Archbishop of Sydney

2002 Report card

By + Cardinal George Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
29/12/2002

When a lived in England 35 years ago a supported Manchester United football team and George Best was their greatest player. He recently gave us Aussies a mighty serve, criticising us for many reasons, not least because we are so boastful of our sporting successes.

So as someone who still supports Manchester United and still concedes that George Best used to be a football genius, let me make it clear that a am not saying Australia is ahead of most in the field because of our cricket team and Leyton Hewitt (although both are champions) or any other sporting achievement.

We should thank God and those who went before us for the peace, tolerance and prosperity most of us enjoy. A larger percentage of every-day Australians are able to live a good life than in most other countries. This is why so many wish to migrate here. This is what we value and must labour together mightily to preserve.

We can take our considerable achievements for granted, blessings that have been built up over generations, like our health system with Medicare covering everyone, good schools, a legal system which can be too expensive, but does strive to achieve justice for all.

Our politicians are generally decent, accessible and all are liable to criticism. They are not rich, corrupt and beyond reproach. We have a free press. Many ordinary people can afford holidays and travel around Australia or overseas.

Some countries because of poverty and violence do not have the prosperity and peace to enjoy sport, entertainment and culture the way we can.

September 11th and the Bali tragedy have cast shadows over all this. We might be facing years of intermittent struggle to defend our way of life and there will probably be war in Iraq sooner than we expect.

Christianity continues as one essential current in our national life, although the Catholic, and to some extent the Anglican Churches attracted an unusual level of criticism this year over sexual scandals. The truth is being faced, victims are receiving help, the civil and church procedures are being followed and justice is being pursued. We are chastened and committed to the healing process.

The drought has not broken in many parts of the state and the economic pressures on people in the country areas are often unremitting. The bushfire danger along the coast is dormant for the moment, but we should keep up our prayers for widespread soaking rain.

The flow of refugees and illegal immigrants has dried up for the moment and the tough government programme of incarceration has been softened a bit. Human cloning has been forbidden but the destruction of human embryos for research purposes has been allowed unfortunately.

On the sports front the news is good, but not all good. The Wallabies are struggling in the run-up to the World Cup, but Leyton Hewitt reigns supreme and our cricket team continues its winning way.

a have never been among those who want a close hard struggle for the Ashes. A have always thought that we should try to beat the English cricket team as often as we can by as much as we can. But even a have felt a brief twinge of sympathy for the Poms. This is a mistake, because the wheel always turns!

Most of us have good reason to be grateful. A happy New year to everyone for 2003.