Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence: I rise to acknowledge the significant contribution of Pope Benedict XVI following his announcement that he will resign on 28 February this year. Pope Benedict is a learned man who has shown great leadership as the head of the Catholic Church and spiritual leader to more than one billion Catholics worldwide. His resignation has come as a shock to the world, representing as it does the first time the Pope has resigned since the mid-15th century. But the Pope's personal decision deserves our utmost respect as it reflects a desire to put the interests of the church before one's self. As the Pope said in his statement:

After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths due to an advanced age are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.

I, like so many Australians, have visited the Vatican and been struck by its beauty. I am in awe of this significant and historic institution.

In my own electorate of Kooyong I have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with many Catholic schools, churches and faith based organisations that do such good work promoting faith, learning and pastoral care in our community. I look at events like World Youth Day, held just a few years ago in Sydney, and see the important work the church leadership is doing to spread the message to the younger generations. I look at the celebrations that followed the canonisation of Mother Mary McKillop, Australia's first saint, as St Mary of the Cross and feel confident that the church's importance will only continue to grow.

In conclusion, among the many admirable qualities that Pope Benedict XVI brought to the role was his willingness to be a strong voice against racism around the world. His commitment and that of the church to interfaith dialogue not only builds on the significant legacy of John Paul II's papacy but augurs well for his chosen successor. On behalf of the people of Kooyong I join members on both sides of this House and thank Pope Benedict XVI for his visionary and inspirational leadership in taking the world towards greater peace and unity.

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to pay tribute to his Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. To say that Pope Benedict took the world by surprise would be an understatement; surely it was a huge shock to everybody. What has become clear is that this was a very brave decision by the Pope, a decision that he clearly had been grappling with to put his church and his faith first. His Holiness has been dealing with the modernisation of what is almost by definition an inherently conservative organisation. By the manner of his departure he has perhaps taken the most spectacular and clear modernising action of them all, and clearly he will be well remembered for it.

You do not need to be a Catholic to respect and admire the Pope or to respect and admire the humility and courage of his decision. I know that parishioners of the Catholic churches in my electorate of McMahon would be pleased, if on their behalf, I paid my respects to his Holiness on his retirement in the House of Representatives.

Our Lady Queen of Peace at Greystanes; Holy Spirit, St Clair; Our Lady of the Rosary, Fairfield; Mary Immaculate, Bossley Park; and Our Lady of Victories, Horsley Park, are all very important parishes in the Catholic community, shared between the Archdiocese of Sydney and the diocese of Parramatta and very important and valued parts of our McMahon community. I know the member for Fowler, my neighbour, has similar views about the importance of the Catholic Church and the Catholic community in his electorate and it is appropriate that we pay our respects.

This pope will be warmly remembered in Australia for his visit and for the canonisation of Mary MacKillop, our first saint—particularly in my electorate again, an event celebrated at Mary MacKillop College in Wakeley, a college that my honourable friend and I share the school fence as the boundary between our two electorates. It does not get much more shared than that. It is a very important part of south-western Sydney community.

I think that Australians will appreciate that respect and honesty of Pope Benedict's motives in resigning. As I said before, he has put the interest of his church ahead of his own. It is a big decision. That he had the honesty to say that he could no longer lead as he believes he should the most important office that he holds and that he is part of something bigger, something more important, was a very moving thing for him to do and a very moving announcement. Our thoughts go to the Catholic Church as they deal with the matter of succession and the election of a new shepherd for the church.

In addition, I would like to put on record my respect and admiration for Pope Benedict's keen interest in pursuing peaceful and genuine dialogue between other great Abrahamic faiths, the people of the book, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism—something that he has really taken a keen interest in and tried to progress.

I would also like to record that his particular concern, and one that I have expressed in the House and the member for Fowler has expressed in the House on many occasions, was the safety and wellbeing of Christian minorities of the Middle East, particularly in Iraq, Egypt and Syria—not exclusively of Catholic; some heavy Catholic representation in Iraq through the Chaldean branch of the Catholic Church but also Coptic Orthodox and Orthodox churches of the east and the Middle East and His Holiness did make representation of those very significant concerns a priority of his time in office.

He led the church into the digital age of Twitter. He registered for Twitter, and I think immediately in seconds had more followers than most people in the House could ever dream of accumulating as hard as we all try. I think that says a lot about his leadership and, as I said, his dealing with the shepherding through and dealing with issues of modernity in a respected and conservative organisation.

He has been vocal on the issue of climate change and introducing initiatives to make Vatican City State carbon neutral. He has also been vocal on the church's role in ensuring a sustainable environment.

