Australian Cardinal George Pell has died, personal secretary says

ROME (Reuters) - Australian Cardinal George Pell, a leading Roman Catholic conservative and former top Vatican official who in 2020 was acquitted of sexual abuse allegations, died on Tuesday at the age of 81, his private secretary said.

Fr. Joseph Hamilton told Reuters that Pell died in Rome on Tuesday night. He said the archdiocese of Sydney would be issuing a statement later. Church sources said they believed Pell died of cardiac arrest in a Rome hospital.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Leslie Adler)