AUSTRALASIA
Oceans Apart
O
ceania, a term used by the Vatican to describeAustralasia, or Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands, is not used by the inhabitants, and in fact, creates a false impression of unity among them. The term "Oceania" conveys the idea of islands in an ocean, yet Australians feel they inhabit a continent rather than an island. New Zealand has more contact with the myriad Pacific islands than with Australia and, proportionately, has a far larger indigenous population. The Bishops’ Conference of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands held a Synod before the Jubilee 2000, in line with other regional synods. But, in many ways, the region’s bishops face very different problems.Australia has had several important cardinals such as Moran, Gilroy and Knox who, after being a Vatican diplomat, headed a Congregation of the Roman Curia and, incidentally, during his term played a part in the conversion to Catholicism of the Japanese ambassador to the Holy See. The ambassador was recalled to Tokyo shortly afterwards.
Cardinal Edward Cassidy of Sydney began working in the Vatican diplomatic corps in the mission to India headed by Knox and, like him, after a diplomatic career obtained important Curial positions: for two years he was deputy Secretary of State and for the past seven has been in charge of the Council for Christian Unity responsible for fostering unity between Christian Churches, and also religious relations with Jews. Cassidy, 72, who is cordial, open and well-balanced, could be a papabile. The Catholic bishops’ social justice policies have higher relief now that Australia’s new Conservative government is less favorable than its Labor predecessor to multiculturalism and pro-aboriginal policies. The bishops have also found a cause in the rights of the inhabitants of East Timor. In fact, Cardinal Edward Bede Clancy recently visited East Timor out of sympathy for the largely Catholic inhabitants’ struggle to preserve their religious and cultural identity. It seemed an indication of a more determined stand on social justice by the archbishop of Sydney who has recently been appointed for a 5-year term to the Vatican Justice and Peace Council.
Thomas Stafford had experience in Samoa before becoming archbishop of the New Zealand capital, Wellington. It should stand him in good stead as Pacific Islanders, together with indigenous Maoris, provide the main variety in New Zealand’s population, predominantly of European origin. Like Australia’s bishops, Stafford is attentive to ecumenical relations, particularly with Anglicans, Presbyterians and Methodists.
The links between New Zealand and the Pacific islands are suggested by the fact that Stafford was a missionary in Samoa and Pio Taofinu’u did part of his priestly training in New Zealand. Archbishop of Apia, Samoa, he is a member of the Marist Order, which evangelized many of the Pacific islands. The islands’ small populations have fewer defenses against Americanization than do Australia and New Zealand: one of them is the family and Taofinu’u has tried to build on the indigenous tradition to bolster Samoa’s family-life.