This pope has very clearly been a well-respected theologian and a deep thinker as well as the leader of his church. He came to office with that reputation. Now we can all look back and see the tell-tale signs. He was asked about what his view would be of a pope who no longer felt that he had the energy or the health to continue. He said that the Pope could and should hand over office.

It was a hypothetical question at that point, but his response showed that he had brought great thought and consideration to the questions of his responsibility: whether his responsibility was to keep going as long as he possibly could or whether his responsibility was to take the action that he felt necessary to ensure that the papacy was occupied by one with the energy, the health and the ability to take the ministry of the Catholic Church around the world and to provide the leadership that one billion Catholics around the world so appreciate and treasure.

I join, I am sure, with every single member of the House, of all faiths and persuasions, in wishing all the very best to Cardinal Ratzinger, His Holiness the Pope, and in paying respect for his time as leader of the institution of the Catholic Church.

Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Catholic community has a long and proud history across the Northern Territory. On behalf of all its members, I rise to speak on this motion on the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. According to the Diocese of Darwin website, the first documented activity of the Catholic Church in the Northern Territory was on 15 July 1882 when it was reported in the Northern Territory Times that 'two Roman Catholic priests of the Order of the Sacred Heart came ashore and baptised some young children belonging to Catholic families'. I am a proud member of the Catholic community that makes up a very large part of my electorate. According to the 2011 census data, approximately 25 per cent of my electorate are Catholics. The parishes we have are the Holy Spirit, the Holy Family, St Pauls, Our Lady Help of Christians and St Mary, Star of the Sea. That is why it is important that I am here today to talk on this very important motion.

The resignation last week of Pope Benedict XVI came as a great shock, not only across my electorate but across the Catholic community throughout the world. If you asked anyone they would confirm that Pope Benedict XVI, the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, led with dignity and strength. Darwin Catholics were delighted that Pope Benedict XVI visited our beautiful city, albeit for a very short time, on his way to Sydney for World Youth Day in 2008.

The pontiff had dedicated his life to the church. His decision to resign as Pope due to ill health and failing strength reaffirms the self-sacrifice he has shown throughout his life. I am sure everyone will agree that to still be working such long hours and having such commitment at 85 years of age is truly extraordinary. To recognise that he would not be able to fulfil his obligations in his role due to his personal circumstances and decide to step down shows a truly courageous character.

This morning I spoke with the Northern Territory's bishop, Bishop Eugene Hurley, who said he was delighted to have been able to host the pontiff in Darwin when he was on his way to World Youth Day in 2008 and that he was privileged to travel with the pontiff to Sydney for that event. Bishop Hurley recalled subsequent meetings with the pontiff in Rome where the Darwin visit was discussed with great fondness. Bishop Hurley remarked that Pope Benedict made a significant contribution to world peace. He said Pope Benedict will be greatly missed by him personally and by the Catholic community in the Northern Territory.

On behalf of the people of Solomon, I would like to thank the pontiff for his commitment and contribution to the Catholic community and wish him the very, very best for his retirement. I wish those selecting our new pontiff the very best of luck, because we need to make sure we have a pontiff who is going to be able to take us into the 21st century and to follow on from the great work of Pope Benedict XVI, who, as we heard from members on the other side, led the way into the digital age with Twitter. Things are changing so much that the next pontiff will have some very extraordinary things to deal with, so I wish them all the very best in their deliberations.

Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is an honour to speak on this motion today, and I do so in honour of my late mother in-law who was very active in the Catholic community here in Canberra and was President of the Catholic Women's League, and also the tens of thousands of Catholics in my electorate.

Pope Benedict XVI is the first pope to resign in 600 years, and the pontiff was honest when he said that his age meant that he lacked strength to continue as head of the church. He told a rather stunned world audience that he was standing down for the good of the church. It is indeed an historic event, as that last papal resignation occurred way back in the Middle Ages—600 years ago, I understand. In his last public appearance, tens of thousands turned out in a fitting farewell to Pope Benedict, and his farewell words were to thank everyone for their love and their prayer. He said:

Keep praying for me, for the Church and for the future pope.

His final appearance was indeed moving, and I would like to share a description from Time magazine that beautifully describes the occasion:

The atmosphere was festive and warm, if somewhat bittersweet, as if the faithful were trying to persuade Benedict to stay with them for just a bit longer. A chorus of Italian schoolchildren serenaded him with one of his favorite hymns in German — a gesture that won over the pope, who thanked them for singing a piece “particularly dear to me.”

