A group of clergy abuse victims wants to be in the room in Rome when Cardinal George Pell gives evidence to the child sex abuse royal commission in Australia.
The Ballarat and District Child Abuse Survivors group says the nation's most senior Catholic should still be subjected to a courtroom-style setting even though he is not returning to Australia.
Interested parties should be able to travel to Rome and be there in person when he gives evidence in a fortnight, a group statement said on Monday.
"Having representatives of survivors and interested parties in Rome would be extremely important to those in Australia who had hoped for a church representative capable of speaking on behalf of the entire Catholic institution rather than someone from an autonomous parish.
"The emotional pain felt by survivors and indeed the population needs to be considered in the choice of site."
The group has suggested the prefect of the Vatican's Secretariat for the Economy give evidence in a setting such as the Australian embassy.
The royal commission said it is making enquiries about venues for Cardinal Pell's evidence.
Cardinal Pell had been due to appear before the commission in Melbourne in December but his evidence was delayed after his cardiologist advised him not to undertake long-haul flights due to a worsened heart condition.
Cardinal Pell will now give evidence via videolink from Rome to a Sydney sitting from February 29, rather than in person in his home town of Ballarat when a public hearing resumes there next Monday.
The Ballarat group said it accepted the commission's decision although attending in person would have been an opportunity for Cardinal Pell to give unambiguous evidence within a courtroom setting and provide direct responses to abuse survivors.
A personal appearance in Ballarat may have helped heal rifts in the Victorian regional city caused by the child abuse scandal, it said.
There have been offers of donations to cover the flights to Italy, the group said.
Cardinal Pell's evidence over three days will cover the church's handling of child sex abuse in both the Melbourne archdiocese and the Ballarat diocese, which covers the western third of Victoria.
The former Melbourne and Sydney archbishop and Ballarat priest has already appeared twice before the royal commission about other issues, including once via videolink from Rome.
