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews