George Pell funeral: Protesters clash outside St Mary’s Cathedral
Tensions have flared between protesters, police and attendees of Cardinal George Pell’s funeral in Sydney.
NSW
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Protesters have clashed with police outside Cardinal George Pell’s Sydney funeral service at St Mary’s Cathedral.
A group carrying a huge rainbow pride flag marched into Hyde Park opposite the cathedral prior to the funeral on Thursday morning.
Another group holding a massive banner with the words “Pell burn in hell” stood in bushes and taunted those waiting in line to enter the church.
Funeral attendees and Cardinal George Pell supporters shouted “take it down, take it down, it’s disrespectful” at protesters holding the sign.
One distressed man pleaded with police to “cut” the signs and take them down as the group of protesters continued to stand opposite the cathedral on College Street.
“They’re baiting us,” the man said while pointing and waving his arms at the group.
Police attempted to calm the man who repeated “confiscate it”.
“We come in peace, but that is not peace,” the man said to an officer.
Police later arrested a man who was pacing outside the cathedral with a whistle, mask and rainbow flag.
The man refused to stop blowing the whistle at supporters lining up outside the church, which police said “disturbed the peace”.
“Arrest me, arrest me,” the man said.
“I’m not moving until 1pm … All over a whistle.”
The man was arrested and taken to Day Street Police station.
Just before the service began at 11am, Community Action Group members kicked off a rally.
Bells chimed as group leader Eddie Stephenson led “George Pell go to hell,” chants for a crowd of over 100, while VIP funeral guests entered through cathedral doors.
“We are gathered here today to give him the send-off we know he deserves,” Ms Stephenson said.
“A send-off that says Pell rot in hell, and take your vile politics, your homophobia, your sexism and your complicity and systematic abuse there with you.
“It’s really important we stand here in solidarity with survivors.”
Vivienne Moore and other survivors shared their stories of childhood sexual assault and spoke to the group of protesters.
Pell supporters walking past the rally shouted at those gathered in Hyde Park listening and shouting “shame” and “not the church, not the state, only we decide our fate”.
Protesters Shovan Bhattarai and Aveline Cayir from Community Action for Rainbow Rights said they were marching because “George Pell represented everything wrong with the world”.
“He’s a reactionary bigot who was opposed to same sex marriage, wants to see the rights of LGBT people trashed, wants to see the rights of women trashed,” Ms Bhattarai said.
“Everything George Pell embodied was disrespectful.
“It’s totally right that we are out here today taking a stand and protesting.
“It’s about standing up to the bigots in power.”
Cardinal Pell died, aged 81, in Rome earlier this month following complications from hip surgery.
The former Archbishop of Sydney and Melbourne was the most senior Australian to serve in the Catholic Church and was a close adviser to Pope Francis.
Pell served time in jail between 2019 and 2020 for historic sex offences against two underage boys. He was freed in April 2020 after a successful appeal to the High Court.
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