Cardinal George Pell needs to acknowledge the Catholic Church got it wrong in handling child sex abuse by clergy, survivors say.
Ballarat-born Cardinal Pell should be leading church efforts to help victims, particularly in the Victorian regional city, Ballarat clergy abuse survivor Philip Nagle said.
"George is the one that should be standing up and saying 'hey we got this wrong and this is what we're going to do to fix it'," Mr Nagle told AAP.
"Being the third most powerful person in the church, he has the power to do that."
Mr Nagle is among a group of 15 survivors headed to Rome to be there when Cardinal Pell gives evidence about widespread abuse by clergy in the Diocese of Ballarat and the Melbourne archdiocese.
They will be in the Rome hotel conference room as Cardinal Pell testifies via videolink to the child sex abuse royal commission in Sydney from Monday (Australian time).
"This is our quest for truth and honesty and that's what we're expecting to get. Whether we do or not, I don't know," Mr Nagle said.
"I do feel we will be disappointed somewhat but at least George will have the opportunity to be truthful and to be honest with us in the room."
Gordon Hill, who was abused in Catholic orphanages, said Cardinal Pell still had the opportunity to help victims from the Vatican.
"He's in a pinnacle position where he can actually help the ones he didn't help before and acknowledge 'yeah we got it wrong'," Mr Hill said.
As they headed to Melbourne airport on Friday night, the group thanked a gathering of about 150 people for their support and the public for raising the funds to send them to Rome.
The crowdfunding effort raised more than $200,000 but Mr Nagle said the group had stuck to the initial plan for 15 victims, plus four support people, to go to Rome at a cost of $55,000.
A foundation has been set up to use the rest of the funds to help abuse victims.
