Pope honours Sir William, Lady Deane

Sydney
25 May 2003

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Pope honours Sir William, Lady Deane

The Pope has bestowed high papal honours on the former Governor-General, Sir William Deane, and Lady Helen Deane in recognition of their exemplary Catholic lives and their contribution to public life.

Sir William (pictured right) has been made a Knight Commander con Placca of the Order of St Gregory the Great while Lady Helen (pictured below) has been named a Dame Commander con Placca of the Order of St Gregory the Great.

The awards were announced by the president of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Francis Carroll, who said he was delighted that they had been honoured by Pope John Paul II in such a way.

“Sir William and Lady Helen have lived exemplary Catholic lives and continue to do so,” he said.

“Their lifestyle and values are deeply rooted in the Gospel and they have given great witness to Christian marriage.”

Sir William said that he and his wife were greatly honoured.

They believed that the awards were, among other things, an acknowledgement of Lady Deane’s and his commitment to the Christian ecumenical movement and to interfaith dialogue between the Universal Christian Church and the world’s other great religions, he said.

Archbishop Carroll, who is Archbishop of Canberra-Goulburn, said Sir William’s commitment to justice for Australia’s indigenous peoples and his compassionate concern for the disadvantaged in our society had challenged and inspired the national conscience.

“During Sir William’s term as Governor-General, Lady Helen dedicated herself completely to supporting him in that office,” Archbishop Carroll said.

“That constant support, acknowledged by Sir William himself, was immensely important to him.

“In many ways, the mutuality of their relationship meant that the Governor-General’s outstanding contribution to the life of the nation was largely given as a partnership.”

Archbishop Carroll said the Australian bishops, meeting in their plenary session in Sydney last week, had expressed their support and congratulations to Sir William and Lady Deane.