The organizers of World Youth Day are relieved. The threatened rail strike due next Thursday has been cancelled. The state government caved in - and this will fuel pressure from other unions to demand pay increases that will at least match inflation.
Unfortunately it is not all good news for Cardinal George Pell. Church sexual abuse has again raised it's ugly head, just as thousands of Pilgrims are arriving for WYD - and with his boss due in town next week.
It seems Pell wrote to a person who was abused by a priest and suggested " no one else has contacted the church about this sexual abuse case ".
Yet on the same day he wrote to another complainant who alleged he was sexually assaulted by the same priest.
Pell claims that this was simply " a mistake " and no cover-up was involved.
Unfortunately all the churches seem to have a similar litany of such " mistakes " that involve clergy involved in sexual assault. It is likely that the Pope will address this problem by way of an apology while he is here in Australia, but despite the efforts of many sexual matters are not being handled in an open fashion and are still being swept under the carpet.
It is just unfortunate that the dark side of the church chose to engage the media at the same time as Australia hosts what is probably the biggest church festival in this country's history !
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