Just Met With Cardinal Pell As Aussie Journey Comes To An End

I’ve just returned to my hotel room in Sydney after meeting with Cardinal Pell and his secretary, Michael Casey.

I don’t need to tell anyone what an extraordinary man, and bishop, he is.  He’s still recuperating from some heart surgery, so I was very lucky to spend the time with him I did.

We discussed the prospects of the health care bill at great length, then the state of the Obama presidency, and various Catholic politicians in Australia who are outstanding, such as Tony Abbott — perhaps the next prime minister, Kevin Andrews, and Cory Bernardi.

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We also shared memories of Cardinal O’Connor whose picture is on the wall above Pell’s desk.

Tomorrow I will have lunch with Michael Casey and Chris Meney, another member of the Cardinal’s staff, before giving a lecture on “Culture and Catholic Identity” to a group organized by Jessica Langrell, sister of Patrick Langrell, the head of youth ministry for the New York Archdiocese.  

I’ve yet to meet a single grumpy or rude Aussie.  I have never, and I mean never, been to a more hospitable and cheerful country.  Everyone I’ve met has gone out of their way to help me enjoy my visit — total strangers have come to my rescue at the airports, on the golf courses, at restaurants and movie theaters, at tram stations, and on the street when I was lost driving out of the Sydney airport.  

What can I say? It’s a long way to come, but not as exhausting as I expected. And it’s not cheap, but how delightful it is to be among people who smile and aren’t annoyed when you strike up a conversation.

I am very grateful to my friends Michael and Karen Hall, fellow members of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, who have been insisting for years I visit them in Melbourne.  

You can call me a “bloke” anytime!

 

Author

  • Deal W. Hudson

    Deal W. Hudson is ​publisher and editor of The Christian Review and the host of “Church and Culture,” a weekly two-hour radio show on the Ave Maria Radio Network.​ He is the former publisher and editor of Crisis Magazine.

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