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…