Journal
1743 L Fri 21 Dec 2001
There is a lot on religion in The Australian newspaper today. On page 10 Jane Fraser writes about "Archbishops Pell, Catholic, and Jensen, Anglican". A line that resonated with me: "It has been a long time since religion has been such a hot topic."
The front page headline: "Labor turns heat on G-G". The "G-G" is the Governor General, the head of state of Australia, the Queen's representative. He has been ordained an Anglican bishop. On the front page "Toowoomba Mayor Di Thorley, in her office, believes the Governor-General must be accountable for his position as archbishp and his handling of the case, and should resign." The editoral writes: "The Governor-General, Peter Hollingworth, has finally broken his silence on sexual abuse that took place in an Anglican school when he was Brisbane archbishop. ... A Supreme Court jury earlier this month ordered the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane to pay more than $830,000 damages to a former female student who was sexually abused by boarding master Kevin Guy ...". The Nicholson cartoon has a sign "Bethlehem Inn, Proprietor P. Hollingworth. No Vacancy." The Archbishop is telling Mary and Joseph: "And stay away from that stable! We've got out insurance to think about."
More stories about what the Govenor General should have done and should do. Rosemary Neill writes an unusual article on "Why the Virgin Mary needs a job upgrade". Then there is Christmas: Joseph Forgas writes about Christmas shopping: ".... the relentless pursuit of consumption makes things worse. By working more to consume more, we neglect the very social relationships that could provide us with a real sense of belonging. ...".
Copyright J.R. Lilburne, 21 December 2001.
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