So have countless others – families, priests, artists, writers and his family, to whom he was devoted. His best friend was his sister, Margaret, a talented violinist and “good scout’’ as he said at her funeral in Bendigo in December 2021.
He was the wisest person I’ve ever known’. He had precious little spare time, but he shared it generously. When he was Archbishop of Sydney the best time to chat was 11pm, after the day’s work and the evening’s functions were done, and before he settled down to write a newspaper column, sermon, scholarly article for a journal or a keynote speech.
His exquisite sense of timing, brightened his friends’ darkest times. His calls, during five months of chemotherapy in 2007, were an elixir. He was wise, sensible and approachable, listened with both ears and had a wicked wit. He engendered loyalty in spades from his many friends, and it was one of his strong suits.
Stricken with bronchitis after flying in from Rome in March 2013 he was saddened by news of the death of a mutual friend interstate. “When’s the funeral?’’ he asked. He turned up and preached, even though he was feeling “a little bit fluey’’.
We always had lots to talk about – news, politics, articles, books, cricket, travel, family (occasionally), the faith and the odd snippet of gossip. He was invariably charitable, including about opponents.
But he knew how to fight hard when it mattered. And it often did.
Other friends’ chats with him were similar, probably with a lot more talk about football.
Never one to wear his heart on his sleeve, the closest he came to showing real emotion about the charges, later quashed by the High Court, that landed him in jail for 13 months was on the day he was sent to jail. “Isn’t this surreal?’’ he said in horror as we grabbed a moment during the break. He brightened when he saw a thick, new tome on Winston Churchill I’d brought him. He normally had a theology book, a serious secular book and a thriller on the go. It was wonderful, occasionally, to hit the jackpot when a thriller given to him as a gift “was trashy but kept me up until 2am, impossible to put down’’.
One of life’s unaffected sophisticates, the cardinal knew plenty about art, literature and history. He also delighted in simple joys. Card games, a singalong, a steak-and-onions lunch. He, Margaret and guests would share a bottle of Penfolds Grange to see in the new year. Editing two of his collections, it didn’t take long to pick up a bit of his rock solid faith. Delving into those books will be a comfort but no substitute for that voice on the phone.
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George Pell had a talent for friendship. Like hundreds of others – from a former speaker of the US Congress to the beggar on the corner near his apartment in Rome to whom he would give “a few shillings’’ when they met – I have been privileged to be one of those hundreds of friends since 2001.