…

Looking tired but serene, Pope Benedict XVI told the thousands who gathered for his weekly audience that he was resigning for “the good of the church” — an extraordinary scene that unfolded in his first appearance since dropping the bombshell announcement.

The 85-year-old Benedict basked in more than a minute-long standing ovation when he entered the packed hall for his traditional Wednesday catechism lesson. He was interrupted repeatedly by applause, and many in the audience of thousands had tears in their eyes.

Pope Benedict officially ceases being Pope at 8 pm 28 February, and, fittingly, tributes and praises have flowed from all over the world and from world leaders. The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, who has been described as a church-going Christian, told the media:

We are proud of our countryman, the first for hundreds of years to take up the role of pope.

She added that the pope's decision should be respected in:

…an age where life expectancy is longer than ever, many people will understand that even the pope has to come to terms with the burdens of ageing.

That is a very fitting tribute from the German Chancellor.

As I mentioned before, we have a very large Catholic community here in Canberra; it comprises 25 per cent of the population. It is an interesting population in that a large proportion of the Catholics came here in the fifties to take up public service because, in the fifties, as a result of sectarianism that was still quite rife in Australia, it was very difficult for the professionals—lawyers and white collar workers—to get jobs in law firms and in white collar work. So they were drawn by a sense of duty to the country and by a sense to public service to working in the Australian Public Service.

It is interesting, because there are a number of government departments that are very well known as being Catholic. One of them is Customs and the others are the Australian Taxation Office and also the Attorney-Generals Department. It is because of that sectarianism that existed in the fifties, where it was difficult for Catholic lawyers to be employed in law firms throughout Australia. As I said, we have a very strong foundation of Catholics here. It is a very strong community, and they have also made a significant contribution to the community.

When I was researching this speech, I went to a piece that the Catholic Voice had written about those Catholics who had made a significant contribution to the Canberra community. One of them was Monsignor Patrick Haydon, who Haydon Drive in Bruce and also the Calvary Haydon Retirement Village are name after. There is also Sylvia Curley, whose house is in my electorate. It is a very basic house—a tin shed one could call it—and she played a very significant role, as did her family, in farming this area of Canberra and also playing an active role in the community. They are just two significant Canberrans, and there are many more that I could list.

Finally, I want to pay tribute to the incredibly strong Catholic school community here. We have 17,000 children enrolled in 30 Catholic schools across the ACT, and the ACT has the highest proportion of Catholic school enrolment in the country. I understand that my electorate of Canberra has that highest proportion in terms of between the electorate of Fraser and the electorate of Canberra. As I said, there are very, very strong Catholic roots and community here at the public service level, the private sector level and the school level.

I want to pay tribute to some of the schools in my electorate whom I spent a lot of time with and who are very proud Catholics and proudly engaged in their community. Those schools are: St John Vianney—my later mother-in-law was associated with the parish there—St Thomas the Apostle and St Francis of Assisi Holy Family. At the secondary level we have a very good relationship with St Mary MacKillop College and St Edmund's and St Clare's colleges. They are all great schools, all doing wonderful and all doing wonderful work in promoting Catholicism and public service here in Canberra. There is also St Benedict's in Narrabundah.

On behalf of the people of Canberra I pay tribute to Pope Benedict XVI for all the work he has done and the contribution he has made to Catholicism and the world community. We wish him well in his retirement and for his good health. Again, I would like to underscore the fact that this speech is in honour of my later mother-in-law.

Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak today with a sense of duty as a Catholic. I suggest that I owe an enormous amount to the Catholic church, which I will share with you later, and it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge that. If my mum found out that I had not said some kind words about the Pope, she would have me. So, mum, I am here.

Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, or Pope Benedict XVI, is 85 years old. What a life this man has led. When reading his biography, who would have thought that this guy would end up being the Pope after being a deserter from the army and a member of Hitler's Nazi youth camps? It is phenomenal to understand the parallels of this man's life and his contribution later on to Christian values right across the world.

Pope Benedict XVI was born in Germany and grew up under the war conditions of a world war and the Nazi regime in power. In his early teens, he was briefly a member of Hitler youth, after membership became mandatory. That was in 1941. It was not of his own accord. He turned to theological studies after the war and helped to found and influence journals such as the Communique. He was elevated to the papacy in 2005.

He had a military background. In that era I do not think a lot of people had too many options. In 1943 he and fellow seminarians were drafted into an anti-aircraft corps. He said his unit was attacked by allied forces that year but he did not take part in any of the battles, because his finger was infected, which kept him from learning how to shoot. I am sure that there were ways and means that people protected these guys who were studying religion from being asked to go out and commit acts against their will.

