George Pell

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George Cardinal Pell  AC
Cardinal Archbishop of Sydney
See	Sydney
Enthroned	26 March 2001
Ended	Incumbent
Predecessor	Edward Cardinal Clancy
Created Cardinal	21 October 2003
Other	Archbishop of Melbourne
Born	8 June 1941 (1941-06-08) (age 67) Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Denomination	Roman Catholic Church

George Cardinal Pell AC (born 8 June 1941) is an Australian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.

Cardinal Pell currently serves as Archbishop of Sydney and was elevated to the cardinalate in 2003. Since his appointment to Sydney, Pell has become one of the most well-known Christian leaders in Australia.

Contents 1 Life 2 Church leader 3 Controversies 3.1 On sexuality 3.2 On the ordination of women and priestly celibacy 3.3 On pedophilia within the Church 3.4 On other religions 3.5 On environmental concerns 3.6 Stem cell debate controversy 3.7 Prosperity gospel 4 Eulogy reforms 5 Other roles 6 References 7 See also 8 External links

[edit] Life

He received a licentiate in theology from Pontifical Urbaniana University in 1967, a doctorate of philosophy in Church History from the University of Oxford in 1971 and a master's degree in education from Monash University in 1982. After graduation from Oxford, Pell worked as an assistant priest in parishes in Victoria. He was Visiting Scholar at Campion Hall in 1979 and at St Edmund's College in 1983.

Pell, after serving as Principal of Aquinas College (which later became the Ballarat campus of the Australian Catholic University) and Rector of his alma mater of Corpus Christi College, was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne and Titular Bishop of Scala on 30 March 1987. He received his episcopal consecration on the following 21 May from Archbishop Thomas Little, with Bishops Ronald Mulkearns and Joseph O'Connell serving as co-consecrators. Pell was named seventh Archbishop of Melbourne on 16 July 1996, receiving the pallium from Pope John Paul II on 29 June 1997. He was later appointed eighth Archbishop of Sydney on 26 March 2001, and received the pallium from John Paul again on the following 29 June.

Pell has been a member of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace from 1990 to 1995 and again since 2002. From 1990 to 2000, he was a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In April 2002, John Paul II named him President of the Vox Clara Committee to advise the Congregation for Divine Worship on English translations of liturgical texts. In December 2002 he was appointed to the Presidential Committee of the Pontifical Council for the Family, having previously served as a Consultor to the Council.

Pell has written widely in religious and secular magazines, learned journals and newspapers in Australia and overseas and regularly speaks on television and radio. In September 1996 Oxford University Press published his Issues of Faith and Morals, written for senior secondary classes and parish groups. His other publications include The Sisters of St Joseph in Swan Hill 1922-72 (1972), Catholicism in Australia (1988), Rerum Novarum - One Hundred Years Later (1992), Catholicism and the Architecture of Freedom (1999) and Be Not Afraid, a collection of homilies and reflections published in 2004. A biography of Pell was published by Queensland journalist Tess Livingstone in 2002.

[edit] Church leader

Since Pell's elevation to Archbishop of Melbourne - and more particularly since his translation to Sydney - he has taken a high public profile on a wide range of issues, while retaining a strict adherence to Catholic orthodoxy.^[1] As his rapid promotion might indicate, he appeared to have the full confidence of John Paul II and his closest advisers such as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.

Pell has consistently worked with other church leaders in his efforts to strengthen the faith of Christians and their contribution to Australian life. This was a difficult task in Sydney, which had a long tradition of sectarian hostility between Catholics and Protestants. The Anglican Church of Australia was aggressively Evangelical and historically anti-Catholic, but Pell worked co-operatively with his Anglican counterpart, Dr Peter Jensen, on political issues, while avoiding theological controversies. This was referred to in Sydney as "the ecumenism of the right".

In defending the importance of religious belief in building a just society Pell has also worked with the leaders of non-Christians faiths, arguing in 2001 that "the most significant religious change in Australia over the past 50 years is the increase of people without religion, now about one fifth of the population. All monotheists, Christians and Jews, Muslims and Sikhs, must labour to reverse this. We must not allow the situation to deteriorate as it had in Elijah’s time, 850 years before Christ, where monotheism was nearly swamped by the aggressive paganism of the followers of Baal."

Styles of George Cardinal Pell
Reference style	His Eminence
Spoken style	Your Eminence
Informal style	Cardinal
See	Sydney

On September 28, 2003, John Paul II announced that he would raise Pell, and 28 others, to the College of Cardinals, and in the consistory of the following October 21, Pell was created Cardinal Priest of S. Maria Domenica Mazzarello. For the first time ever, from Pell's elevation to the cardinalate in 2003 until Edward Cardinal Clancy's 80th birthday on 13 December 2003, there were three Australian cardinal electors (had a papal election become necessary), including Cardinal Clancy and Edward Cardinal Cassidy.

Pell was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI. While there was a little speculation in the Australian media that he had an outside chance of becoming Pope himself, international commentary on the papal succession (aside from one Italian source) did not mention Pell as a contender. However, Pell was mentioned as a possible successor to Benedict XVI as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.^[2] This position was given to William Levada, former Archbishop of San Francisco. Cardinal Pell remains eligible to participate in any future papal conclaves that begin before his 80th birthday on June 8, 2021.

In 2006 Pell made a successful bid for Sydney to host the 2008 World Youth Day. World Youth Day is one of the largest regular international gatherings of young people in the world, often attracting crowds in the millions. The 2008 event will bring Pope Benedict XVI on his first papal visit to Australia and is likely to attract more overseas visitors than the 2000 Sydney Olympics. "We take it for granted that people will always give to the poor and be concerned about social justice," Pell said soon after winning the bid, in remarks which spelled out his pastoral priorities. "But this doesn’t just happen by itself. Many great civilisations have shown no regard for these values at all and have even considered them weaknesses...Every society requires a goodly percentage of active believers to ensure that the values of a fair go and respect for others are promoted, and passed on the next generation. World Youth Day will make a powerful contribution to this vital work".

[edit] Controversies

Pell has adopted an uncompromisingly conservative position on social issues. His critics claim that Pell "stands for the kind of Catholicism that we saw in the Middle Ages. He is totally centred around the hierarchy, and dismissive of alternative views." However Pell has often been wary of what he calls the "callousness" of unrestrained capitalism, and as head of Australian Catholic Relief (now Caritas Australia) put an end to corrupt siphoning of donations to political causes instead of humanitarian aid.

[edit] On sexuality

Pell has received much publicity on Catholic attitudes to sexuality, particularly homosexuality. "Christian teaching on sexuality is only one part of the Ten Commandments, of the virtues and vices, but it is essential for human wellbeing and especially for the proper flourishing of marriages and families, for the continuity of the human race," Pell said upon becoming Archbishop of Sydney. "Any genuine religion has two important moral tasks; firstly, to present norms and ideals, goals for our striving; and secondly, to offer aids for our weakness, forgiveness and healing for every wrong doer and sinner who repents and seeks forgiveness."

As Archbishop of Melbourne, and later as Archbishop of Sydney, Pell attracted attention for refusing the sacraments to self-declared homosexuals. "Anybody who is sinning seriously should not go to communion", he said in 2001. "So a gay person who has repented, or a gay person who is not active, is more than welcome to communion." Activists of the Rainbow Sash movement of self-declared gay and lesbian Catholics have appeared on Pentecost Sunday at St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne and St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney wearing rainbow sashes and requesting communion. Pell has consistently and steadfastly refused them communion, offering blessings which are in turn refused.

In January 2004 his cousin Monica Hingston, a former nun who had lived in a lesbian relationship for 19 years^[3] published an open letter in the press. Hingston said that she had twice sent the letter to Pell privately, but had received no reply. She had written the letter after the Vatican reaffirmed the Catholic teaching that homosexual acts were "serious depravity" [3]. She challenged Pell to "look her in the eye" and call her "corrupt, debased, vicious, vile, wicked, degenerate" - words she says are synonyms for depraved. "To read that the Vatican has declared us to be 'seriously depraved persons' has appalled and angered me," she wrote.

In response Pell issued a statement saying: "The Church's views are well known and will not change. I support them. In these situations the first 11 verses of Chapter 8 of St John's Gospel give food for thought. I wish Monica well and acknowledge the contribution she has made. I continue to regret the path she has chosen." The passage referred to by Pell was the account of the woman taken in adultery, where Jesus said "let him who is without sin cast the first stone", but also tells the woman, "go and sin no more".

Hingston said she was "not surprised" at Pell's response, because he "had to follow the Vatican line", but it saddened her. "I wanted him to make some statement about who I am as a person to him", she said. "It's very disappointing that I got no response other than scripture." She said that she found the official Catholic teaching "insulting and degrading".

[edit] On the ordination of women and priestly celibacy

Pell supported Pope John Paul II's view that issues such as the ordination of women could not be discussed within the Church and declared that abandoning the tradition of clerical celibacy would be a "serious blunder".^[4]

[edit] On pedophilia within the Church

In June 2002, Pell was accused of having sexually abused a 12-year-old boy at a Catholic youth camp in 1961, when he was a seminarian. He "stood aside" ^[5] but did not resign) as Archbishop as soon as the allegations were made public, but some weeks after the Church became aware of them. Pell vehemently denied all the accusations, and the refusal of the accuser to make a formal statement to the police forced Alec Southwell, a former judge and non-Catholic appointed by the Church's National Committee for Professional Standards , to conclude that the allegations against Pell could not stand.^[6]

The enquiry, however, provided an opportunity to air allegations that Pell, along with other Church leaders, had sought to cover up past allegations of child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation by clergy. Critics noted that Pell had accompanied Father Gerald Ridsdale, convicted of sexual offences against a number of children, to court at the beginning of the latter's trial in 1993, though he never gave evidence in support of Ridsdale or sought to protect him at the trial.^[7] Ridsdale had been a priest in the Ballarat diocese in the early 1970s, on one occasion living in the same clergy home as Pell and several other priests. Pell has stated in more recent years that he felt accompanying Ridsdale was a mistake because of the potential for others to feel that his sympathies were with Ridsdale rather than his victims.^[7]

Pell's observation only a month before the allegations against him became public that, "Abortion is a worse moral scandal than priests sexually abusing young people," provided much ammunition to those who said he had sought to deny and to minimise the importance of clerical sexual abuse. His record, however, suggests that this is not the case. One of his very first initiatives when he became Archbishop of Melbourne in 1996 was to appoint a senior barrister as Australia’s first Independent Commissioner to investigate allegations of sexual abuse by clergy. He also established an independent compensation panel to make payments to victims and an independent service to provide counselling for them.

[edit] On other religions

In 2004, speaking to the Acton Institute on the problems of "secular democracy," Pell drew a parallel between Islam and Communism: "Islam may provide in the 21st century, the attraction that communism provided in the 20th, both for those that are alienated and embittered on the one hand and for those who seek order or justice on the other."^[8] An Australian Islamic spokesman, Keysar Trad, described this as inconsistent with the Pope's attempts to reach out to Muslims, and an inappropriate comparison: "Communism is a godless system, a system that in fact persecutes faith".^[9]

In a speech delivered to Catholic Business leaders at the Legatus Summit in February 2006,^[10] Pell asked the question "Can Islam and the Western democracies live together peacefully?" In examining this question, he discussed reasons for both optimism and pessimism, telling his audience: "Considered strictly on its own terms, Islam is not a tolerant religion and its capacity for far-reaching renovation is severely limited. To stop at this proposition, however, is to neglect the way these facts are mitigated or exacerbated by the human factor." He went on to contrast the "moderate Islam" of Indonesia with the growing influence of "radical Islam" in Pakistan: "These two examples show that there is a whole range of factors, some of them susceptible to influence or a change in direction, affecting the prospects for a successful Islamic engagement with democracy."

The pessimistic elements of Pell's speech provoked a strong reaction, particularly his description of Islam as "not a tolerant religion" and his observation that the Koran contained "many invocations to violence".^[11][12] Refusing to engage the substantive points in Pell's speech, Trad described it as "totally subjective... off-the-cuff dismissal of the teachings of one of the world's great religions, certainly undermining the importance of his office.^[13]

[edit] On environmental concerns

Pell aroused criticism from Senator Christine Milne of the Greens political party with the following comment in his 2006 Legatus Summit speech:

Some of the hysteric and extreme claims about global warming are also a symptom of pagan emptiness, of Western fear when confronted by the immense and basically uncontrollable forces of nature. Belief in a benign God who is master of the universe has a steadying psychological effect, although it is no guarantee of Utopia, no guarantee that the continuing climate and geographic changes will be benign. In the past pagans sacrificed animals and even humans in vain attempts to placate capricious and cruel gods. Today they demand a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.^[14]

[edit] Stem cell debate controversy

In remarks made at a media conference in June 2007 on a conscience vote overturning the state ban on therapeutic cloning, Pell said that “Catholic politicians who vote for this legislation must realise that their voting has consequences for their place in the life of the Church”. Some members of parliament condemned Pell's comments, calling them hypocritical and drawing comparisons with comments made earlier in the year by Sheik Hilali.^[15][16] Pell's remarks were referred to the Privileges Committee of the state upper house for allegedly being in contempt of parliament. In September the Committee tabled a report clearing him of this charge and recommending that no further action be taken.

[edit] Prosperity gospel

His views on the prosperity gospel has also put him at loggerheads with Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, and Jesse Duplantis. As the Archbishop of Sydney, he is particularly critical of Brian Houston since both have not reached an agreed conclusion with the prosperity gospel.

[edit] Eulogy reforms

In February 2007 Cardinal Pell instituted new guidelines when it comes for family members to speak at funerals. Cardinal Pell said that "On not a few occasions, inappropriate remarks glossing over the deceased's proclivities (drinking prowess, romantic conquests etc) or about the Church (attacking its moral teachings) have been made at funeral Masses" [4]. Pell's guidelines, make it clear the eulogy must never replace the officiating priest's homily, which should focus on God's compassion and the mystery of the resurrection of Jesus.

[edit] Other roles

The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney takes the role of Visitor of St John's College, a residential College within the University of Sydney and one of the country's most prestigious. This is a largely ceremonial role and can also be called to give guidance and resolve internal disputes. Under the direction of the Archbishop as Visitor, the College associates itself with the interests of the Church and its mission, particularly by the fostering of appropriate academic directions in education, charity, social justice, ethics and the environment.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney
• St John's College, University of Sydney

[edit] External links

• Sydney Catholic Archdiocese website
• the new Sydney based Seminary of the Good Shepherd
• George Pell: Defender of the Faith Down Under... a biography of Cardinal Pell
• Issues of Faith and Morals... a book by Cardinal Pell
• God and Caesar: Selected Essays on Religion, Politics and Society, by Cardinal Pell

Preceded by Frank Little	Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne 1996-2001	Succeeded by Denis Hart
Preceded by Edward Cardinal Clancy	8th Catholic Archbishop of Sydney 2001–present	Succeeded by incumbent

v • d • e Roman Catholic Archbishops of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Polding • Vaughan • Moran • Kelly • Gilroy • Freeman • Clancy • Pell