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

I commence my remarks on Pope Francis with his words that will, I think, be a signature to the time that he leads this great church which I am happy to have been a part of since my birth, through my family, and from baptism right through to my own children and their baptisms and their upbringing in the faith. Those words with which he commenced his welcomes were, 'Brothers and sisters, hello.' I really believe that such a view of the world that is based on the relationship, acknowledging one another as brothers and sisters who share this planet and who share our lives in community, is a great signifier of the way in which this Pope is going to lead us.

As a student who attended Catholic education throughout my entire primary and secondary schooling I was very fortunate to grow in my faith not only in terms of the example of the people with whom I lived in community at school but also through the education that I received about a church that is always changing and reflecting its own times. I lived through the time when the Vatican II occurred and the significant changes that this wrought for the church. There was much grief, loss and change but there was also renewal of the church at that time. We can read from the community reactions already to this new pope a sense that this is indeed a time of renewal for us. He is the first pope from outside Europe and also the first pope to take the name Francis.

One of the most exciting things I remember we all used to talk about, when confirmation came around, was the time of selecting the name for our confirmation in the faith. There were a couple of books—one for the boys with all the boy saints, and one for the girls with all the girl saints—that were sold at the back of the church. In fact, they often got passed around in the classes when we were doing our preparation for confirmation. Who would you choose to inspire you, whose model of life? This is one of the things all religions around the world provide—examples of lives, lived very well, on which we can model our own aspirations to live a good life.

I know that Saint Francis was incredibly popular, as a name, because he had such an affinity with animals. As young children, if you are lucky enough to have a pet, you have the sense of care that a pet can engender. Saint Francis is somebody we in the broad community know. I dare say there is many an Australian who has never have heard of the name Clement and has no idea of its meaning, but they would know about Saint Francis of Assisi and the life he lived. He rejected the high life and the wealth into which he was born and chose to live a contemplative life and to put himself outside the popular. He chose to live a life of simplicity and service. His life was in a time when there was a lack of awareness of the environment. Perhaps that is exactly the reason the Pope was inspired to choose the name Francis.

In media reports we heard that, as it looked like he was about to be elected, one of his confreres turned to him and said, 'Do not forget the poor.' At that moment, by report, our new pope said he became aware that Francis would be his choice. Francis was indeed one of the great heroes of the church and a great man who established his own order that continues to this day.

The Pope's words 'Thank you for your welcome and for your prayers' at the conclusion of his first communication with the masses, with a request of 'Pray for me', are an expression of his simplicity. He requested it simply, the need for spiritual awareness and support from the broader community. We all need that in the journeys that we go on. Thankfully in Australia, these days, we acknowledge the spirituality of our Indigenous people. Every time we speak, every time we gather, we are beginning to acknowledge our elders and their connection with the land and that spiritual dimension that is part of the life of each person.

As a Jesuit in Buenos Aires, in Argentina, the Pope has a long history of having looked for ways to connect with the poor, reaching just outside the church. I heard a report on the radio, a couple of days ago, of a young priest who was looking to work with the people on the delta. These were profoundly poor communities. He was unable to get support from his own parish and diocese in the region. He reached out to our new pope who, even though he was outside that region, provided the funds to enable social agencies within those communities to do their work. This is another model of church that excites me as a Catholic in this country. It is not the church in place of community but the church in partnership with community, which the Pope has already modelled in his own life and practice.

I want to take this opportunity to put on the record some reactions from two very fine institutions, two schools in my electorate. One is St Joseph's college, at East Gosford, which is a wonderful institution supporting the development of many young women, on the Central Coast, in the Catholic tradition. This is a reflection from their principal, Stephen Walsh. He has put it in these terms:

The announcement of Pope Francis brings great joy and hope to all Catholics around the world and especially to young Australian Catholics. As the Cardinal of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis demonstrated through his humble actions a real commitment to social justice and the poor. In many ways, Pope Francis demonstrated similar qualities to Mary MacKillop, Australia's first saint, by living his faith and commitment to Jesus through service to the poor.

Students at St Joseph's Catholic College East Gosford reflected on the Pope's humble approach to and concern for all people which provides inspiration to the girls in their continuing social justice work on the NSW central coast.

College captain Bethany Friar said "Pope Francis's actions so far have demonstrated the genuine humility that he brings to his papacy and that he appears to be a man of the people in asking the people to pray for him".

Happily not too far away—just across the playground—is St Edward's, a Christian Brothers college on the Central Coast, which provides a fine education for young Catholic men and for those boys from our area whose parents want them educated in the Catholic tradition. Indeed, my own son attends St Edward's. I asked the social justice leader in the school, Mr Patrick Dell, for his reactions. He put in this way:

Our new pope brings the prospect of great hope for our Catholic Church. As Cardinal in Argentina he proved himself a great advocate for Social Justice, challenging his Catholic people there to give their money to the poor rather than doing a pilgrimage to Rome. The Catholic Option for the Poor is a key direction for him. He has been portrayed in the media as 'living the simple life' and this resonates well with many Catholics as it makes him seem more connected to us. Our new pope asked the people to pray for him -this act of humility and service will always be popular as it positions him as a 'leader of the people'.

Pope Francis appointment as our new Catholic leader has been well received by all the people I have spoken to. Why? I sense many people feel a new breath of fresh air has entered our Church. Catholic Church Option for the Poor and a clear vision to help people living on the edge may become reality.

In closing, I want simply to put my mother's observation. I spent St Patrick's Day in celebration with her on Friday. We didn't get to see each other on Saturday but on Sunday we continued in the family tradition of really enjoying St Patrick's Day, with all the Irish culture and tradition that wraps around that. My mother was very pleased to have come into her parish of St John the Evangelist at Campbelltown a wonderful priest by the name of Father Healy. Father Healy is a very simple, loving man who really cares for his parishioners—he has a great smile. My mother's summation of the Pope is: 'Just like Father Healy, this new pope has a wonderful warm smile. I feel that we have a simple and loving man as our new pope.' I think that that sums up the sense of our hopes for the future as Catholics and for what this pope will offer. I am very pleased to have been able to put those thoughts on the record today.

Debate adjourned.

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