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Catholic World News News Feature

Australia's Cardinal Pell defies parliamentary threat June 18, 2007

Leaders of the Greens Party in Australia have begun a drive to cite Cardinal George Pell for contempt of parliament-- an effort that the cardinal described as carrying "a whiff of Stalinism."

Lee Rhiannon, a Greens lawmaker, won approval for a parliamentary hearing at which Cardinal Pell will be questioned about his statement that politicians who vote in favor of cloning should realize that their votes will have "consequences for their place in the life of the Church."

Rhiannon complained that the cardinal's remarks were intended to intimidate lawmakers. "Cardinal Pell has shown no remorse for his comments," she added.

The Sydney prelate responded by saying that he "would be privileged to appear before the committee if necessary, to resist this clumsy attempt to curb religious freedom and freedom of speech."

During a radio interview on June 17, Cardinal Pell added that he "never threatened anybody with a public excommunication." He continued to say that politicians who support cloning should recognize the moral consequences of their actions. And he declined to offer a direct answer to the question of whether he would refuse Communion to a politician who voted for the pending legislation.

Archbishop Barry Hickey of Perth, who had also been accused of threatening lawmakers by his public statements on the cloning proposal, took a different posture in his latest comments. In a letter to the Catholic newspaper The Record, he observed that his published statements might have inadvertently put pressure on Catholic politicians who were already planning to cast their votes in accordance with Church teaching. "They may feel compromised and be accused of voting at the bidding of the Church. If this is so, I owe them an apology because I have always admired their courage," Archbishop Hickey said.