He repeated unsubstantiated and unsourced Italian media reports suggesting that money was sent from the Vatican to Australia to influence his prosecution. There is no indication an active investigation is under way in either Australia or the Vatican.

“I myself am quite confident that money did go from Rome to Australia about that time, but I’ve got no proof about where that finished up,” he said. “Another image I’ve used is there’s smoke, but we don’t have proof of fire. But I come from a bushfire country, and sometimes the entire state is covered with smoke.“

Pell also praised US President Donald Trump’s “splendid” Supreme Court appointments and defence of Christian values but questioned his effort to sow doubt in the integrity of the US presidential election.

“It’s no small thing to weaken trust in great public institutions,” Pell said.

In the book, he muses on his court case and current events in the Catholic Church and around the world, and at one point says Trump is unfortunately “a bit of a barbarian, but in some important ways, he is ‘our’ (Christian) barbarian.”

Pell said Christians had an obligation to bring their values to the public sphere and said Trump had made a “positive contribution” particularly with his three Supreme Court picks, two of whom are Catholic.

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“In other areas, I’m not sure that he’s been sufficiently respectful of the political process and it’s important that people believe they’re getting a fair go,” Pell said. “And if that’s not the case, it needs to be established very, very clearly because it’s no small thing to weaken trust in great public institutions.”

Pell said he had met with many of his old collaborators and friends since returning to the Vatican, including emeritus Pope Benedict XVI.

He said he believed Benedict should be made a doctor of the church one day — the church’s highest honour that is bestowed after someone is made a saint, to recognise his or her contributions to Catholic teaching.

But he said in the future, the Vatican must quickly adopt regulations governing resignations of future popes. It was a reference to the unprecedented situation of having two popes living in the Vatican, with Benedict still a point of reference for traditionalists nostalgic for his doctrinaire papacy, some of whom have refused to recognise Francis as pope.

“The unity of the church is not automatic,” Pell said. “I haven’t found a single person here in Rome who doesn’t think there must be protocols for a pope who retires. Obviously we love the popes, we have great respect for them. But the needs of the situation — the unity of the church — is on another level that goes beyond a personality.“

AP