Tim Minchin's protest could be song of the year

Shortlisted for Aussie accolade

A track Tim Minchin wrote about a Catholic cardinal at the centre of a paedophilia scandal has been shortlisted for Australia’s song of the year.

Come Home Cardinal Pell urges the churchman to return to Australia to give evidence at a commission investigating historic child sexual abuse. He has been holed up in the Vatican, where doctors say he is too ill to fly home to give testimony.

Pell is alleged to have abused children and covered up the crimes of others, including moving a known abuser from parish to parish. However he has vigorously rejected the accusations, saying that they amount to a ‘scandalous smear campaign’.

New evidence unearthed this week purports to show how George Pell, now 75, ‘sought to financially aid priests who had been jailed on paedophilia charges’ – claims Pell again branded ‘lies’ spread by those opposed to reforms he is instigating in the Vatican as Secretariat for the Economy.

Minchin’s song wraps its hard-hitting message in a jaunty melody, and contains unequivocal lyrics such as:

‘And years later, when survivors
Despite their shame and their fear
Stood up to tell their stories
You spent year after year
Working hard to protect the church's assets
I mean, with all due respect, dude
I think you're scum’

The song raised enough money to send survivors of child sex abuse to Rome and watch George Pell answer questions

A month after its release in February last year, Minchin said: ‘Sometimes I look at the song and I think, "whoa it's harsh". But the letters that I got from survivors and stuff, it's one of the most incredibly moving and gratifying things that happened in my career.'

The track is now in the running for the APRA song of the year award alongside the likes of Nick Cave, Sia and former Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian.

His is not the only protest song in the top 20. Indigenous hip-hop duo A.B. Original have also been nominated twice, including one for January 26 - the song calling to change the date of Australia Day.

Here is Come Home Cardinal Pell: