Tim Minchin Doesn't Regret Cardinal Pell Song: 'I Wish The Fucker Had Come Back'

Comedian Tim Minchin has stood by his recently-released controversial song, Come Home (Cardinal Pell), in which he called Australia's highest-ranking Catholic a "coward" for declining to return to Australia and give evidence of incidents of sexual abuse in the Church to the Royal Commission, insisting that Pell's actions were harmful to survivors of abuse. 

Speaking to Fairfax, Minchin said, "I feel sorry for everyone in this sorry affair".

"I wish the fucker had come back, though, because to not come back shows a massive disconnect with what the survivors need," he continued. 

"They weren't believed, and they need not just to be believed but publicly believed by the institution. And he's the big guy. It's not my fault that he's the big guy."

The 40 year-old comic's song has garnered over 1.3 million views on YouTube since its release three weeks ago and it also cracked #1 on the Australian iTunes Songs Chart.

"It's the first time I've ever had a song on the radio or in the charts in all my years and I don't get any of the fucking money," Minchin joked.

"I'm going to have to go down to one of those survivor centres and get a sandwich or something."

All proceeds of the song went towards sending Ballarat survivors to Rome to witness Pell's testimony and the GoFundMe campaign easily crushed its target of $55,000 within days, eventually going on to raise over $200,000.

While Minchin said Pell's testimony "contributed to a version of healing", he believes it would have had more of an impact if the Cardinal returned to Australia.

"But I don't think he's got it in him," Minchin said.

"This is not a guy inclined towards a humble offering of redemption."

Minchin is currently back in Australia for the Melbourne opening of his musical Matilda this week and the songwriter suggests the stage play, based on the novel by Roald Dahl, can be related to the situation involving Pell. 

"Matilda says, 'Leave her alone you big fat bully', and [the teacher] Miss Honey says, 'We can't go to the police – it's her word against ours; they'll never believe us'," he said.

"Does this ring a bell, with a Pellian knell? It's the same."

Minchin's comments come just weeks after he said it would be appropriate for Pell to wash the feet of the survivors.