SYDNEY, Australia – Cardinal George Pell -- a giant of the Catholic Church who was accused and cleared of sexual abuse in Australia -- has died in Rome aged 81, a church official confirmed Wednesday.
"It is with deep sadness that I can confirm His Eminence, Cardinal George Pell, passed away in Rome in the early hours of this morning," Australian Archbishop Anthony Fisher said in a statement provided to AFP.
"This news comes as a great shock to all of us.
"Please pray for the repose of the soul of Cardinal Pell, for comfort and consolation for his family and for all of those who loved him and are grieving him at this time."
Before he was arrested in Australia, Pell was widely seen as the right-hand man of Pope Francis and the third most powerful figure in the church.
Pell was imprisoned in 2019 after he was found guilty of sexually abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in the 1990s.
He spent 12 months in Barwon Prison near Melbourne before the Australian High Court quashed his convictions following an appeal.
Born in a small regional town in the state of Victoria, Pell climbed higher in the Catholic Church than any other Australian before him.
Former conservative Australian prime minister Tony Abbott previously called Pell "one of the greatest churchmen that Australia has seen".