After about nine years in the anti-aircraft unit, Ratzinger was drafted into the regular military. He told Time magazine in 1993 that, while stationed in Hungary, he saw Hungarian jews being sent to the death camps. Ratzinger was sent home but was later called up. He deserted in late April 1945. He was captured by American soldiers and held as a prisoner of war for several months. Ratzinger returned to the seminary at the University of Munich in the fall of 1945 and was ordained a priest in 1951.

He had a rapid promotion through the church and at the Second Vatican Council, from 1962 to 1965, Ratzinger served as the chief theological expert to Cardinal Josef Frings, also from Germany. Frings was viewed as a reformer during his time. In 1972, Ratzinger helped found the theological journal Communio, which became one of the most important journals of Catholic thought. In May 1977, he was named Archbishop of Munich and, three months later, was named Cardinal by Pope John Paul II.

In 1981, Pope John Paul named Cardinal Ratzinger Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In 1998, he became Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals and was elected dean in 2002. Ratzinger defended and reaffirmed Catholic doctrine, including teachings on topics such as birth control, homosexuality and interreligious dialogue. Later on, he attended and spoke at a three-day seminar for Catholics and for Muslims. Ratzinger was elevated to the papacy on 19 April 2005. Upon the death of Pope John Paul II, he was elevated to Pope and, five days later, celebrated his inaugural mass.

Known for his rigid views on Catholicism, Pope Benedict sought a more inclusive image as pope. On his recent resignation this month, at the age of 85, he said that he would be calling it quits because of his age and ailing health. According to several media reports, Pope Benedict's discussions centred on his old age and physical and mental weakness. In one statement, the Pope explained:

I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.

He went on to state:

However, in today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the barque of Saint Peter and proclaim the gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me.

For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of bishop of Rome, successor of Saint Peter,

What a brave and respected decision this guy has made in breaking with tradition. If you understand the Catholic Church you know that it is cloaked in, and enshrined by, centuries and centuries of tradition. One can only try to understand the deliberations of this man as he pondered making this decision. It would not have been made lightly. He has my ultimate respect for the decision he has made.

Close to home, the work of the Catholic Church is evident not only throughout the world but also in my electorate of Wright, with investment in schools and hospitals. Its Christian values underpins our nation. My linkage to the Catholic Church started at a very young age. I lost my father when I was eight years old. I am one of four kids. Mum was a devout Catholic; she was devoted. As a result of her commitment to the church, we would be dragged to every mass, every novena, every benediction, every stations of the cross—for everything that was going in the church, we were there. It was great.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is it. I was educated at the local convent. My whole education was supplied and provided by the Catholic system. I went to Christian Brothers College and then on to St Brendan's College at Yeppoon. It is only when you have your own children and you start getting the $35,000 and $45,000 a year school fees that you start to think. I asked: 'How did you ever as a mother pay for our school fees, get us through and educate us?' She said, 'Darling, I could never afford to pay for your and your brothers' and sisters' school fees so I used to work at the church. I would polish the brass. That is why I used to work at the tuckshop. It was my way of trying to give back because the church provided a blanket of security for our family.'

Later on in life, in an understanding that we had a successful transport business, the boarding school I went to used to have an annual fundraiser; it was the St Brendan's Rodeo. We were the major sponsor of that event and it was a privilege and honour to be involved in that, both from a college perspective as an old boy, and to be able to reconnect financially. We sponsored that for about 10 years, and my marketing department would come to me every year and say: 'Boss, we have really got to revisit the money we are spending at St Brendan. We get absolutely no return, and we have had no business out of it.' Without going on and sharing the whole story with them, my comments were that, as long as I am writing the cheques, we will continue to pay my debt back to that college, which helped get me to where I am today, without doubt. By no stretch of the imagination was I a model student.

I still hold the generosity and values that were shared with me as a man, and in addition not only to me, to my entire family. I think that is the ethos of Christianity. One can be a practising Catholic, or a practising Christian by attending mass, but I think it is how you live your life. How are you judged in the eyes of your god if you attend mass and then fail to live the rest of the week with less of a Christian value? For example, driving past the guy on the side of the road who may have a flat tyre and you know who is struggling. I suggest living by one's deeds is also meritorious.

