WelCom August 2020
Australian Cardinal George Pell, who served 13 months in prison and was subsequently acquitted of molesting two choirboys, is set to publish his prison diary. The diary contains musings on life in solitary confinement, the Catholic Church, politics and sports.
Catholic publisher Ignatius Press says the first instalment of the 1,000-page diary would likely be published in spring 2021. Ignatius’s editor, Jesuit Fr Joseph Fessio, said a letter had been sent to Ignatius’ email list asking for donations, saying Ignatius wanted to give Pell ‘appropriate advances’ for the diary to help offset his legal debts. The publisher envisages putting out three to four volumes and the diary becoming a ‘spiritual classic’.
In the diary, Pell muses on everything from his conversations with lawyers about his case to US politics and sports and his reform efforts at the Vatican.