© ATOM 2013 A STUDY GUIDE BY MARGUERITE O’HARA
http://www.metromagazine.com.au
ISBN: 978-1-74295-360-1 http://www.theeducationshop.com.au BY THE TIME I LEFT I WAS FEELING THE DISLOCATION. UP THERE AT THE CHURCH, LIFE HAD MEANING. THERE WERE ALL KINDS OF GOOD: WEDDINGS, BAPTISMS. AND THEN YOU GO AWAY FROM THAT AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, WHAT ARE YOU? Father Bob Maguire
Introduction
In Bob We Trust (Lynn-Maree Milburn, 2013) is a 100-minute feature docu- mentary about Melbourne Catholic priest Father Bob Maguire. With more than 98,000 followers on Twitter and a regular radio spot on ABC youth radio station Triple J on Sunday nights with John Safran, Father Bob has never been your average parish priest. The documentary was filmed over the KEY CREDITS past four years when Father Bob was pushed to retire as Parish Priest of Sts Writer/ Lynn-Maree Milburn director Peter and Paul’s Church in Melbourne’s Synopsis inner-city suburb of South Melbourne. Producers Richard Lowenstein, He had lived there for thirty-eight years, Every day for thirty-eight years, Father Maya Gnyp, Andrew working tirelessly with the community’s Bob Maguire opened the doors of de Groot and Lynn- poor and disaffected – ‘the unloved his beloved church at 7.00 am. Every Maree Milburn and the unlovely’ as he calls them. evening at 7.00 pm he made the same solitary journey to close its doors. He Editors Lynn-Maree Milburn, Richard Lowenstein, In 2009, when Father Bob turned knew everyone by name that passed Andrew de Groot and seventy-five, the Catholic hierarchy by; his own front door always open. Lora-Mae Adrao ‘invited’ him to step down from his position and leave his parish and his In 1973, straight from a post as army Camera Andrew de Groot, home. This film tells the story of how chaplain and inspired by the teach- Lynn-Maree Milburn, Lora-Mae Adrao and this situation played out over the fol- ings of the Second Vatican Council, Richard Lowenstein lowing years. It reveals the profound Father Bob was sent to the working- effects his leaving the parish church class Parish of South Melbourne. It SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 In Bob We Trust is a Ghost Pictures had on Father Bob, his parishioners was promised he was there ‘for life’. production. Ghost Pictures have created and friends. As the cameras follow Vatican II had tried to dismantle the hi- some of Australia’s most iconic films, him on his daily rounds and meetings, erarchical structure of the church and including Dogs In Space (1986), He Died we witness the essential qualities of a opened up to people in a more hu- With a Felafel in his Hand (2001) and man who has become something of a mane way. Father Bob loved the humil- Autoluminescent: Rowland S. Howard hero to many and a thorn in the side of ity of its teachings and worked hard to (2011). the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy. win the parishioners’ hearts and minds 2 of this film, Lynn-Maree Milburn, has been able to capture rare and unique footage which will reintroduce people to this celebrated community figure, share rarely witnessed aspects of his work, and reflect on his philosophies and experiences.
with its ethos. He set about finding perhaps for his own dignity but also It is Father Bob Maguire’s disarming, what he could do for the community’s for his sanity. He must find out who he and entertaining way of highlighting poor and disaffected. He discovered is, beyond the vital priest who cannot sad and confronting truths that this the needs of the troubled youth of the let go of his passion to preach, to help documentary captures. With all its parish were urgent. To them he opened the poor, to communicate, to be effec- attendant emotion, loaded history, the doors to the church, the parish, its tive, to be meaningfully provocative, to psychological and spiritual profundity, coffers and his own pockets. For thirty never say die. this story is captured with honesty, years he fought to bring about change humour and wisdom. in their lives. Curriculum Guidelines In Bob We Trust would be an excellent In 2002 a new milieu arose. New While some students may recognise film to show to secondary students bishops and cardinals were appointed the very distinctive face and voice of across a range of curriculum areas. whose philosophies differed from the Father Bob Maguire through his many Like Father Bob himself, it is difficult more open ethos of Vatican II. The appearances on radio and television to pigeonhole the film in terms of cost of his schemes, his need to help and in the news media generally, they school curriculum. At an obvious level, so directly and personally, brought are less likely to know the inside story it would be interesting for students Father Bob into conflict with the of his work in South Melbourne. studying subjects such as Religion Archbishop. Mutiny was afoot from on and Society at VCE level. For instance, high but Father Bob’s wily ways with Few news stories have documented in Unit 4 – Challenge and Response – the media were deemed too clever. his daily trials, encounters and eve- students have an opportunity to study His detractors believed he would have ryday work within his community, a historical challenges to religious tradi- the public’s sympathy if they threat- vocation to which he is absolutely tions and practices by closely analys- ened his position. Instead they tried to bound. After many years building a re- ing a particular situation. control his behavior. lationship with Father Bob, the director
