AUSTRALIA
ABC News
Abuse survivors who are travelling to Rome after a successful crowdfunding campaign call on the royal commission into child sexual abuse to “flex a bit of muscle” and make sure they can be in the room when Cardinal George Pell gives evidence.
A GoFundMe page to send 15 people, including representatives from the City of Ballarat, survivors and support people, to the hearing has surpassed its target of $55,000, reaching $117,000 by Wednesday afternoon.
But the royal commission must give its approval for those travelling to Rome to watch the evidence in person, abuse survivor Stephen Woods said.
“We are still waiting for the royal commission to flex a bit of muscle, as we’re saying amongst survivors, so say that the population of Australia is really behind them, they need to hold the clergy to account,” Mr Woods said.
“There’s nothing like a presence of people showing those who have had power for literally centuries, to show the people will rise up and hold them accountable.”
Cardinal Pell, 74, will appear via video link from Rome after the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse accepted a doctor’s report that said he would risk heart failure if he flew to Australia to testify.
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