A New Year

+ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
4 Jan 2009

The new year of 2009 has not begun too brightly.  We are in the midst of a major financial storm, which started in the U.S.A. and threatens to continue for months if not years, although so far the job losses have been mainly in middle management or with the self employed.

It seems strange that although the problems started in the U.S.A., which now has massive debts in many different ways, the American dollar has strengthened enormously.

So too, although the experts insist that the basics of the Australian economy are strong, our dollar? value has still fallen because the price of the commodities which we sell, such as coal and iron, has also fallen spectacularly.

Every cloud has a silver lining, and the fall in the price of oil has brought some reduction in the cost of petrol.  This should also mean less money to finance extremist Islamic terrorism.

On a much less serious note South Africa? crushing defeat of Australia confirmed the worst fears for our cricket team. We are likely to be overweight for at least a couple of years from eating humble pie.  Nor is there much indication that either our men or women tennis players will be mitigating our distress.

However 2008 had some wonderful moments.  For Catholics the highlight was the July World Youth Day celebrations with the visit of 110,000 overseas pilgrims (more than the 75,000 overseas visitors for the Beijing Olympics) and especially Pope Benedict XVI.

Sydney took the young pilgrims to its heart and they were the stars of W.Y.D. with their goodness and vitality.  Young Catholic Sydney worked hard to prepare spiritually for these days of prayer and teaching and we are now seeing the results of this work in many parts of Australia and overseas too.

The Way of the Cross was the single most influential event as I anticipated it would be since I saw its forerunner at the W.Y.D. in Toronto in 2002.  All Christians appreciated its Scriptural basis and the story of Christ? final hours always teaches powerfully even for people of little explicit faith.

However the election of the Afro-American Barack Obama was probably the most significant event of the year, more important than the terrorist attacks at Mumbai or the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Financially, militarily and culturally profound consequences for good or ill will follow from the new President? decisions.

Already recognized as one of the outstanding orators of this generation, I will certainly be listening to his Inauguration address and comparing him with Reagan and J.F. Kennedy.

But a great speech does not guarantee a great presidency and the new president has been dealt a bad set of cards militarily and financially.  It would be worse if he had caused these problems but he will certainly be expected to improve the situation.  No easy task.  We wish him well.

A happy New Year to everyone.