SYDNEY - Cardinal George Pell's ambition, intellect and ability to befriend influential people saw him rise from his childhood home in an Australian gold mining town to become the Vatican's third-most senior official.

Pell's ascension to the highest ranks of the Catholic church ended in December 2018 when the Oxford-educated cardinal was sent to jail as a convicted paedophile - the most senior Catholic official worldwide to be jailed for child sex offences.