Crozier power

Walk down Sydney's Oxford Street on any given Sunday morning and you will see them spilling out of the night clubs in their thousands. Walk through the city's Hyde Park any balmy afternoon and chances are you will see a few of them strolling arm in arm. These are Australia's "young men in trouble" the Olympic city's "sick" but "curable" homosexual community. Get them the right treatment, devoted counsellors, and most can be saved. So says Sydney's new Catholic Archbishop Rev Dr George Pell.

Last month the Vatican abandoned protocol and appointed Dr Pell to his new position without the traditional ternus, short list of candidates, being drawn up and with little (if indeed any), regard for the view of Australia's 38 bishops.

Few in Rome, save those in the highest holiest echelon, were canvassed for their view either. When it comes to Australia the Vatican has of late made two things quite clear. Firstly, Sydney's massive gay community has to be brought to book. And secondly, the Rev Dr Pell is the man to do it after he is installed as archbishop on May 10th.

In November 1998, the Vatican initiated a meeting in Rome where senior members of the Australian church were invited to discuss the worsening crisis of faith gripping Australia. The result of that conference was a Statement of Conclusions which endeavored to help the bishops to help the masses.

Amongst other things the bishops were required to crack down on errors "in matters of doctrine and morals" and to preach compliance to the church's strict moral doctrine. Homosexual and lesbian groups argued the guidelines were aimed directly at their communities, that the Statement of Conclusions was a nice, if not very subtle way of saying "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve".

The now retiring Sydney Archbishop, Cardinal Edward Clancy, is seen as a bit of a weak link who never took a stand on sexuality despite his diocese having become a mecca for the gay community worldwide.

With Cardinal Clancy's retirement the Vatican was presented with a unique opportunity to plant a good old fire and brimstone traditionalist into Sin City's top job.

That the Vatican have such a candidate in Rev Dr Pell there is little doubt. The new man comes to the Sydney job fresh from having built a controversial profile for himself as Archbishop of Melbourne for the past five years. In 1998 he refused communion to a group of 75 gays who approached the altar wearing rainbow sashes in a deliberate ploy to reveal their sexuality. After that protest he dubbed homosexuality a "greater health hazard than smoking".

When news of his appointment broke in March he was at it again telling reporters that most gays could be "saved from their affliction". He added: "It's only a minority of homosexuals who are irretrievably and inevitably determined in that direction by nature."

But he understands too that views like that might be simply dismissed as barmy in some circles.

So in an effort to further construct and portray an image for himself as a serious theologian and thinker he has enlisted the services of PR firm Royce Communications which counts among its clients Australian Olympic champion Cathy Freeman, Nike and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.