MELBOURNE—Cardinal Pell’s inspiring prison journal is selling well, sources say, unlike his recently published prison photo collage.
The aged Cardinal kept a meticulous spiritual diary as he endured over a year of wrongful accusation and prison time, detailing his interior and exterior battles before finally being acquitted of all wrongdoing. The work has received glowing reviews, being dubbed “filled with grace” and “overflowing with Love for God and his fellow man.”
Cardinal Pell also was fond of scrapbooking while in jail, and kept meticulous collages of all his photos made during prison craft time. The work was also reviewed positively, with various critics saying, “It’s O.K. I guess.”
Most pictures are of the dimly lit, empty cell that the innocent man spent most of his time, deprived of the ability to celebrate Mass. These photos are artfully interspersed with more vibrant images of the Cardinal hitting the prison gym with his lifting buddies, spilling his gruel, or pranking a correctional officer. All of them are skillfully arranged on colorful paper surrounded by dried macaroni noodles, giving the entire work an organic unity.
Both “Prison Journal” and “My Prison-Retreat Buddy Collage” are on sale by Ignatius Press.
Originally published Oct 23, 2021
