State funeral for George Pell ruled out

While making an announcement about level crossing removals in Melbourne’s west, Daniel Andrews gave his condolences to Pell’s family, friends and colleagues and also to all victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.

“This will be a challenging time for friends and family … but also this will be a very challenging time for victim-survivors of institutional child sexual abuse, so our thoughts are with them,” he said.

“There won’t be a state memorial service,” he said.

“I couldn’t think of anything that would be more distressing for victim-survivors than that.”

Andrews said he was being “very clear about that”, with a message for victims and survivors.

“We see you, we believe you, we support you and you’re at the centre of not only our thoughts, not only our words, but our actions,” he said.

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“We will never ever forget victim-survivors of institutional child sex abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church.

“We should never forget, never ever forget that predator brothers and priests were systematically moved around, knowingly, as part of a strategy, from one working class parish to the next.”

Andrews refused to make comment about the cardinal’s legacy when asked.

“Legacy is a matter for others to judge,” he said.

After the news of Pell’s death yesterday, Victorian government minister Steve Dimopoulos acknowledged the event would be particularly challenging for some.

“Today would be a very difficult day for the cardinal’s family and loved ones but also a very difficult for survivors and victims of child sexual abuse and their families and my thoughts are with them,” he said.