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Police move to stop sexual assault survivors and LGBTQI protesters from storming Cardinal George Pell’s funeral
- Cardinal George Pell’s funeral will be at St Mary’s Cathedral
- An LGBTIQ+ rights group has requested to protest outside
- Police are trying to block the group’s attempt to protest
Police are trying to block LGBTQI protests from taking place outside Cardinal George Pell’s funeral, citing concerns for the safety of the community.
The former archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney died in a Rome hospital last month of heart complications after hip surgery and was given a traditional cardinal’s funeral by the Vatican in St. Peter’s Basilica. He was 81 years old.
Protest group Community Action for Rainbow Rights applied to demonstrate outside the funeral at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney on Thursday.
“However, despite attempts at negotiation with the organizers, the security concerns associated with the proposed assembly cannot be adequately mitigated without amendments to the proposal,” NSW Police said.
Cardinal George Pell (pictured) died in a Rome hospital last month of heart complications following hip surgery.
NSW Police are trying to stop LGBTQI protests from taking place outside Cardinal Pell’s funeral at St Mary’s Cathedral (pictured) in Sydney
‘As such, the Commissioner will apply to the NSW Supreme Court to ban the assembly.
“The NSW Police Force recognizes and supports the rights of individuals and groups to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, however the first priority is always the safety of the wider community.”
A solemn reception for Cardinal Pell is planned for Wednesday morning, with two masses followed by a vigil where mourners are invited to pay their respects.
The Sydney-based protest group planned its rally for Thursday, when a requiem mass will be held before the cardinal is buried in a private ceremony in St Mary’s crypt.
The group said it would continue with a peaceful march Thursday morning to coincide with the funeral, despite the police order.
“We need everyone to come out and protest on Thursday,” he said on Facebook.
“We cannot allow the police to get away with denying us our right to protest.”
The protest group Community Action for Rainbow Rights had requested to demonstrate outside the funeral.
Survivors of sexual abuse have tied colored ribbons to the fences of St. Mary’s Cathedral, symbolizing clergy sexual abuse.
The Catholic ceremonies are expected to draw thousands and screens will be set up in the cathedral’s outer courtyard to accommodate mourners.
It comes as survivors of sexual abuse tie colored ribbons to the fences of St Mary’s Cathedral in central Sydney, symbolizing clergy sexual abuse.
Cardinal Pell was the Vatican’s top finance minister before leaving Rome in 2017 to stand trial in Melbourne on child sexual abuse offences.
The following year, he was found guilty of sexually abusing two teenage choirboys in the vestry of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne while archbishop in 1996.
He maintained his innocence and in 2020 his convictions were overturned by the High Court.