Hi ttbn

Well yes, Pell is the kind of man of exalted rank, moralty and intellect who does all Catholics proud.

Hence he more than deserves the respect befitting a Cardinal, nay royalty, as a "Prince of the Church".

We ordinary Australians should not forget, that "In the case of cardinals, they are always treated in protocol of Catholic countries as equivalents of royal princes." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_the_Church

Don, what do you expect ? God has all manner of magic, burning bushes, stopping the sun from its natural course across the sky, making ravens feed blokes in the desert, whales swallowing people, smiting here and there at will. He/She's used to be grovelled at, and you don't.

He/she hangs around for billions of years (well, from everlasting really) and then has the bright idea of creating the world, with animals and plants and people on it. Have you ever one that ? No, none of us have. Job was smart enough not to complain when god launched his tirade about that sort of thing.

But on the whole, it's a pretty good trick. Shame it didn't turn out as he/she assumed, but we've had only six thousand years so far. Not his problem any more though.

Cheers,

Joe

Plantagenet,

"Well yes, Pell is the kind of man of exalted rank, moralty and intellect who does all Catholics proud."

You got that right at least; are you not going to comment on your slight mistake in condemning him before the Law has had it's go?

Innocent until proven guilty and all that jazz.

I waited for God, or Jesus, to speak to me. No message has ever come to me from on high.
Don Aitkin
Well, some people never get the message or take the ear plugs out or stare but can't see.

I wouldn't call myself religious even by the longest possible stretch of the imagination because I can't subscribe to the nonsense dished up by various religious outfits.

I have no solid view on the God vs no God debate. All i can say is that by having the occasional inquisitive read in Bibles & the prophecies stated it must make even the most non-believers stop & think. I'm 50/50 on the whole subject & I believe that even just living reasonably close along the rules of the ten commandments the world could be a darn good place to exist until it's time to hang up the boots.
Stupidity & the stupids' exploitation of stupidity is sufficient to give us the problems we face everyday.

You gotta laugh out loud when Pell argues that "catholics" need to return to their ancient roots of small communities.

Never mind that there are now more "catholics" in the world than ever before both in total numbers and as a percentage of the human population. And that the catholic church runs the world largest propaganda machine. A majority of the Supreme Court judges in the USA are catholics. There are now many catholics in the current federal government, including cabinet cabinet ministers. In Menzies time there were hardly any at all - perhaps none. The catholic church is of course a major player in world politics. Always has been of course. Do a search on the topic the vatican and world politics.

So somehow catholics are supposedly being marginalized and even persecuted.

Never mind too that if the catholic church did revert back to its ancient roots it would have to abolish or renounce all of the above. It would have to abolish the vatican and especially its political status as an independent state with all of its associated diplomatic privileges. It would have to divest itself of most/all of its worldly wealth. It would have to abolish the pope and the cardinals with their conspicuous fancy dress and their luxurious palaces. It would have to throw away with both hands its monstrous magisterium.

Hi Issy

Is it not obvious His Eminence (1) Cardinal Pell should retain his status indefinitely.

Pell for Prime Minister? Couldn't be worse than his loyal Abbott.

(1) http://adoremus.org/2009/08/15/how-to-address-church-officials-bishops-priests/