In recent years, thousands of coloured ribbons have been tied to the gates of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Ballarat – small but eye-catching symbols of support for survivors of child sexual abuse. Some ribbons are tattered by time, some are brand new. They greatly outnumbered the dozens of faithful gathered inside on Thursday to mark the passing of Cardinal George Pell.
A regular Thursday morning mass was transformed into a repose for Pell’s soul in the regional Victorian town of his birth. But the service addressed the town’s painful legacy as a hotspot for historic sexual abuse by Australia’s catholic clergy.
The homily, delivered by father John McKay, acknowledged the ongoing torment caused by “hideous and heinous crimes”, “crimes that cry out to heaven with vengeance”. But there was another message to the parish faithful: forgiveness.
“We pray that God’s healing touch will today and always come upon those who are offended,” McKay said. “Those families who are offended. Those who find it so difficult to forgive, that they may find forgiveness.
“It is only with forgiveness that they can find true peace, true compassion in God.”
That message did not sit well with Matt, a survivor of child sexual abuse, who was listening at the back of the cathedral. He left part-way through the service.
The Ballarat man, whose last name has been withheld to protect his privacy, said he was not abused by the clergy, but wanted to show his support for other survivors, as those who tied ribbons to the gate had done.
“The victims of what happened need support and recognition and while the sermon did address some of that stuff, it also mentioned that Pell was persecuted and they almost seemed to be apologising for that behaviour and what he stood for,” Matt said.
“Forgiveness? Yeah, I get that, totally. But not when someone is refusing to apologise or show any reason for them to be forgiven. If someone is genuinely remorseful, sure. But if they’re not, why should you?”
A royal commission hearing in 2015 was told up to 14 priests in Ballarat had sexually abused children, and there have been at least 130 claims and substantiated complaints since 1980. Survivor groups estimated more than 50 suicides in the town are linked to historic sexual abuse by priests.
In its final report, the commission said that “by 1973 Cardinal Pell was not only conscious of child sexual abuse by clergy but that he also had considered measures of avoiding situations which might provoke gossip about it”.
After the service in Ballarat, McKay acknowledged Pell’s death was a difficult moment for the Ballarat community that brought the “scourge” of paedophilia back into the spotlight.
“Especially with those churches that have been affected by priests that have molested young children,” he said. “We do our best to pray for them, to reach out sacramentally, that God’s grace may come upon those survivors of sexual abuse and their families.”
While Matt said he was not willing to forgive Pell, others at the service were. Chaty Harris, a Ballarat local, said the town had been very quiet since Pell’s death.
“His legacy will remain in our hearts and with all the faithful here in Australia and around the world,” Harris said.
McKay said the service was designed to remember Pell’s life while also offering support and prayers for those hurt by the church.
“We especially prayed for not only George Pell and his own persecution that he suffered himself with 405 days in prison, but especially and solemnly, we indeed prayed for those affected by really evil priests that really tore away at their hearts, their, minds, their souls,” McKay said.
“They tore away at their dignity as human people. And so we prayed for them and we also prayed their families, who will continue to hurt for the rest of their lives.”