ARCHBISHOP of Sydney Cardinal George Pell has given his tacit blessing for the possible excommunication of a rebel Brisbane priest and his 800-strong flock. Cardinal Pell said he was a "friend and supporter" of Brisbane Archbishop John Bathersby, who will rule on whether to expel St Mary's priest Father Peter Kennedy and his supporters from the South Brisbane church.Father Kennedy and his congregation have caused uproar for blessing homosexuals and allowing females to preach.
While refusing to comment directly on the controversy, Cardinal Pell, who was in Queensland yesterday, unreservedly backed Brisbane's Archbishop.
"I'm a friend and supporter of Archbishop Bathersby and I wish him well in a very difficult situation," he said.
St Mary's, which for almost 30 years has been a refuge for South Brisbane's homeless including Aborigines, has been under threat of closure since August, when an aggrieved churchgoer lodged a formal complaint about its practices to the Vatican.
Archbishop Bathersby wrote the church a six-page letter alleging it was out of communion with the Roman Catholic Church on a range of issues and should close.
He had been expected to rule on the church's fate last month.
St Mary's community member Karyn Walsh said nothing had been received from the Archbishop since his return from holidays earlier this week.
"We had no idea the Archbishop would be away for so long," she said.
"We're just waiting to hear."
Archbishop Bathersby was in Sydney yesterday and could not be contacted.
Addressing the Australian Workers Union national conference on the Gold Coast, Cardinal Pell said unions would play a significant role in defending and creating jobs amid the global financial crisis.
He blamed the crisis on "greedy and foolish people and a small minority of rogues".
Cardinal Pell said it was morally right for the Federal Government to run a hefty Budget deficit to fund its stimulus package.
"This is exactly what any government would do," Cardinal Pell said.
"I certainly welcome the intent (of the package), especially for those who are battlers, to cushion the blow," he said.
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(Source: RCN)