AUSTRALIA
The Guardian
Musician and comedian Tim Minchin says Cardinal George Pell should show contrition to survivors of child sexual abuse and “get on his knees and wash their feet” when he attends a public hearing of the royal commission in Rome on Monday.
Michin made the call in a statement posted on his website and comes after the viral success of his song, Come Home (Cardinal Pell), which has been viewed more than a million times since it was first performed on Channel Ten’s The Project.
A group of roughly 15 survivors and their supporters, including counsellors, will make their way to Rome on Saturday to attend the public hearing at the Hotel Quirinale, where Australia’s most senior Catholic is due to give evidence to the royal commission.
In the statement, Minchin says: “Even if his only crime was willful blindness, a personal act of acknowledgement and contrition from this man is profoundly important for survivors.”
Pell has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He told the royal commission in December that the Catholic church’s failure to deal with paedophile priests was shameful, but defended his own handling of abuse complaints.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.