AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald
July 17, 2012
Opinion
Gerard Henderson
Executive director, The Sydney Institute
The status of Cardinal George Pell, the Catholic archbishop of Sydney, seems to differ according to the issues in which he is involved. When Pell expresses scepticism about human-induced climate change, there is invariably a rush to computers and microphones to declare that he is not head of the Catholic Church in Australia.
Last month, Bishop Pat Power, a long-time critic of Pell, declared the Cardinal’s position on climate change was not in the tradition of “mainstream Australian Catholicism” and was contrary to the position of Pope Benedict XVI.
Yet when Pell is involved, however indirectly, in a controversy about sexual abuse or any other scandal, there is a tendency to depict him as managing director of Australian Catholicism, responsible for all its sins of commission and omission.
This is not the case – as ABC producers and presenters should know. The formal head of the church is the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference – Archbishop Denis Hart.
Pell should never have appeared in the Four Corners program “Unholy Silence”, by Geoff Thompson and Mary Ann Jolley, which aired on ABC1 on July 2. These days the ABC should be regarded as hostile territory for Catholics who follow the teachings of the Vatican. The ABC is replete with disillusioned current or former Catholics. Also, it provides a cheer squad for the same-sex marriage cause, which is opposed by the Catholic Church – along with some other Christian churches, Islam and the majority of Hindus.
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