New book compiles honest reflections of the Australian cardinal and passionate defender of the Catholic faith
SAN FRANCISCO — What was George Cardinal Pell really like behind the scenes? What was he like before he became vilified in Australia? What was the cardinal like during his time at the Vatican, at dinner parties, during quiet times out of the view of the media? All those questions and more is what the new book REMEMBERING GEORGE CARDINAL PELL: RECOLLECTIONS OF A GREAT MAN OF THE CHURCH (Ignatius Press) answers.
Tracey Rowland, who compiled the stories in the book, holds the St John Paul II Chair of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, Australia and is a member of the International Theological Commission.
The stories in REMEMBERING GEORGE CARDINAL PELL show the depth and breadth of Cardinal Pell’s humanity. While much has been written to vilify him in the popular press by those who opposed his ideas, this book reveals who Cardinal Pell really was and shows dimensions of the Cardinal’s personality that never made the pages of newspapers.
REMEMBERING GEORGE CARDINAL PELL is a record of memories from those who knew Cardinal Pell as a gift to future generations of Catholics who may want to know more about this great giant of the Catholic Church. Among the 38 contributors are Cardinal Gerhard Müller, George Weigel, Joanna Bogle, Andrew Bolt, Bishop Peter Elliott, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Sister Mary Grace, S.V., Canon Alexander Sherbrooke, Rev. Jerome Santamaria and many more.
“As I read these stories of gratitude for Cardinal Pell, I felt inspired to become more a bishop with the ‘smell of the sheep’ as Pope Francis has said,” said Most Rev. Andrew H. Cozzens, bishop of Crookston. “Each story recalls the heart of a pastor who noticed and remembered people, even as they paint a very colorful picture of this Churchman who was extraordinary in so many ways. Cardinal Pell was such a larger-than-life figure and he could be intimidating. But these essays reveal that what he really wanted to be was a disciple, and that he allowed even the extreme difficulties of his life to lead to deeper purity of heart. Cardinal Pell was a man deeply in love with Jesus Christ and his Church and he allowed his passion to bring him to the cross where all darkness becomes light.”
For more information, to request a review copy, or to schedule an interview with Tracey Rowland please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or [email protected]) of Carmel Communications.
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