Politics
Wednesday March 3, 2004
See today's LifeSiteNews stories
Australia's Cardinal Pell Repents of Failing to Sufficiently Stress Moral Teaching
Review of last 40 years sermons struck him how little he preached on morality
SYDNEY, March 3, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Cardinal George Pell, widely believed to be among the bishops most faithful to Pope John Paul II, has startled the media with his public repentance of having failed to preach sufficiently on morality, particularly sexual morality. The revelation came in an interview published today with Australia's The Bulletin in which the Cardinal noted that he was publishing a collection of his sermons over the past 40 years. "In going through them one of the things that struck me, and I think it's a failing, is how little I've preached on morality, let alone sexual morality, in my Sunday sermons," he said.
Cardinal Pell also revealed that the false accusation of sexual abuse he endured and over which was completely vindicated has encouraged him to be less "wishy-washy". He told the interviewer that going through that ordeal changed him: "I hope I wasn't too wishy-washy in the past but, you know, when clear issues are at stake, I think I would be less hesitant than I ever was to back off ... I think I'm just saying that more than ever, if I felt that something important was at stake, neither hell nor high water would shift me."
Pell, the Archbishop of Sydney, holds great hope for the Church, seeing the young priests in his diocese he says, "they'll be much tougher in their approach than I am ... they'll make me look a bit wishy-washy, small-l liberal."
The Cardinal did not shy away from straight talk on homosexuality during the interview. When asked about it he responded, "We'd say that homosexual activity is one type of sexual activity of which the Church does not approve. Heterosexual adultery, the Church doesn't approve. Pre-marriage sex between a man and a woman, the Church doesn't approve."
For the faithful bishop the issue was not very difficult, "I think that if you sign up to be a Christian, you accept what are the basic teachings. If there are enough of them you can't accept, then I suppose you could say, 'Well, I'm not a Christian'."
To see the full interview see The Bulletin at:
http://bulletin.ninemsn.com.au/bulletin/EdDesk.nsf/All/13966...
Back to TopSHARE THIS STORY: E-mail Print Newsvine Digg Reddit Del.icio.us Facebook
Latest Headlines
- UK Bishops’ Document on Homosexuality Praised by Prominent Anti-Catholic Homosexualist
- Interview: "The Proposed Coalition Government is Very Very Scary" Says Canadian Pro-Life Leader
- Abortionist Pleads No Contest to Felonies, Faces up to 10 Years in Jail
- Catholic Bishop: "Go Right Ahead and Arrest Me" Rather than Obey Freedom of Choice Act
- Abortion Linked to Disproportionately High Rate of Black Premature Births
- Author of French "Right to Die" Law Opposes Efforts to Legalize Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia
- Bush Interview: "I Didn't Sell my Soul for Politics"
- Unprecedented Restrictions Placed on Religious, Political Clubs at Ontario's Lakehead University
- Franklin Graham, Son of Billy Graham, at California Megachurch: "Abortion is Murder"
- Life Prizes Announces Winners of $600,000 Pro-Life Award
- Homosexualist Catholic University Students Join Protest against True Marriage
- Letters to the Editor for Tuesday, December 2, 2008
- Purchase of Christmas Music CD By Pro-Life Priest is Great Way to Support LifeSiteNews
Most Read this Week
- Behind the Scenes of Volition: Coincidences and Startling Circumstances
- Ad Showing Woman Seducing Santa Promotes Free Morning-After Pills and Condoms for Christmas
- Belgian Couple Sells Baby on EBay
- Just In Time for Christmas - Gift Cards for Abortions from Planned Parenthood
- A Painful, Disease-Ridden Death Isn’t So Bad if You’re Just a White, Heterosexual Male
- Abortion Now Number One Cause of Death in Spain
- UK Catholic Adoption Agencies Voluntarily Refuse Religious Opt-Out Clause for Homosexual Adoption
- Madrid Hospital under Investigation for Telling Truth about Abortion and Sodomy
- University of Calgary Pro-Life Students Victorious - Administration Backs Down from Arrest Threats
- God is Pro-Choice Says Nun
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.