The Catholic church's tentacles throughout our communities have helped shape us as a nation. I pray that the remainder of our Pope's life is healthy. His illusion to his illness and his frailty will be something that he will have to suffer with and I hope that he lives the rest of his life in comfort. For our next Pope—it will be soon made known to the world who this person is—there are some enormous challenges that face the Christian values here in Australia with reference to a royal commission. I trust that Cardinal Pell—the leader of our Church here—assists in that process so that the healing of those people who have been affected during that process—and who will give evidence during that—will find comfort in the process ahead.

Mum, when you are reading this speech, I have done my duty to the priests of my electorate to whom I will send a copy of this speech. Thank you for the work that you do. To the administrators, to the high schools, to the teachers of the Catholic faith: thank you so much for what you do. To the volunteers that work within the parishes across the whole electorate of Wright—there are many parishes, too numerous to mention—thank you for the contribution you make to our community, as without you our community would be poorer.

Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am happy to follow my friend and I would hate for him to get in trouble from his mother. As a fellow Catholic, I would also like to express my personal feelings on the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. We have already heard that in Australia there are about five million Catholics, according to the last census. If they all attended mass and contributed to the collection, I am sure that the church and its activities would be even better off. In terms of Catholicism there are 1.2 billion Catholics around the world. I do not know how it affected anybody else, but when I woke up at six o'clock the other day and heard the news on the ABC, and this was the lead item, it certainly woke me out of my slumber. It was something that took me by complete surprise.

When you think of the papacy you tend to look at it very much in the way that we regard royalty, and you see very few kings and queens abdicate because of age or infirmity and they are normally replaced subsequent to death. That has been the case in the Catholic Church, and I must admit that, until I heard the reports, I was not aware that the last resignation that had occurred was some 600 years ago. That was Pope Gregory XII and that was about a schism in the Catholic Church at that time. So that shows that I was not that attentive when I was studying religious history at De La Salle College Revesby and looking at the origins and development of our modern church.

As I say, it did take me surprise and cause me to actually think deeply about it. Cardinal Ratzinger has had the papacy for eight years but, when he became Pope, he was an old man. I think the view amongst most Catholics was that they were putting in a person who might be regarded as a safe pair of hands to continue on for a short period of time until further changes were made.

When you look at what Pope Benedict was able to achieve in those eight years—which is not a long period of time in terms of the general papacy—he has made a remarkable contribution both in an academic and spiritual way through his writings and in continuing the work of the very much loved Pope John Paul II. He has made a remarkable contribution to the life of Catholics around the world and non-Catholics alike. He has taken the papacy in a direction that has looked at some of the issues facing the contemporary world—looking at issues in the Middle East; addressing the issue of terrorism; addressing the issue which, unfortunately, exists in a modern society—the dichotomy between the privilege and poverty not only within society but between nations; and now more recently, of course, addressing, as the church should do, the issue of child sex abuse.

I had the opportunity to talk to a good friend of mine, Bishop Terry Brady, who lives in Liverpool. We were reflecting on the challenges for the modern day church. He said that, clearly, there are many challenges that must be addressed, but you have to remember that, with the Catholic Church, it was not just the spiritual needs of a community on a Sunday that the church attended to. If you look at education in Australia, it was the Irish Catholic base of the church that spearheaded education, well before public education.

The church is also involved in looking after the poor, through organisations such as St Vincent de Paul and there are other areas of society served by CatholicCare. They administer to people on family related matters, including domestic violence. There are a number of things that these organisations get out and do within the community. There is also Caritas, which pursues the worldwide mission, not simply to promote the Catholic faith but also to provide for people in need. I recall vividly the tsunamis in Indonesia. Father Chris Riley and Catholic based organisations went over and built the Islamic school in the western part of Indonesia. These are things that the Catholic Church members, governed by their faith, feel compelled to do.

When I look at the reign of Pope Benedict, it seems to me that he has not only continued the work set out particularly by Pope John Paul II but done so with great vigour within the church. I suppose one of the special things for us here in Australia that he was the pope that canonised Mary MacKillop in 2010, which has been an event celebrated by all Australians. Mary MacKillop founded the Josephite Order, which is one pretty close to my family as we have had relatives in the Josephites for some period of time. In particular, my wife's Aunty Gladys was one of the nuns and we got to spend a lot of time with them and, in particular, back in the old days when nuns wore habits my wife actually made habits for the nuns. It was very interesting hearing from the older nuns—and I hate calling them old nuns but anyway they were old nuns at the time. They would talk about their mission in life and why they committed themselves to go out and do what they did given the hardships they worked through during the Depression—all to deliver upon what they saw as their calling within the Catholic faith.

