Archbishop of Sydney

Let's honour peace and goodwill at Christmas

By + Cardinal George Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
18/12/2005

Last Sunday and Monday brought shame on us and plenty of adverse publicity for Australia around the world.  We hope that today and the run-up to Christmas pass quietly and differently.

Some claimed that it was all un-Australian, like something we read about overseas.  Certainly we are not used to brutal racial bashings before T.V. cameras and then reprisal raids with crowbars on innocent passers by.

But there is a streak of violence and racism in our Australian story, massacres of aborigines, riots against the Chinese on the goldfields and then against the Italians in the 1930s.

Battles between rival gangs have also been a recurrent feature of Sydney life.

Last weekend demonstrated that the worst strains of violence are flourishing in small pockets and it will take a determined effort by the government and police, with the support of parents and the community to get the genie back into the bottle.

The trouble at Cronulla came late in the day after a lot of alcohol had been consumed.  Therefore last Thursday’s Government legislation to give police the power to stop such sales of alcohol is a good development and it throws light on the strange N.S.W. government decision to extend hotel trading hours.  There is no public demand for this and we hope there will be a government rethink.

Next Sunday is Christmas Day, a celebration for all Australians and especially, I suppose, for Christians.  The message is peace and goodwill to all, the complete antithesis of a mob belting a couple of hapless victims.

Political correctness is hostile to clear Christian symbolism at Christmas, so that in the United States some even frown on saying “Happy Christmas”.

George W. Bush is the most powerful man on earth and a genuine and devout Christian.  While he quotes Psalm 26 on his Christmas card, his greeting is “With best wishes for a holiday season of hope and happiness”.  It is a good thing that our Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition still send cards wishing us a “Happy Christmas”.

Political correctness can also lapse into using misleading labels and refusing to call a spade a spade.  “Men of Middle Eastern appearance” or “Lebanese” can be misleading.  Most Lebanese are Maronite Christians, loyal Australians and devout Catholics.  Prejudice against all Lebanese or all Anglos is as unjustified as prejudice against all Muslims.  The few lawbreakers in any group should be identified and punished, and we should forget the stereotyping.

Unfortunately too there is a strand of anti-Christian violence in the troubles.  While this should not be exaggerated, the burning of churches, firing bullets into schools and harassing families on their way to Carol services should be halted and perpetrators punished.

Truth, moderation and persistent rejection of law-breakers are three essential elements in our return to public order.