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‘Centre’s ethics push is hostile to religion’
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| By Kerry Myers
23 May, 2010 |
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| ‘HOSTILE TO RELIGION’: Cardinal Pell addresses guests at the launch of his book ... “public discourse often proceeds as though nearly everybody was irreligious”.    Photo: Kerry Myers |
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THE St James Ethics Centre, the major player in the push for secular ethics to be taught as an alternative to Christian education in state schools, is being actively hostile to religion, the Archbishop of Sydney, George Cardinal Pell, said.
Despite figures that show at least 60 per cent of Australians identify themselves as being Christian, he said, “public discourse often proceeds as though nearly everybody was irreligious.
“So you have a few people who suggest that religious considerations are inappropriate in public life.”
The cardinal said the push to have secular ethics taught as an alternative to Christian education was another example of this at work.
“Our state schools are free, compulsory and secular; there’s no reason whatsoever as part of the normal curriculum that secular ethics mightn’t be taught,” the cardinal said.
“I do think that we are suffering a bit of a push to radically diminish what is one of the glories of the Sydney Church,” he said, referring to the work of catechists, 2000 of whom work in the archdiocese.
The cardinal was speaking at the launch of his new book – Test Everything: Hold Fast to What is Good – in the crypt of St Mary’s Cathedral on Friday, May 14.
The book is a collecton of 80 assorted homilies, pastoral letters, speeches, addresses and articles that Fr Paul Stenhouse MSC, who launched the book, described as a “rich treasure house of Catholicism in action – a no-holds barred resource in our daily struggle to promote, explain and defend our faith”.
“Cardinal Pell’s book offers a refreshingly positive and open perspective on the central doctrines of our faith and the major issues perplexing 21st century men and women,” Fr Stenhouse said.
The cardinal told the guests at the function that the Church is under significant pressure in different ways and in different parts of the world.
“But it is much better than being ignored,” he said.
“It’s not more pleasant; in many ways it can be very unpleasant and demanding, but that sort of attention has helped ensure that substantially we clean up our act.”
He said that one of the challenges in Australia is preaching to what he called “our hardest customers among young people today” – the Anglo-Celtic Austraians.
“One of the major weaknesses must be the deficiencies in our teaching, and this book is my attempt to present what I think is the core of our position,” he said. “I have said many times that Catholic ‘lite’ doesn’t work – there is very little cut-price Christianity and there’s no cost-free Christianity.
“God gives the increase – that if we get the basics in place, if we preach the transcendent God , the God of love, and that love is infections – we saw that at World Youth Day. If we preach Christ crucified and risen then I think we are doing what we can, and we can rely on the Spirit to do the rest.
“I offer this book up as a contribution to the struggle to keep the flame of faith alive and to continue to see the face of Christ in the world around us.”
Test Everything is published by Connor Court and is available through The Catholic Weekly at $34.95. See page 6.
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