The physique of Cardinal George Pell will lie in state at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney earlier than a requiem mass and personal burial service on February 2.
Cardinal Pell, who was Australia’s most senior Catholic, died in Rome on January 10 aged 81.
Preparations are being made for his physique to be returned to Australia for burial within the crypt of St Mary’s.
The cardinal will lie in state on the cathedral from 9.30am on Wednesday, February 1, Sydney’s Catholic Archdiocese mentioned in an announcement on Tuesday night.
His successor as Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, would be the principal celebrant on the Pontifical Requiem Mass for the cardinal, beginning at 11am on Thursday, February 2 earlier than his burial in a non-public ceremony.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and Victoria’s Daniel Andrews has ruled out holding state services for the previous archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney.
Cardinal Pell was the Vatican’s high finance minister earlier than leaving in 2017 to face trial in Melbourne on little one sexual abuse prices, for which he was jailed earlier than his convictions have been quashed.
In an announcement on Tuesday night the St Mary’s Cathedral Dean, Father Don Richardson, mentioned 1000’s of mourners from Australia and abroad are anticipated to attend the mass.
“Cardinal Pell left a exceptional legacy for the Catholic Church in Australia and this can undoubtedly be probably the most vital funerals ever held on the Cathedral”, he mentioned.
“Cardinal Pell was additionally recognized and extremely revered by many abroad on account of his quite a few roles within the Vatican over many many years.”
The mass will likely be live-streamed on the St Mary’s Cathedral YouTube channel to permit abroad mourners to take part within the ceremony.
Father Richardson mentioned screens will likely be erected within the cathedral forecourt to accommodate the big variety of mourners anticipated to take care of pay their respects to Cardinal Pell, who served as Archbishop of Sydney from 2001 to 2014.
For mourners unable to attend the Funeral Mass on February 2, there will likely be lots for the late cardinal on the cathedral on Wednesday, February 1 at 1.10pm and 8pm.
Cardinal Pell was farewelled on Saturday at a mass in St Peter’s Basilica – the identical Vatican Metropolis church the place Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s funeral was held final week.