I attended, along with many thousands of people, World Youth Day in 2008 in Sydney. I saw the pope there and I thought it was an opportunity not to simply showcase in any theatrical style the contemporary Catholic church but a good opportunity to showcase what the church was actually doing in today's community. You could see the amount of young people that came to World Youth Day from across the globe, bringing their hopes and ambitions as to where they saw themselves going and where they would like communities to develop. Again, I think it is something that will continue after the pope gave such inspiration to those at World Youth Day. It was something that we will treasure for a long period of time.

Many of those close to the pope speak of his love for Australia. It has come through in many of his writings. I think he sees us as a people of a new continent, a continent which is very multicultural, a continent which has brought people from all over the globe with a view to developing ourselves as Australians by utilising the skills of people broadly from all quarters of this earth. That is something that has come through if you look at some of the words that the Pope has put down since his visiting Australia.

I have to say that, whilst his resignation for some is going to be a time of grieving, for me it is a remarkable decision. As I said at the start, I always thought the papacy was something like you would equate with royalty, that ordinarily a person would die in office—or that is generally how it has traditionally been the case. I was not aware of the precedents in terms of resignation. Given the fact that people are living longer, I think the pope has made a very courageous decision. I think if he has decided that his frailties are such that he cannot give his all to his calling, it is a very brave thing that he has done, putting the church and its people—its 1.2 billion followers around the world—ahead of the traditional view of the papacy. It is not so much the pope's own view but probably the traditional view of Catholics about the papacy. So I think that is courageous and something that has got to admired in the person. It is something that we have not seen before and I think it shows that the pope as the helm of the Catholic Church certainly does put the wellbeing of his worldwide congregation far above what might be his own personal interests.

The Pope celebrated his final mass on Ash Wednesday, as we enter into Lent, which was attended by many, many thousands of people. Appropriately, he celebrated mass in St Peter's Basilica, the most fantastic basilica in the world and a place of great spiritual importance to all Catholics. The final day in his papacy will be 28 February and from there on a secret conclave will be held in the Sistine Chapel to elect his successor. I pray and wish that the conclave will do well in their decision, as what they decide will have a huge impact on the world not simply for Catholics but for all peoples as the Catholic church takes a significant position of responsibility in helping address the wellbeing of all peoples.

To my Catholic parishes of the Sacred Heart at Cabramatta, Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Mt Pritchard, All Saints at Liverpool, St Theresa's at Cartwright and John the Baptist at Bonnyrigg, I join with them in praying for the wisdom of all those who sit in the conclave to determine the appropriate person to lead our church into the future. We also pray for the wellbeing of Pope Benedict in his retirement years. I think that he has very much demonstrated a humble spirit. He plans to serve the remainder of his life in quiet contemplation—reading, writing and praying—in a small monastery in the Vatican. I think that we all learn much from his life and are all very much inspired by his eight years of leading the Catholic faith.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger in the Bavarian region of Germany on 16 April 1927, Pope Benedict XVI will have served as the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church from 19 April 2005 until his forthcoming resignation, due to age and declining health, on 28 February 2013. Elected to the papacy three days after his 78th birthday, Pope Benedict was one of the oldest to have been elected to lead the church. He was ordained a priest in 1951—what a long time as one of the Lord's shepherds. Before he was elected to the papacy, he had hoped to retire peacefully. Instead, at the time he said:

At a certain point, I prayed to God, 'please don't do this to me'. Evidently, this time He didn't listen to me.

Of course, God works in many strange and mysterious ways. I believe that He certainly has a path for us all to follow. For Pope Benedict, that path was to the Holy See, to the papacy and to lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics and what a fine, prayerful, spiritual and faith-filled job Pope Benedict XVI has done in that mission.

For Australians, Pope Benedict's years in the Vatican will be remembered for the canonisation of our very own Saint Mary of the Cross—or Mary MacKillop—on 17 October 2010. In canonising Saint Mary of the Cross, Australia's first Roman Catholic saint, Pope Benedict highlighted the affection he shared for the Australian nation. As the former Australian ambassador to the Holy See, former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer, noted, the Pope gave many thoughts and prayers to Australian people, particularly in times of crisis and times of natural disasters—such as Black Saturday and our recent devastating flood events. In 2008, Pope Benedict visited Australia as part of World Youth Day in Sydney, which my daughter Georgina attended with a group from Mater Dei Catholic College and other high schools within the Catholic diocese of Wagga Wagga. I share the view of the Prime Minister regarding the captivation the crowds had with Pope Benedict XVI during his visit here.

