It is the thinking that has sparked a flood of public funds to get survivors of abuse by the clergy to travel to Rome for “an audience” with Cardinal George Pell.

And why not? It would appear to be their only remaining option to witness Cardinal Pell’s evidence in person after he succeeded in gaining permission to appear by videolink at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Ballarat.

The commission has accepted a doctor’s report that Australia’s most senior Catholic is too ill to return to Australia to testify. 

Disappointment at that decision was felt deeply by the survivors of sexual abuse.

The Ballarat and District Child Abuse Survivors group said its members had looked forward to the opportunity to hear Cardinal Pell’s evidence in person as a chance to heal rifts within the city.

But the acceptance of the doctor’s no travel advice for Cardinal Pell has hardly been the last word on the matter.

First came the offer from a West Australian doctor to gather a team of medicos to escort Cardinal Pell to Australia.

Dr Richard Sallie said he felt a “keen sense of injustice” at Cardinal Pell’s decision not to attend the hearing, a sentiment shared by other doctors he had spoken to who supported him in his offer of a medical escort.

It would appear Dr Sallie’s keen sense of injustice is one that’s broadly shared. Overnight on Monday, a funding page to raise money to send survivors of sexual abuse to Rome to hear Cardinal Pell’s testimony had quickly amassed $13,000.

Survivors hoped to raised $55,000 which would allow up to 15 representatives from Ballarat to go to Rome for Cardinal Pell’s evidence at the end of the month.

It’s a good idea, and the donations from across the country show deep support for survivors. But Ballarat politician Sharon Knight, who is the member for Wendouree, has a better idea.

She says it is not the public nor survivors but the Catholic Church that should dip into its pockets to fund the trips to Rome for survivors to give them their audience with the Cardinal.

They are, after all, deep pockets. If the Church can afford legal representation for the Cardinal believed to be running at a cost of up to $100,000 a week, it can afford to give survivors of abuse within its organisation a passage to healing.