Victorian Premier Rules Out State Memorial For Cardinal Pell

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirms there will be no state memorial service for Cardinal, George Pell.

Andrews said it would be disrespectful to survivors of abuse within the Catholic Church, after Australia's highest ranking Cardinal died aged 81 after complications from hip surgery.

Pell had undergone surgery in a Rome hospital, when he entered cardiac arrest on Tuesday.

During an announcement about level crossing removals across Melbourne's west, Andrews gave condolences to Pell's family, friends and also the victims and survivors of child sex 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.

A memorial will be held in Sydney, at St Mary's Cathedral, where Pell will be buried - yet the NSW government have also opted against a state service.

Andrews confirmed he did not receive a request to hold one since the death.

"I couldn't think of anything that would be more distressing for victim-survivors than that."

"We see you, we believe you, we support you.

"We will never ever forget victim-survivors of institutional child sex abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church.our thoughts, not only our words, but our actions," he said.

"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."

Stay up to date with the latest headlines from around the country with LiSTNR's National Briefing: