By Christine Niles, M.St. (Oxon.), J.D., Church Militant - In 2017, Cdl. George Pell was at the center of serious reform of Vatican finances, only to be abruptly let go to stand trial for historic sex abuse offenses in Australia… Some say his removal was convenient — just as he was exposing financial corruption in the Vatican… While Pell sits in an Australian prison appealing his conviction, it's a worthy reminder that it was his veto in 2015 that led to the blocking of a 50 million-euro loan from the Vatican bank to a scandal-ridden Rome Hospital, indicted in 2016 for money laundering, embezzlement and tax fraud to the tune of nearly 1 billion euros.