What Is George Pell's Job at the Vatican?

ABC News
June 29, 2017

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-29/what-is-george-pells-job-at-the-vactican/8663256

PHOTO: Cardinal George Pell is in charge of the Vatican's finances. (Reuters: Tony Gentile)

What is his official title?

He is the current Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy.

So he's kind of like a treasurer in a government?

You got it.

How long has he held the job?

For the past three years.

In fact, he's the first to hold the position since it was created by Pope Francis in 2014.

What is the job?

When he created the position, Pope Francis said the Secretariat was responsible for "oversight for the administrative and financial structures and activities of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia, the institutions linked to the Holy See, and the Vatican City State".

To break that down for you — the Curia is the administrative wing of the Church, the Holy See is the Pope's diocese as bishop of Rome which has a central role in the Church, and the Vatican is the sovereign city-state within Rome.

PHOTO: Clouds hang over St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on the day Cardinal George Pell was charged with sexual assault offences. (AP: Gregorio Borgia)

In 2014, the Holy See Press Office said the job involves preparing an annual budget for Holy See and Vatican City State, financial planning and other "support functions" like human resources and procurement.

Pell is also responsible for implementing the policies of the 15-member Council of the Economy, which prepares and analyses reports on the economic activities of the Holy See.

So in other words, the position is kind of like a treasurer in a government.

After taking office, Pell announced a downsizing of the Vatican Bank, the appointment of a new president of the bank, two commissions to study the sustainability of a Vatican pension fund and plans to hold Vatican departments responsible for over-spending on their budgets.

Is it an important job?

Yes. Because he's in charge of the Vatican's finances, Pell is considered number three in the Catholic hierarchy.

Where is his office?

PHOTO: Pope Benedict XVI standing in front of St John's Tower in 2008. It's now Cardinal George Pell's office. (Reuters: Filippo Monteforte)

The seat of the Secretariat is Saint John's Tower on the western tip of Vatican City.

It's a Medieval tower that was restored in the early 1960s under Pope John XXIII after falling into disuse for several centuries.

He reportedly restored the tower as a place where he could work in peace.

It is perhaps most famous in recent history for briefly housing Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty after his exile from Hungary in 1971, following 16 years living in the US embassy in Budapest after a failed revolt against the country's Communist regime.

Until it was used by Pell and the office of the Secretariat for the Economy, the tower was often used by Popes when maintenance was being done on the Apostolic Palace.

Pope Benedict hosted George W Bush in the tower in 2008 to repay him for the "cordiality of the meeting at the White House", according to Reuters.