A Ballarat survivor of child sexual abuse has said the repeated removal of ribbons from St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney won't deter him from putting a spotlight on clergy abuse endured by innocent people.
Paul Auchettl is among a group of survivors and supporters who are tying ribbons to the church's fence ahead of Cardinal George Pell's funeral on Thursday.
An initiative by advocacy group Loud Fence Inc, the ribbons are a signal of solidarity with survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Mr Auchettl said on four separate occasions in the past 48 hours, the ribbons had been tied to the fence only to be later removed.
Mr Auchettl believes those removing the ribbons were either employees of the church or "staunch supporters of George Pell who believe we are desecrating the church".
The latter group has repeatedly made verbal and physical threats towards those tying the ribbons, Mr Auchettl said.
"They hold George Pell in such high regard. And that's OK because he did do good things, but we believe to honour him properly, we have to be able to talk about the legacy he's left," he said.
"So many people, as reported by the royal commission, have been harmed by his inaction and inability to move on the offenders he was constantly warned about."
In a post to social media, Loud Fence Inc said "seems silence is a priority at St Mary's Sydney".
A royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse found that Cardinal Pell knew of child abuse by clergy in the 1970s but did not adequately address it.
Cardinal Pell rejected the finding.
Ribbon tying to continue
Mr Auchettl said he and other advocates would again re-tie ribbons at the cathedral on Monday.
"We're going to keep doing this," he said.
"We want to come here and encourage the difficult conversations to continue, because there are innocent people who have been severely harmed."
On Thursday, St Mary's will hold a requiem mass and private burial service for Cardinal Pell, who died on January 10.
A crypt within the church will be the final resting place for the cardinal.
ABC has contacted St Mary's Cathedral and the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney for comment.
Contrast between Sydney and Victoria
In Ballarat, thousands of colourful ribbons have been tied to the fence of St Patrick's Cathedral.
Despite being cut from the fence in 2017 and again 2019, in recent years the collection has flourished.
On Wednesday, supporters will gather at St Patrick's to tie more ribbons to the fence.
Other churches adorned with the ribbons in Victoria include Warrnambool's St Joseph's Catholic Church.
Mr Auchettl said he cannot understand why the movement was largely supported in Victoria, but not interstate.
"I've been shocked with how conservative it is up here [in Sydney], compared with Victoria. If someone ties a ribbon in Victoria, they're met with some support," he said.
"They're not threatened or vilified."