It is important to note during this motion that the Pope made some progress in acknowledging what he called, in 2005, the 'filth' within the church, which must be recognised. It is my sincere hope for whomever succeeds Pope Benedict XVI that further progress can be made in acknowledging the shameful past unfortunately perpetrated by some—only some—within the church as far as sexual abuse, especially against children, is concerned. In addition, Benedict has done much to reach out to the world's poor and most-disadvantaged people in Africa and South America. He has set a shining example for the church's social justice obligations, which is something the Bishop of Wagga Wagga, Gerard Hanna, praised. Bishop Hanna, who met the Pope in both Sydney and Rome, told me:

He is a man who has written widely on ecumenism and renewing the impetus towards unity. He has opened inter-religious dialogue, and this is noteworthy. His Papacy, while relatively short, has been marked by his willingness to travel overseas to reach out to the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

Bishop Hanna said that the Pope's decision to resign—the first since Pope Gregory XII way back in 1415, some 598 years ago—was 'bold and courageous'. 'His difficult decision to step aside due to ill health shows his remarkable leadership.' Bishop Hanna said:

He has re-established that in future Popes can follow suit, doing their best in the role until such a time as their health prevents them from continuing, and then allowing another Pope to be elected in their place. In future it will not be such an extraordinary measure to do this.

Further to this, Pope Benedict XVI also played a significant geopolitical role in encouraging negotiations towards an agreement on the use of cluster bombs, following in the footsteps of the geopolitical role his predecessor, John Paul II, played at the end of the Cold War. But for Catholics in Australia, Pope Benedict's resignation highlights the changing tradition in the papacy. When Joseph Ratzinger was first elected to the papacy, he pledged to be a 'simple and humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord', and his custodianship of the church will be remembered for the attempts he made to reach out to the areas of the world where the church is growing, such as Africa and South America.

On behalf of the people of the Riverina electorate, the many Catholics in my electorate, I join other members in thanking Pope Benedict XVI for his exemplary, faith-filled, prayerful and strong leadership of the Roman Catholic Church since 2005 and wish him all the very best for the future.

Deborah O'Neill (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to be able to make some comments in this place on the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. As a Catholic with an interest in theology as well as liturgy, I am very aware of the significant influence the Pope has had both in his contributions in his role as Cardinal Ratzinger and latterly in his role as Pope of the Holy Roman Church.

As the Prime Minister noted, the Pope's announcement marks a genuinely historic moment which many Australian Catholics will greet with great emotion. Many Australians saw Pope Benedict during his visit here during the church's World Youth Day in 2008. I am sure many members remember the scenes and the crowds on that visit. I was in attendance that day, and it was a great thing to see the gathering of so many people at Randwick Racecourse. I recalled the last time I was there for such an enormous gathering—I have visited a couple of the race meetings in between—was for the beatification of Mother Mary MacKillop, who, in the term of our current pope, has reached the next stage of canonisation. I know, as the Prime Minister indicated the other day, that many, many Australians took the opportunity to go to Rome and to acknowledge and celebrate on behalf of our nation the declaration of Mother Mary MacKillop as our nation's first saint.

Many people of the Catholic faith across this country will certainly miss the cardinal and hold him in fond affection. Like the member for Fowler, I want to articulate the emotion in response to this announcement from members of my own community. I acknowledge the deanery's role in our local community and our faith community, and I am sure that they were taken by surprise just as the rest of us were and will be very interested to see how things emerge over the next few weeks and who will be the new leader of our faith on Earth.

The communities of St John the Baptist at Woy Woy, Our Lady Star of the Sea at Terrigal, St Patrick's at Gosford and Our Lady of the Rosary at Wyoming will perhaps be—a lot like my own community of Holy Cross at Kincumber—a little stunned and perhaps even, for some people, in shock. Yet I guess it is the hope and the promise of a new Pope and a strong sense that God's hand is in the midst of this unexpected development that fills us as Catholics with hope for renewal at a time when—we have to be frank—the church faces very significant challenges. Change is needed, and we can only hope that this opportunity for renewal in the church that has been provided by the resignation of this Pope will bring God's will to birth here in our community.

In closing, I also contacted Bishop David Walker, who is the bishop for the Diocese of Broken Bay. I think that he articulated what I have heard the member for Fowler and the member for Riverina say here, which is that there is a degree of wisdom in coming to understand that you are enabled and able to take on a role—and I think that in accepting the role of the Pope in 2005 Cardinal Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI, showed that the challenge of leadership was something that he was ready for. Equally now, I think it is very enlightened of him—having been 78 when he took on that role and being at this age now—to accept that perhaps in his state of health it is time for renewal. I put Bishop Walker's comments on the record today:

I believe it is an enlightened decision. We all need to recognise when the time is right to hand over our responsibilities.

