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Some A$110,000 has been raised to send child sexual abuse survivors to Rome to witness Cardinal George Pell’s latest royal commission testimony.
Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has agreed to let Cardinal Pell testify through a video link.
This was after it accepted the cardinal’s health meant he could not fly to Australia to testify in person, as the commission looks at abuse responses in Ballarat and Melbourne.
Two radio personalities then launched a gofundme campaign to send survivors and a support network of psychologists and counsellors to Rome.
The target of A$55,000 was exceeded in one day.
The campaign also supported by Loud Fence, a group for survivors of child sexual abuse in Ballarat religious institutions who are putting together a group of people ready to fly to Rome.
One anonymous person donated A$10,000 to the cause.
Some people said they were inspired to donate after hearing the comedian Tim Minchin perform a song on Network Ten’s The Project on Tuesday night in which he criticised Cardinal Pell for not coming to Australia to give evidence.
The song contained several derogatory terms about Cardinal Pell and it went viral online.
The proceeds from the song are to go to the campaign to send survivors to Rome.
Australian broadcaster Steve Price criticised the song and Minchin for resorting to “personal abuse”, which Price labelled as “pathetic”.
The royal commission is still searching for a venue from which for Cardinal Pell can give evidence in Rome.
But the commission cannot compel the cardinal to attend the venue it decides on.
Cardinal Pell would still have to agree to it and to attend.
He is scheduled to start giving his testimony by video link from February 29.
Sources
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News category: World.
