AUSTRALIA
ABC News
Cardinal George Pell, who has been charged with historical sexual assault offences by Victoria Police, is Australia’s highest ranking Catholic and also a senior member of the global Church.
Here’s what he does in his role.
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.
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