In a tasteful ceremony at Sydney’s St Mary’s Cathedral this morning, former cardinal and child-abuse enabler George Pell was laid to rest, his ashes swept under a beautiful ceremonial carpet, as is tradition in the Catholic Church.
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, swept under the carpet, in God we trust,” the priest proclaimed, quoting the traditional Catholic verse, as he solemnly brushed any remaining evidence of George Pell under the beautifully-embroided carpet.
Church scholars say the sweeping-under-the-carpet-ceremony is steeped in meaning. “It’s symbolic of our faith – we pretend something is there when it’s not, and pretend something is not there when it clearly is,” one scholar explained.
Attendees said it was poignant to bid farewell to Pell in such a manner. “He always managed to disappear at just the right moment. It was a fitting tribute,” one said.