There is great service being done by many older people in our community in many, many ways, but renewal is also an enabling part of any organisation.

In closing, I would like to wish the soon to be former Pope all the best in his retirement. In this season of Lent, as we as Catholics and Christians across the world look forward to the hope of the Resurrection, I expect that the journey over the resurrection of new leadership in the church will be one that we will watch with interest. I thank the chamber for their attention.

Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With a name like O'Dwyer, it probably does not surprise too many people that I would rise to speak on the recent announcement of Pope Benedict XVI's retirement.

It is true that most people do not get the opportunity to retire on their own terms. People in this House should know this better than most. Yet today we speak about a man who has made his own decision to retire on his own terms, putting his congregation of 1.2 billion Catholics throughout the world and his Roman Catholic faith before his personal gratification or aggrandisement.

Born in rural Germany into a modest family, Joseph Ratzinger continued that sense of humility throughout his entire life. Growing up during the Nazi era, the young Joseph was witness to some of the worst crimes against humanity ever committed. He would often see his local parish priest beaten by Nazi troops. Despite this, Joseph still managed to complete his studies in philosophy and theology in the Higher School of Philosophy and Theology of Freising and the University of Munich.

Upon graduation in 1951, he received his priestly ordination, at which point he commenced teaching at the higher school of Freising. In 1953 he obtained his doctorate in theology with a thesis entitled The People and House of God in St Augustine's Doctrine of the Church. He continued his academic career with a dissertation entitled The Theology of History in St Bonaventure, thus becoming accredited to teach at university. Throughout his teaching career he lectured at the Higher School of Philosophy and Theology of Freising, at Bonn, at Munster and at Tubingen. At the culmination of his teaching, he held the chair of dogmatics and history of dogma at the University of Regensburg, where he was also vice-president of the university.

On 25 March 1977, Pope Paul VI named him Archbishop of Munich and Freising.

On 28 May of the same year he received episcopal ordination. His career progressed on 24 June of the same year when Paul VI made him a cardinal under the priestly title of 'Santa Maria Consolatrice al Tiburtino'. In 1978 he was made a member of the conclave that elected John Paul I, at which point he was named special envoy to the Third International Mariological Congress.

Most people know of his progression in the later years when he was, on 6 November 1998, approved by the Holy Father as Cardinal Ratzinger as Vice Dean of the College of Cardinals and was submitted as one of the Cardinals of the Order of Bishops. He was approved as Dean, elected in November 2002, and together with this office he was entrusted with Suburbicarian See of Ostia.

Who can forget that on 19 April 2005 he was elected Pope, to be known as Pope Benedict XVI. He chose the name in respect to Pope Benedict XV who he referred to as a 'courageous prophet of peace'. Pope Benedict XVI dedicated his papacy to the teachings of the church in an attempt to bring people back into the arms of religion. In his address to the Catholic Academy of Bavaria entitled 'Why I am still in the church' he famously said:

… one can only be a Christian in the Church, not beside the Church.

In Australia we hold a very special regard for Pope Benedict as it was he who canonised Mary MacKillop, Australia's only saint. We also feel a special connection with him because he visited us in 2008 when he presided over World Youth Day.

In a statement released by the Pope, he said:

In today's world subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to steer the boat of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me.

We can, however, in this place celebrate his grand contribution to his faith and to the many Catholics and non-Catholics around the world. I know that in my electorate of Higgins the Catholic Church has been involved in many good works, whether it is in aged care, in educating our young, in caring for our sick in the hospitals that they have set up or in helping the poor.

I know that there are many good Catholics in my local community who volunteer tirelessly each and every week to help hand out food for the homeless and to help provide accommodation for those people. I pay tribute to their good work and I highlight the inspiration Pope Benedict has provided to so many.

As so many have also said in this place, we also stand against sexual abuse, particularly child sexual abuse. I know that the Pope himself has been incredibly concerned about some of the shameful history in the Catholic Church by some who have committed such atrocities. It is important that this be dealt with expeditiously and treated very seriously as we know it will be.

We wish Pope Benedict all the very best in his retirement. We wish him health and happiness in his future years. It is his dedication to his faith and putting the needs of others above his own that have made him such a popular leader of the Roman Catholic faith. We pray for him in his retirement and wish him well.