Church in the World

Aborigines ?reclaim? church

Australia

A MURAL commemorating Pope John Paul II's historic visit to the Australian Outback 20 years ago has reignited divisions in a Sydney parish between the Aboriginal people and clergy appointed by Cardinal George Pell.

Last Sunday, worshippers who arrived at St Vincent's Church in the inner suburb of Redfern were surprised to find a mural painted on the eastern wall of the church commemorating the late Pope's 1986 address in Alice Springs on the Aboriginal contribution to Australia and the Church. The mural had been painted during the previous 24 hours without the knowledge of the parish priest, Fr Gerry Prindiville, a member of the Neocatechumenal Way.

The parish has been divided for several years between Aboriginal people and their supporters - inspired by the late parish priest Fr Ted Kennedy, a veteran campaigner for justice for Australia's indigenous people - and the clergy appointed to succeed him (The Tablet, 28 May and 18 June, 2005).

Cardinal Pell, the Archbishop of Sydney, described the situation at Redfern as "painful". "Those who want a situation of peace are unable or unwilling to control the extremists. The parish clergy continue to have my full

support. They have been subject to regular abuse, harassment and provocation, often during Mass itself, which I have never encountered anywhere else. This usually does not occur when the press is invited to be present.

"The role of the few aborigines who come to Mass is not one of the issues of contention, but the challenges presented by the human suffering in Redfern are enormous."

But the preacher at Sunday's Mass, Jesuit priest, lawyer and social justice advocate Fr Frank Brennan, told the congregation: "Not even the Pope would have imagined that 20 years later his words would be set in stone here with this splendid mural which we will now bless ... We thank you for the inspiration of these words and the sacredness of this place ... We praise you and ask your blessing on this mural of our Church."

Fr Prindiville and representatives of the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry could not be contacted before The Tablet went to press but the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Monday that Fr Prindiville said the mural's artists "must have broken in to do it".

"It concerns me that someone can break into my church," he told the paper.

The article quoted "Griffo", one of those who painted the mural, as saying: "We were reclaiming the church for the Aboriginal people. We had to sort of sneak in, not let the priests know what we were doing." But he insisted entry was not forced, with access being gained through a window.

"This is our church," he said. "Fr Ted gave it to us. It's on our land. In memory of Fr Ted, we decided to paint the mural."