Church in the World

Racecourse Protesters embarrass Pell

Australia

Organisers of World Youth Day suffered a major snub last week when racing officials disrupted a visit by Vatican representatives to Sydney's Randwick Racecourse, where the Pope is due to celebrate a Vigil Mass next July, writes Abigail Frymann.

On 17 October Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, was showing the racecourse to 200 representatives from the Pontifical Council for the Laity when members of the Australian Jockey Club (AJC), which administers the course, barred a group of 30 news reporters from joining the visitors.

Peter V'Landys, chief executive officer of Racing NSW, the regulatory body for thoroughbred racing in New South Wales, said that the Church should not have invited the media. "For them to start promoting it when it's not finalised is premature. They've got to understand people won't embrace something when it's done in a bullying or intimidating way."

Cardinal Pell said that the media lock-out, which forced him to hold the press conference for the event at a Sydney hotel, was "regrettable". It was also "a surprise", he said, because the event's organisers had booked and paid for last Wednesday's event at Randwick.

The AJC says the construction of an 80-metre altar and amenities for the 500,000 people expected to attend the papal Mass could seriously damage the course, and fears the WYD will cost trainers millions of dollars in relocation fees. According to the New South Wales Premier, Morris Iemma, the Government and WYD organisers had examined other venues for the papal visit, but Randwick was the only option.