Archbishop of Sydney

Reconciliation

By + Cardinal George Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
5 June 2005

It came as a surprise to learn that fewer than 10 per cent of Australians had met an aboriginal or dealt with an aboriginal community, although about 460,000 Australians have aboriginal blood (2 per cent of total population).

As original inhabitants the aborigines have a unique and necessary place in the Australian story.  Most settlers tried to treat them decently, but there were criminal elements who killed and raped and official policies were often insensitive and cruel.

Last week I attended a two day workshop organised by Reconciliation Australia, a mixed, independent, not-for-profit organisation which works not only to foster good will but to support practical measures to improve the situation.

I am no specialist in this area so I learned a lot, leaving much better informed about the progress being made in many places (which often goes unreported) and the huge challenges which remain (which often get too much coverage).  It was also brought home to me how difficult it is as a non-aboriginal to understand the personal and communal pain and suffering the aborigines have suffered.

However the meeting was not locked into the past, nurturing ancient wrongs and present failures.  This was a forum where the truth was spoken, often forcefully but always peacefully.  Many felt it was time to move on and there were claims that the new directions were receiving increased bi-partisan political support.

Without doubt one reason for the cautious optimism of many, but not all of those present, was the speech of the Prime Minister and the way he was received.  In 1997 at a similar gathering a number had turned their backs on him in protest.

The Prime Minister had worked hard to press the right buttons in his speech, which represented a significant shift of language for him.  He spoke of rights and responsibilities, the past as well as the future, and most importantly of symbolism as well as practical outcomes.  He promised there would be no winding back of land rights as he emphasised the importance of grass roots initiative and local leadership and responsibility.

Catholics recognise the vital importance of symbols especially through our seven sacraments, but symbols are not enough.  As an elderly Maltese grandmother who brought her family to Australia years ago said, “you cannot live on the George Cross”.  The British government awarded this cross to the Maltese people for their heroic resistance to the Nazis.

So the Prime Minister recognised the poison of passive welfare, what others described as a corrosive sense of dependency, “sitting-down money”, immediately turning to the government to solve a problem rather than starting at home.  There is no way forward for anyone in this direction.

To my mind the best message came from the Queensland aboriginal leader Noel Pearson, who explained that we were now at base camp with a long climb ahead.

Next week I will outline some of his proposals.