Archbishop of Sydney

His Eminence,
Cardinal George Pell
Cardinal Priest of the Title of S. Maria Domenica Mazzarello

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Home > Our Archbishop > Sunday Telegraph Column 2001 > Article	Printable Version

John Paul II

By + George Pell
ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY
21 October 2001

Last Wednesday, Pope John Paul II celebrated the 23rd anniversary of his 1978 election by the College of Cardinals, who gathered in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City, from every part of the world to elect a successor to St. Peter. They had Michelangelo's masterly painting of the Last Judgement as a background and stimulus to focus their discussions and voting.

Now that Chinese emperors are no more, the Papacy is the most ancient institution in the world. There was a pope in Rome nearly 900 years before there was a King of England.

Despite his age (81 years) and sickness, the Pope is still a powerful public figure. Young Catholics have known no other leader. On most occasions when a talk with confirmation candidates, usually twelve year olds, they ask me whether a have met the Pope. My stocks rise when a say "yes". The Pope is still the best-known Catholic in Australia.

The pope is the head of the Catholic Church, a symbol of unity throughout the world and of continuity with the teachings of Christ and the apostles. His office remains one of the most enduring and effective agencies in Catholic life. But on some occasions the office of the Papacy itself has been resisted and rejected.

The Protestant Reformation in the 16th century rejected the idea of a Pope and Henry VIII set up the Anglican Church after the Pope refused him a divorce. The doctrinal divisions between the Orthodox Churches and Catholics are not wide, but the nature and working style of the Popes remain a formidable obstacle to union, together with memories of unfortunate events in history such as the capture and sacking of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204.

The Pope himself, despite his immense personal following, remains a controversial figure in the non-Christian world and even with some Catholics. His task is to teach Catholic truth, and explain it in ways that people today can understand. Like many Poles he is an outstanding linguist, fluent in many languages, but much more importantly he has a wonderful and provocative message. In essence it is the message of Jesus himself and the apostles. Jesus died because some did not like his message then, and some do not like aspects of that message even today.

Unlike some other church leaders the Pope has held the line on all these hard teachings, doctrinal and moral, which are necessary if we want to be genuine followers of Christ. In the long run, even in this life, these teachings bring well-being and peace; but at a cost.

The Pope teaches that faith in God is not an optional extra, but an imperative. He teaches that everyone must choose good or evil, which we cannot define for ourselves. There are moral truths to be discovered and followed, just as there are truths of health and hygiene. These truths include clear rules regulating sexual activity, which are designed to protect life-long marriage and provide the necessary security for growing children. Because he reverences human life, he is opposed to abortion and euthanasia.

The Pope insists on our duties of regular worship and prayer to God, just as he insists on social justice, on morality in public life.

It is a paradox that the best known symbol of Christ's message of universal love is the Cross, a sign of contradiction. So is Pope John Paul II.