George Pell: Ballarat mass urges support for abuse victims – and forgiveness for the church

Of the small number gathered at St Patrick’s Cathedral some did not want to forgive while others remembered cardinal’s ‘legacy’

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.