<p>An Australian state leader on Thursday emphatically ruled out a taxpayer-funded memorial for Cardinal George Pell, saying it would be "deeply distressing" for sexual abuse survivors.</p>.<p>Pell, who died in Rome aged 81, was a towering figure in the Catholic Church but deeply divisive at home in Australia, where he had been accused of molesting two teenage choir boys while archbishop of Melbourne.</p>.<p>Born in Victoria and once celebrated within the state, he was the highest-ranking Catholic to be imprisoned for child sexual abuse, before his convictions were quashed on appeal.</p>.<p>Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday said Pell's legacy had been permanently tainted.</p>.<p>"We will never ever forget victim-survivors of institutional child sexual abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church," Andrews told reporters.</p>.<p>"There will be no memorial service or state funeral because I think that would be a deeply, deeply distressing thing for every victim-survivor of Catholic Church child sexual abuse."</p>.<p>State funerals are reserved for high-profile figures who have made significant contributions to Australian public life.</p>.<p>Pell died of heart complications related to a hip surgery he underwent in a Rome hospital on Tuesday, according to the Vatican's official news website.</p>.<p>His body will be returned to Australia and buried in the crypt of St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, church officials said.</p>.<p>In a telegram, Pope Francis paid tribute to Pell's "dedication to the gospel and to the Church", saying he "followed his Lord with determination even in a time of trial".</p>.<p>Former conservative Australian prime minister Tony Abbott said his friend's name had been tainted by a "monstrous allegation".</p>.<p>Pell voluntarily returned to Australia in 2016 to face accusations that he molested two 13-year-old choirboys in the 1990s.</p>.<p>In 2019, he was sentenced to six years in prison and registered as a sex offender.</p>.<p>He spent 12 months behind bars before the Australian High Court quashed his convictions on appeal -- opening the door for his return to Rome in late 2020.</p>.<p>Pell was also condemned for his failure to stamp out the broader problem of sexual abuse inside Australia's Catholic Church.</p>
<p>An Australian state leader on Thursday emphatically ruled out a taxpayer-funded memorial for Cardinal George Pell, saying it would be "deeply distressing" for sexual abuse survivors.</p>.<p>Pell, who died in Rome aged 81, was a towering figure in the Catholic Church but deeply divisive at home in Australia, where he had been accused of molesting two teenage choir boys while archbishop of Melbourne.</p>.<p>Born in Victoria and once celebrated within the state, he was the highest-ranking Catholic to be imprisoned for child sexual abuse, before his convictions were quashed on appeal.</p>.<p>Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday said Pell's legacy had been permanently tainted.</p>.<p>"We will never ever forget victim-survivors of institutional child sexual abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church," Andrews told reporters.</p>.<p>"There will be no memorial service or state funeral because I think that would be a deeply, deeply distressing thing for every victim-survivor of Catholic Church child sexual abuse."</p>.<p>State funerals are reserved for high-profile figures who have made significant contributions to Australian public life.</p>.<p>Pell died of heart complications related to a hip surgery he underwent in a Rome hospital on Tuesday, according to the Vatican's official news website.</p>.<p>His body will be returned to Australia and buried in the crypt of St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, church officials said.</p>.<p>In a telegram, Pope Francis paid tribute to Pell's "dedication to the gospel and to the Church", saying he "followed his Lord with determination even in a time of trial".</p>.<p>Former conservative Australian prime minister Tony Abbott said his friend's name had been tainted by a "monstrous allegation".</p>.<p>Pell voluntarily returned to Australia in 2016 to face accusations that he molested two 13-year-old choirboys in the 1990s.</p>.<p>In 2019, he was sentenced to six years in prison and registered as a sex offender.</p>.<p>He spent 12 months behind bars before the Australian High Court quashed his convictions on appeal -- opening the door for his return to Rome in late 2020.</p>.<p>Pell was also condemned for his failure to stamp out the broader problem of sexual abuse inside Australia's Catholic Church.</p>