Pope ‘force for freedom and good’

Sydney
14 July 2002

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Pope ‘force for freedom and good’

Pope John Paul II will long be remembered as a force for freedom and good in eastern Europe, says the Prime Minister, Mr Howard.

“I’ve always admired the Pope,” he said after his meeting with the Pontiff at the Vatican last week, “because he is not only a great leader of his own Church, but he was a tireless fighter against communism.

“And what he did as a spiritual counsellor to the people of his native Poland will go down in history.”

Mr Howard, accompanied by his escort of a papal Gentleman of Honour, was taken on a tour of the Vatican Museum and through some of the most beautiful rooms of the Vatican to private talks in the Pope’s personal library.

As a non-Catholic he did not kiss the Pope’s ring, but shook hands. Sources with the Prime Minister said the Pope was clearly ailing, but had remarkable energy and was “as sharp as a razor blade on his day”.

Mr Howard said: “Look, he’s obviously not a well man. I don’t think there is any doubt he is fighting a lot of ill health.

“But his strength and determination and mental agility came through.

“There is no doubt that he is still a very strong man.

“He’s still very focused on his responsibilities and his mission as leader of the Catholic Church.”

The Prime Minister said before the meeting that he was “carrying the greetings of many millions of Australian Catholics and I think the goodwill of all Australians, whether they are Catholic or not”.

After the visit, he said: “We talked about Australia. He remembered with great affection his visits to Australia, his visits to the Northern Territory and to Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne.

“And we really spent most of our time talking about our country.”

This was the first papal audience in Rome for an Australian Prime Minister since Bob Hawke’s 1986 visit.

Mr Howard is believed to have asked to meet the Pope, 82, on behalf of Australia’s Catholics and others who admire him, before he is incapacitated by ill health.

He had been briefed that the Pope would allow him to raise many topics during the 15-minute talk. They did not touch on issues such as border protection and embryo stem-cell legislation.

After the Prime Minister’s private session, his wife Janette, was ushered in to meet the Pope.

Mr Howard presented the Pope with a gift of a common heath flower and leaf spray in Australian timbers, created by Michael Retter, who created much of the marquetry in Parliament House, Canberra.

The list of Australian officials to be introduced to the pontiff was changed at the last minute to include a junior press secretary, Willie Herron, who wanted the Pope to bless her engagement ring in advance of her September wedding.