January 11, 2023

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - Cardinal George Pell, prefect emeritus of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy, died on Tuesday at the age of 81. The Australian cardinal suffered a cardiac arrest following a routine hip replacement surgery. Pell served for many years as archbishop of Melbourne and then Sydney before Pope Francis appointed him to lead the Vatican’s economy department in 2014. In 2017, Pell left Rome for Australia to defend his innocence of abuse charges. After 404 days in prison he was ultimately acquitted in 2020. He returned to live in Rome on Sept. 30, 2020. Pope Francis on Wednesday praised Pell’s witness, dedication, and faith. “I offer sentiments of heartfelt condolence,” the pope said in a January 11 message, “remembering with a grateful heart his consistent and committed witness, his dedication to the Gospel and the Church, and particularly his diligent cooperation with the Holy See in the context of its recent economic reform, of which he laid the foundations with determination and wisdom.” The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, said a memorial Mass will be held for Pell at Saint Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, where he will be buried. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253312/breaking-cardinal-george-pell-dies-at-81 https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253318/pope-francis-praises-cardinal-george-pell-s-dedication-to-the-church Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of January is for educators. “Education is an act of love that illuminates the path for us to recover a sense of fraternity, so we will not ignore those who are most vulnerable,” the pope said in a video message. The Holy Father concluded the video message with a prayer: “Let us pray that educators may be credible witnesses, teaching fraternity rather than confrontation and helping especially the youngest and most vu