George Pell’s final gift to priests, family and friends

George Pell left hundreds of thousands dollars in cash and shares in a will signed two months after it emerged he was under police investigation for child sexual abuse.

George Pell at the Vatican in 2012. Picture: Getty Images

George Pell left hundreds of thousands dollars in cash and shares to a small number of priests, family members, close friends and religious institutions in a will signed two months after it emerged he was under police investigation for child sexual abuse.

NSW Supreme Court documents reveal the former Archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney who went on to become one of the world’s most senior Catholic leaders before his death last year bequeathed at least $255,000 in the will dated April 28, 2016.

Monsignor Charles Portelli, who gave evidence in Pell’s 2018 County Court trial, was left $5000 in the will which was authorised by the NSW Supreme Court on January 8. Monsignor Portelli worked closely with the cardinal during 1996 and told the court trial the then archbishop would usually talk to parishioners after mass. This was considered a key piece of evidence for the defence as it suggested he would not have had time to commit the alleged offences.

When contacted on Tuesday by The Australian, Monsignor Portelli said: “It was very kind of him to remember me.”

Pell was charged by police in June 2017 and convicted by a County Court jury in December 2018 and jailed for six years. After serving 404 days in jail, he was freed after the High Court of Australia quashed his conviction and ordered his release.

Two other priests were also named as beneficiaries in the will. Father Mark Withoos, Pell’s former private secretary, was left $10,000. Father John Walshe was left $5000. Neither could be reached for comment on Tuesday.

On February 20, 2016, two months before the will was signed, it was revealed Pell was under investigation by Victoria Police over allegations of child sex offences against two choir boys at St Patrick’s Cathedral. The probate documents released by the court reveal Pell, who died on January 10, 2023, after complications from hip surgery, twice altered his will after being freed from prison in April 2020.

Pope Francis with George Pell at the Vatican in 2020. Picture: AFP

They show that on August 30 that year, he signed a codicil to leave his great nephew “the shares held in my Ord Minnett account Cardinal George Pell #2”.

The second alteration, signed on July 9, 2022, bequeathed to his great niece “the shares held in my Ord Minnett, Platinum Asset Management account, Platinum international Fund – C Class”.

The original will makes no reference to the Ord Minnett accounts. The value of the shares in both, and the overall value of his estate, was not revealed.

While the cardinal bequeathed $100,000 to his sister, Margaret Pell, she predeceased him. His brother, David Pell, was left $25,000, and $25,000 was left to each to his two nieces.

Family members and close friends were allowed to choose three books each from his personal library and one piece of art from his collection. The rest will be given to various education and religious institutions “having regard to the Catholicity and viability of these institutions”.

Michael Casey, an eminent academic and a close friend of the cardinal, was appointed as the executor and trustee of the estate. Dr Casey’s four children were each left $10,000.

Dr Casey declined to comment on Tuesday when contacted by The Australian.

The Monks of the Order of Saint Benedict at the Monastery of Saint Benedict in Norcia, Italy, were left about $3000 to offer “some masses and prayers for the repose of my soul”. The Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma in Michigan “who cared for me in Rome” were left around $33,000.

His personal writings, papers and notes were left to the Archdiocese of Sydney.