The regular Thursday mass at St Patrick's Cathedral in Ballarat took on a more sombre tone as supporters and detractors of George Pell gathered for a service a day after the Cardinal's death in Rome.
Cardinal Pell died in Rome after nearly 60 years of service to the Catholic ChurchCardinal Pell was born and bred in Ballarat and climbed the church ladder in the Ballarat Diocese, serving as parish priest in Ballarat East from 1973 to 1983.
Cardinal Pell's supporters argue he was a man who was unfairly treated in the courts of law and public opinion. "We cannot change what has happened in the past. We can change what happens in the future," Father McKay said."We can only hope it will never happen again." Outside the service, some people tied new ribbons to the cathedral's fence in memory of victims of sexual abuse at the hands of clergy.
"I'm not interested in George Pell. I'm interested in helping people [who] suffered at the hands of the Catholic Church and people who weren't protected and should have been."
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