Pope’s choice George Pell ‘untouchable’ despite spending spree

FILE - In this March 4, 2013 file photo Australian Cardinal George Pell arrives for a meeting, at the Vatican. Pope Francis h...

In his new book Avarizia (Feltrinelli, 2015), Italian investigative journalist Emiliano Fittipaldi tells the stories behind the massive cache of documents leaked from Pope Francis’s inner sanctum. Known as Vatileaks II, the paper trail also contained details of Cardinal George Pell’s first year heading the Vatican’s financial reforms. The leaked accounts and documents reveal that:

• The Pope introduced Pell to the Vatican media and has nicknamed him the “Ranger”.

• Pell’s first act as newly appointed financial tsar was to appoint Danny Casey, a close friend and colleague from his days in Melbourne, as his assistant on a €15,000 ($22,750) a month salary.

• Casey has been given an apartment in Rome’s elegant Via dei Coronari, which costs €2900 a month, and furniture and renovations costing more than €80,000 were also paid for.

• Between July last year and January this year, Pell’s office spent €500,000 on setting up apartments and offices, including computers, furniture and clothing from one of Rome’s oldest specialist religious tailors.

• Pell likes to travel business class even on short-haul flights, paying more than €1000 to fly from Rome to various European capitals, including London and Monte Carlo. Economy tickets cost two-thirds less.

Fittipaldi says Pell — as Pope Francis’s personal appointment — is “untouchable” despite the high expenditure and the pressures of the sexual abuse inquiry in Australia.

“This is not just because nobody in Rome, not even the media, has made any formal criticism of Pell but because it was (the Pope) himself who promoted him to the so-called C9 and to head the new financial body,” he says.

“It would be very difficult for the church to go into reverse on this because the risk of a backlash, in PR and media as well, would be devastating.”