Cardinal Gibson left in confused headlong rush (4-4)

I believe the answer is:

pell-mell

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'rush' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.

(Other definitions for pell-mell that I've seen before include "Headlong, as heavy rain may fall" , "With undue hurry and confusion" , "In a rush, like heavy rain" , "In a rushed or disorderly manner" , "Helter-skelter" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

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