George Pell funeral: Tony Abbott praises cardinal as a ‘saint for our times’ and rails against child abuse charges

Former PM says the cardinal was ‘the greatest man I’ve ever known’, likening his treatment to a ‘modern-day crucifixion’Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastFormer prime minister Tony Abbott has described George Pell, a man found to have failed to act on knowledge of child abuse, as “the greatest man I’ve ever known”, likening him to a saint and comparing his treatment to “modern-day crucifixion”.Abbott spoke at Pell’s funeral on Thursday and variously described him as “one of our country’s greatest sons”, a “great hero” and a “saint for our times”.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup