Does anyone else find him a total embarrassment? I refer in particular to his comments about the world being underpopulated.

And did he have anything to do with the outrageous decision (now overturned) that anyone demonstrating against the concept and activities of "World Youth Day" (sic) would be up for a considerable prison sentence.

I understand the Catholic hierarchy once had considerable power in NSW and Australia. Is this still true? And should it be allowed to continue?

Few non-Australians will have heard of Pell or the goings-on surrounding World Youth Day, or even the Pope's visit, so I doubt that he constitutes an international embarrassment.

For reasons that escape me, Sydney, which to put it mildly is not among the more religious cities in the world, seems to have specialised in unusualy conservative church leaders. They include Cardinal Pell, one of the hard old brigade of the Roman Catholic Church; Archbishop Jensen, who sits on the extreme evangelical end of the Anglican Communion, bitterly opposed to the ordination of women or the mere presence of gays; the Baptist Rev. Fred Nile, who used to stand in the street praying for rain to fall on the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade; and Sydney's very own Mad Mullah, Sheikh al-Hilaly (now deposed). Maybe this is a reaction to Sydney's well-known sinfulness, which got off to a rousing start in January, 1788.

For many years the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party has been dominated by the party's right wing in which socially conservative Irish Catholics traditionally have wielded much influence.

Now, be prepared for this thread to be moved to the Lounge forum, where it will be greeted with incomprehension and sink without trace.

Yes what's this doing on a travel forum. If you want to vent your spleen find somewhwere else!

Jeez. I saw George Pell's name and thought - He's going somewhere, anywhere? Please!!

We imported him from Melbourne, where he was already a pain.

Bestr sign I saw - outside a church in Leichhardt: Save $5000 -- annoy Anglicans here for free!

Perhaps the Pilgrims will pack pompus & painful Pell in their portmanteaus & p*** him off to Phaiktan ... or the Pontif pension him off - Please!

There you are afterall, DownUnder & MargoOz ... rightly on the Travel section. We can but hope!

Thx all for your comments. And if "World Youth Day" is not making the news internationally, it sort of makes you wonder how it can be called "World" Youth Day.

But my reason for coming back on this is that I am watching the ABC right now, and the very first question from the audience in "Q & A" addressed the same issue.

And I wanted to say what an interesting departure the programme is for the ABC. I've obviously not been paying attention, and this has been on for some time - and is a clone of the BBC's "Question Time" - but nowt wrong with that.

I'm surprised it's taken so long.

Does it resonate with anyone else with access to the ABC.

Yeh - not strictly travel related but I am sure all our visitors would wish to inform themselves about the country they are coming to and not just fly in to see roos, coral and climb the Bridge.

Impressed by Lindsay Tanner - and, although I do not share his views, I thought A Downer came out well too. How refreshing to find someone who has been in public life for so long actually speak his mind.

What he said wan't regurgitated weasel words; just what he thought and well expressed.

My opinion of him has been revised as a result of it.

Just so that this thread has some link to travel, be aware that the streets of Sydney are full of pilgrims speaking in many tongues, plus gorgeously attired higher level clergy (male). That pink is beautifully contrasts with the black.

Well - of course the higher level clergy would be male! And all in drag!

Ain't no women in those echelons!