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PM Kevin Rudd joins the virtual pilgrimage
30th June, 2009 - Posted by CatholicLIFE -
CLICK HERE to read Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s message posted in the messages guestbook. Text of the message is below:
From: Kevin Rudd and Therese Rein
Greetings to Ursula and Bob, Archbishop Mark and your fellow pilgrims.
St Peter’s is truly an inspiring place.
As is Paul, whose journeys you followed all the way to Rome. Truly the Apostle to the Gentiles.
While you’ve been in Rome today, I have been visiting the good Sisters at the Convent of Blessed Mary McKillop here in Kirribilli. They are excited at her progress towards sainthood. I told them in part it would be enhanced by her taking on the Archbishops of her day - but don’t tell Archbishop Mark I said so.
Next week I see the Holy Father in Rome myself and will pass on their greetings and yours too when I do so.
Peace to you all.
2 Comments
Archbishop Mark Coleridge
June 30th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Good to hear from you, Kevin (and Therese), and to know that you’ve become one of our virtual pilgrims “down the back of the bus/plane/basilica” with Ursula.
Good to know too that you’ve been getting into Mary MacKillop. She strikes me as being a bit like Paul: trail-blazer, unshakeable sense of divine call, amazing faith, enormous energy (especially for travel) and often controversial (for which they both paid a heavy price, though Mary at least died in her bed). Some of the bishops gave Mary a hard time just as some of the leaders of the early Church gave Paul a hard time. But neither of them stormed off in a huff. Mary held her ground but was never less than respectful towards the bishops. The same was true of Paul with regard to the Jerusalem Church. In the end, both were right - but only because the truth they proclaimed turned out to be the truth of God.
Pope Benedict may say something about that when you meet. Enjoy the chat. Knowing both of you a bit, it should prove interesting - all the more so given that the new Encyclical Letter will just be out. In fact, I wouldn’t mind being an episcopal fly on the papal wall. See you back in Canberra.
Denis Matthews
June 30th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
My understanding of church history has always been rather shaky but Archbishop Mark has raised an interesting question about the relationship of Paul to the bishops in Jerusalem. I vaguely remember learning that the institution of the sacrament of Holy Orders is not clearly recorded in the scriptures but that the apostles did receive the sacrament in full. This is the only sacrament that is conferred by degrees. The major orders are normally conferred one at a time in separate ceremonies. You have had two ordained deacons on pilgrimage. But someone suggested recently that Paul was not an ordained priest. I have always assumed that as a co-opted apostle that he had been consecrated a bishop. We know that a pope is the bishop of Rome and any man elected to be pope must be consecrated a bishop before he can be enthroned. And another question for the church historians - When did the rank of archbishop first appear in church history?
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