Cardinal George Pell, who was forbidden to celebrate Mass while imprisoned on abuse charges that were ultimately overturned, reflects on the importance of the Mass in the life of a priest, in an interview with Catholic World Report.

The Australian cardinal recalls that he was only able to attend Mass five times during more than 400 days of confinement.

Speaking more generally about the Eucharistic liturgy, Cardinal Pell remarks that he sees “a correlation, probably a causality, when the liturgy is poor in the true spiritual sense then almost certainly the Christian life of the parish is poor.”

The cardinal also remarks that liturgical unity within the Church “does not have to mean uniformity or the suppression of traditional and established and indeed beautiful forms of worship.”