Australia's turbulent priest

Sydney Archbishop George Pell is no stranger to controversy

SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Archbishop of Sydney George Pell has had a stellar, if controversial, rise through the ranks of the Catholic church in Australia.

Born in 1941 near the rural gold-mining town of Ballarat in Victoria State, Pell was a schoolboy football hero who was earmarked for a future in the senior leagues of Australian Rules football.

He chose, instead, to pursue a life in the church and was ordained as a priest in 1966.

He pursued further education however and gained a Master's degree in education from Melbourne's Monash University and a Doctrate from England's Oxford University.

Returning to Australia in 1971, his qualifications set him apart and helped him become a bishop in 1987.

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By 1996 he was named Archbishop of Melbourne -- the second largest diocese in Australia -- at the relatively young age of 55.

He brought with him a reputation for conservatism and fearlessness.

Pell angered many by refusing to administer the sacrament of Holy Communion to Catholics who openly displayed their homosexuality.

Hush money

He also attracted critics for suggesting that abortion was a greater moral scandal than priests sexually abusing children and that homosexuality was worse for your health than smoking.

His appointment to the top role of Archbishop of Sydney was always likely to be contentious, and it has proven so.

Earlier this year, Pell had to fend off allegations that he had paid "hush money" to victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests.

Pell strongly denied the claims, but it was subsequently proven that some parishes of the church had indeed insisted on "silence" clauses before making compensation payouts to victims.

The Australian Catholic Church has paid out millions of dollars in compensation to victims of sexual abuse and in 1996 it issued a formal apology to victims.