During his evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Cardinal George Pell said he was not there to "defend the indefensible" and denied knowing about paedophile priests operating in the Ballarat diocese in the 1970s.

He said the Catholic Church had made "enormous" mistakes in its handling of child sex crimes and had let victims down but was working to repair it.

Standing outside of the Hotel Quirinale in Rome where Cardinal Pell gave evidence via video link back to Australia, clergy abuse victim David Ridsdale said thousands of people were still suffering as a result of the church's failure to protect children.

He said some victims had been "triggered" by the evidence had left the hearing early.

"We represent hundreds and hundreds from Ballarat and thousands and thousand of victims across Australia, he said. "It's not words we are looking for it's actions." 

Mr Ridsdale said despite the Cardinal Pell's resistance to be linked to schools in Ballarat where the sexual abuse of children was rampant, survivors had clear memories of his presence in and around the school grounds.

"I know that his comment that he hardly ever was around the St Alipius Boy's School does not fit well with some of our memories," Mr Ridsdale said. "It’s a give and take process and we’ve got a long way to go to get to the truth."

Clergy abuse survivors also criticised the senior Vatican official for his admission that he knew Brother Leo Fitzgearld was "kissing boys" but he considered the behaviour to be "harmless."

"It was common knowledge (he was kissing boys) there was a general conviction it was harmless enough," Cardinal Pell told the sex abuse inquiry.

He told the inquiry in the early 1970s, when he first heard allegations of priests sexually abusing children, he was  inclined to believe the priests’ if they denied the claims.

Cardinal Pell said the "eccentric" behaviour of Br Fitzgerald was discussed by clergy before he was forced to resign after a father, who was also a policeman, complained about his sexual behaviour towards his son.

Last week, the inquiry heard that Br Fitzgerald would kiss every grade five pupil as they left school for the day.

Survivor Andrew Collins said it was incomprehensible that Cardinal Pell could assume that it was appropriate Br Fitzgerald kissed children.

However, Mr Collins said Cardinal Pell had been more willing to admit past wrongs than in previous evidence regarding child sexual abuse.

"There were at the very least admissions about the church's catastrophic handling of child sex crimes," he said. "He also pushed for clergy to follow the law of the land on reporting sex crimes, rather than directives of the Vatican." 

He said he hoped further cross-examination of Cardinal in the coming days would dredge up the truth.  

"George Pell has the power to change the world," Mr Collins said. "As a senior Vatican official he has the ability to push to change Canon law and protect children into the future."

Mr Collins had earlier placed ribbons outside Saint Peter’s Basilica along with Paul Levey who was a victim of Gerald Ridsdale at Mortlake parish.

Supporters of abuse victims started Loud Fence in Ballarat last year during the Royal Commission into sexual abuse hearings, with bright ribbons tied outside institutions as an overt response to traumas long held silent and a symbol of solidarity with sexual abuse victims.

"It's a gesture for all the victims who can't be with us today," Mr Collins said.