International Travel
"It went very well": George Pell meets Pope for first time since cardinal’s abuse acquittal
Pope Francis has met Australian Cardinal George Pell at the Vatican for the first time since Pell was cleared of child sexual abuse charges in Australia.
Pell spent 13 months behind bars and it remains unclear whether the former economy minister will take up another role in the Vatican.
The Vatican announced the meeting between Pell and Pope Francis in a statement on the Pope’s daily private audiences but gave no details.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Pell said “it went very well”.
The 79-year-old returned to Rome on September 30, just a few days after the Pope fired Pell’s nemesis, Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu.
Becciu was accused of embezzlement and nepotism but has denied all wrongdoing.