Cardinal George Pell Funeral Sparks Protest in Sydney
Protesters unfurled signs opposite St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney as mourners gathered for the funeral of Australia’s most senior Catholic cleric Cardinal George Pell on February 2.
Footage by River McCrossen shows people lining up to enter the cathedral as protesters across the street blow whistles and hold a sign saying ‘infernal resting place’.
According to the ABC, hundreds of mourners attended the service for Pell, while LGBT groups, as well as survivors of child sexual abuse and their supporters, held a protest in Hyde Park, opposite the cathedral.
Speaking at the mass, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott praised Pell as a hero and a scapegoat for the Catholic Church who endured a “modern-day crucifixion”, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The current prime minister Anthony Albanese did not attend the funeral.
In the lead up to the funeral, hundreds of ribbons were tied to the railings outside the cathedral for victim-survivors of child sexual abuse.
A Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse found Pell knew of allegations of offending in the Ballarat diocese, Victoria, in the early 1970s, which Pell rejected. Credit: River McCrossen via Storyful
Video transcript
[WHISTLE BLOWING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
- Oh, anybody who's been abused by the church.
- My name is Inspector [INAUDIBLE] from [INAUDIBLE] police station.
- And why are you here talking to us?
- And then, we've got [INAUDIBLE] here recording this interaction.
- Yeah, so have we.
- You're breaching the peace.
- So have we.
- And you certainly outside your form 1.
- Really, we're not with that group. So we're not outside any form. We're just walking through a park.
[CHATTER]
We're here. What do you want?
[CHATTER]
[WHISTLE BLOWING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
- Oh, anybody who's been abused by the church.
- My name is Inspector [INAUDIBLE] from [INAUDIBLE] police station.
- And why are you here talking to us?
- And then, we've got [INAUDIBLE] here recording this interaction.
- Yeah, so have we.
- You're breaching the peace.
- So have we.
- And you certainly outside your form 1.
- Really, we're not with that group. So we're not outside any form. We're just walking through a park.
[CHATTER]
We're here. What do you want?
[CHATTER]
