George Pell Has Been Photographed Eating Chips and Drinking Beer, Despite Heart Claims

By Simon Thomsen
Business Insider
May 11, 2016

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/george-pell-has-been-photographed-eating-chips-and-drinking-beer-despite-heart-claims-2016-5

Cardinal George Pell gives testimony in Sydney, February 29 Feb, 2016 during a video link from Rome, Italy at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse hearing. Photo Jeremy Piper

Senior Vatican official cardinal George Pell has been photographed enjoying steak and chips and a beer in a Rome restaurant just weeks after he said he was too ill to return to Australia to face the royal commission into child abuse in the Catholic church.

Two months ago, the Vatican’s financial boss, who turns 75 in June, gave three days of testimony to the commission via videolink from Rome.

Pell had a medical report that said travel to Australia could cause heart failure and, following his testimony, revealed that he had angioplasty and was fitted with a pacemaker “both provoked by travel to Australia”.

Pell is obliged under church protocol to tender his resignation when he turns 75, but it does not have to be accepted. Last week it emerged that he would continue his five-year appointment until 2019.

Overnight, Britain’s The Daily Mail published a series of photos of the senior Catholic cleric enjoying steak and chips with a beer at Domiziano restaurant. They were taken on April 18.

The full Daily Mail story is here.

Here’s a screenshot of the story and one of the photos: