Archbishop of Sydney

Homily at the Mass on taking possession of the Church of Santa Maria Domenica Mazzarello, Rome

Lk 15:1-3, 11-32

By + Cardinal George Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
20 March 2004

I am grateful for the welcome of the parish priest Don Giuseppe, his assistant Don Luca and the parish council and parishioners.

The presence of my brother bishops from Australia is also a blessing made possible because of our ad limina visit.  That the Australian Ambassador to the Vatican is here is also deeply appreciated as is the presence of so many friends and in particular Cardinal Frank Stafford, the Grand Penitentiary, and the Mercy Sisters from San Calisto Palazzo.

It is an honour to be a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church and to take possession of this new parish church only opened in 1997.  As an Australian it is interesting to see that also here in Europe, not only in Australia, the Church has to erect new parishes, construct new Churches in the new suburbs.  As a Cardinal of the Church of Rome I am happy to support this work.

Before preaching on the gospel I wish to say a few words about the miracle of the unity and universality of the Catholic Church.  This unity is not a first class miracle like the resurrection, but it is a miracle of grace, a providential development, centred of course on Jesus Christ, and then on the college of bishops, successors of the apostles, around the Pope, the successor of Peter, the rock-man on whom the Church is built.

Over the centuries the Church has suffered much from schisms and heresies, especially in the first 1000 years through differences about the divine and human natures of Christ, the mystery of the Incarnation.

In 1054 there was the tragic separation of the East and the West, between Rome and Constantinople then in the 16th century we had the Protestant Reformation, whose effects continue today particularly in Australia.

Unity is neither built nor maintained easily.  It needs eternal vigilance, prayer and hard work.

I remember reading 20 years ago that there were 22,000 small Christian groups in the United States.  A few years ago I read that there were 40,000 such groups.  Disunity, disaggregation is often quite easy.

As a cardinal and a bishop it is part of my duty to support the Holy Father in maintaining this unity, both locally, within parishes, dioceses, and nation, but also internationally, across the continents.

This is also a unity with the past which is open to the future.  We are the children of many generations of witnesses.  We rejoice in the Catholic tradition, because as G. K. Chesterton wrote tradition is the democracy of the dead.  Bishops and Cardinals in particular are called to be defenders of this holy tradition, which is rich and diverse, not dead and uniform.

Jesus told this parable of the prodigal Son, one of the most famous parables, because he had been criticised for eating with sinners.

I want to emphasise two points from this teaching which are essential to the life of the Church and to Catholic unity i.e. the necessity of personal conversion and the love and the capacity for forgiveness of the one true God, such an important insight into the nature of God himself.

The younger Brother had received his share of the inheritance and left for the Riviera, or the Amalfi coast or perhaps Milan.  He lived like a libertine, lost or spent all his money.  His situation was desperate.  He was reduced to the ultimate disgrace for a Jew when he had to work with pigs.  He was hungry, humiliated and ashamed.

In his misery he turned to his father, confessed that he had sinned against heaven and his father, was no longer worthy to be called a son.  Then he decided to return home.

Every person has to take this decision for himself.  We cannot decide for others.  We can and should pray for those who wander.  We can offer to help.  Normally we cannot insist and we can never make their decisions for them.

It is useful to remember this, even today.  If someone is no longer praying, is using drugs, is an alcoholic, not going to Mass – only that person can make the decision to change.

When their decision is made, we must help their return and not be like the older Brother, who was indignant and refused to participate in the feast of welcome.

Sometimes too we might have reasons to refuse a welcome.  We also have to forgive.

Finally we should consider the behaviour of the father on the return of his son.

He kissed him, gave him a ring, shoes for his feet, killed the fatted calf and threw a great welcome home party.  He was full of joy, because the Son who had been lost was now found, the young man who was dead has returned to life.

He was not like a tough, just judge; he did not pronounce a punishment, he acted like a father who loved his son, like a father with a big heart, who knows how to forgive.

This is not just a clever story, but an insight into the nature of the one true God who loves us.  It is one reason why Jesus told us to call God “father”.

When we sin and go away this story is a great consolation, an encouragement to repent.  When others sin against us, the challenge is different.

Then we are called to be like a good father, who forgives the offences he has received and offer a beautiful welcome to the offender.  In other words we are called to avoid the example of the older brother, self righteous, unforgiving, self-centred.  This is sometimes, perhaps often, a difficult task.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.