Believe it or not, it now appears that Christian leaders in Australia can enter the political debate without being lectured concerning that which belongs to God and that which belongs to Caesar. Provided they choose a fashionable topic, of course. As in criticising the Howard Government's Work Choices legislation.

Take the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, for example. Earlier this year Cardinal George Pell was severely criticised for his public comments opposing a bill to expand stem cell research, which was then before the NSW Parliament. So much so that his views were referred to the Privileges Committee, for possible censure, by the Greens MP Lee Rhiannon. Pell was cleared. But this does not negate the fact that Rhiannon believes the Archbishop's views should be curtailed when he speaks out on what is clearly an issue of faith and morals.

Last Wednesday Pell addressed the National Press Club in Canberra on the topic of World Youth Day, to be celebrated in Sydney in July. Following the talk, he was asked a number of questions, including one on Work Choices.

Pell reaffirmed that he'd been critical of the Howard Government's industrial relations reform agenda but said he was "very pleased" to see that the Coalition had "reinstated the no-disadvantage clause, especially for minimum wage earners".

Ears To The Pulpit, When It Suits

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Gus: Hypocrite me! I blast His Eminence for the threats he made to the members of the New South Wales Parliament about stem cells... but when he comes purring attacking John Howard's Work Choices, I say no beep about him pushing a secular barrow...

Now did he threaten John Howard with excommunication or such for Work Choices?

No? Well, that could make a difference to my hypocrisy...