Pell loves to play political hard ball as does his Anglican counterpart in Sydney, Jensen. They both take fundamentalist positions that, if adopted by parliament, would make us little better off than Afganistanians fared under the humourless Taliban.

We need members of parliament who will advocate public policy positions that promote cost effective and better health care options and we desperately need to facilitate an inclusive community.

The hateful belicose of deluded churchmen using threats to achieve their neo conservative vision for Australia should be resisted and reputiated in the strongest terms.

It's time to charge these churchmen for breaching the law when their public pronouncements over step the law.

Quick response,

These clerics like the spot light. In the US, Al Shapton has somehow even become involved in the Paris Hilton controversy. He thinks it is racist! ....A rich "black" person wouldn't be treated like the party happy heiress.

As an aside, apart from the health issues, isn't time the practice of kissing rings was done away with?

An Interesting angle on this has been raised.

If the Politician is a 'Catholic' then under the rules/dogma of the Church, he should be subject to the voice/verdict of the Cardinal... right?

The Catholic Church does have an authority structure which is mean't to effect every member, both clergy and lay.

In fact, any large denominational church has a similiar structure but not quite like Catholics.

Baptists have a "union" Open Brethren have a "Trust" which overseas matters of property ownership, but they don't dictate doctrinal matters, not do they tell individual members 'your out' if they go down a heretical path. The local church does that.. ours did it just recently with an Elder.

I imagine that if one of our members were a member of parliament, we would take strong issue with him/her if they advanced values which were for our detriment or the detriment of the community.
We would rightly expect such a person to withdraw from fellowship and dissassociate him/herself from the local Church.

Pell is just extending this idea in Catholic terms, though Pell has not suggested the Politician leave the Church unless I missed it.

I believe you are right on this Boaz, and I hope it will be fully explored in the coming weeks.

Save any revisionist statements from Pell himself, he is categorically stating that Catholic members of Parliament should adhere to Catholic doctrine ahead of the constituency they represent.

It would seem reasonable, if this is the case, to ask all prospective members to state this to their constituency prior to their election, so that the public at large knows what to expect from their elected member.

Similarly with any other religious order that places obedience to a "higher authority" - whether or not this is in the form of an earthly individual - above their duty to their people.

"The Catholic Church does have an authority structure which is mean't to effect every member, both clergy and lay.

In fact, any large denominational church has a similiar structure but not quite like Catholics." - DB

On what basis? The CC was formes over a century after Jesus and has made up its own mandate. The early Bishops were Jews, because Jesusism was a Jewish cult.

Pell has no more right to dictate morals that Fred Nerk. If people have been brainwashed into thinking otherwise, well, fool them.

Church leaders often speak out on political and social issues when they feel there is a conflict with Christian morality.
For instance leaders of most denominations spoke out against the Howard Government's workplace laws (including Cardinal Pell).
Kevin Rudd, appealing for the Christian vote, has called for the churches to take a bigger role in politics (Monthly Magazine Oct. '06).
Cardinal Pell has simply stated that his Church judges embryonic stem cell research to be morally repugnant and that politicians who regard themselves Catholics should, as a matter of conscience, vote against it.
Cardinal Pell has been heavy handed, but for Dr. Scutt to wave the ICAC Act around is plainly ridiculous hyperbole for which the left is notorious.