When Father Bob turned seventy-five it was opportune for the Archbishop to enforce retirement. The parish fought and won a reprieve. Two years whizzed by, another failed campaign and suddenly Father Bob was on the street. Refusing anonymity and retire- SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 ment, wishing to continue the fight for the poor and unprepared to relinquish his active priesthood, Father Bob set about establishing himself in the community. Wounded and grieving, he begins the process of transmut- ing his painful loss into fuel to fight, 3 However, the film’s appeal and rele- vance is rather broader, as attested by its popularity at the 2013 Melbourne International Film Festival. It deals with issues of Civics and Citizenship (in- dividuals in conflict with institutions), Politics and Society, Local History, and Ethics and Biography. For students of Film and Media Studies, this docu- mentary offers an interesting example of how the way a film is structured and
Recently elected Pope Francis has echoed these views as he attempts to bring the church and the clergy closer to the people. He said on his recent visit to South America, ‘I want to see the church get closer to the people. I want to get rid of clericalism, the mun- dane, this closing ourselves off within ourselves, in our parishes, schools or structures. Because these need to get out!’
LITURGY – a prescribed form of public religious services. Prior to Vatican II, edited can closely reflect the complex- CLERICAL AND CLERICALISM – relating the Mass was in Latin and the priest ities and contradictions of the subject, to the clergy. These terms refer to the faced the altar with his back to the in this case, Father Bob Maguire. application of formal, church-based congregation. This is no longer usually leadership or to the opinions of or- the case except in very traditional and A preview of the documentary can be dained clergy in matters of the church conservative church communities. viewed at the official website: or in relation to broader political and
Father Ted Kennedy began one such ministry in Sydney’s inner city Redfern Presbytery in 1971 – an area with a large Aboriginal popula- tion. Working closely with Catholic Aboriginal laywoman ‘Mum’ Shirl Smith, he developed a theology which held that the poor had special in- sights into the meaning of Christianity, worked as an advocate for Aboriginal rights and often challenged the civil Most religions try to serve as many and church establishment on ques- of their followers as possible through tions of conscience. having centres of worship within local communities. The role of the priest, In 1989, Jesuit lawyer Father Frank pastor, rabbi, imam, elder, minister or Brennan AO founded Uniya, a centre church leader generally involves much for social justice and human rights more than conducting religious ser- research, advocacy, education and vices such as funerals and weddings. networking. Uniya focused much of Religious leaders often work in many its attention on the plight of refugees, different ways to serve their commu- asylum seekers and Indigenous recon- nity, such as visiting the sick. This is ciliation. In 1991, Father Chris Riley often called pastoral care. secular society about which Catholics formed ‘Youth Off The Streets’, a com- had been afraid forever. 2000 bish- munity organisation working for young Background ops were in favour of the reforms people who are ‘chronically home- and 200 thought reform would be a less, drug dependent and recovering 1. Vatican II – Opening up the catastrophe. from abuse’. Originally a food van in church windows Sydney’s King’s Cross, it has grown to 2. Priest shortages and be one of the largest youth services in Pope John XXIII was head of the ‘larrikin priests’ Australia, offering crisis accommoda- Roman Catholic Church between tion, residential rehabilitation, clinical 1958 and 1963. He surprised those Since the Second Vatican Council services and counselling, outreach who expected him to be a caretaker of the 1960s, the Australian church programs, drug and alcohol rehabilita- pope by calling the historic Second has suffered a decline in vocations to tion, specialist Aboriginal services, Vatican Council (1962–1965). Although the religious life, leading to a priest education and family support. he did not live to see it to completion, shortage. On the other hand, Catholic dying in 1963, its recommendations education under lay leadership has Melbourne priest Father Bob shook the traditional church to its expanded, and about 20 per cent of Maguire began parish work in the foundations. Australian school students attend a 1970s and became a youth media Catholic school. While the numbers personality in 2004 with the begin- In the film, Father Bob offers his own of nuns serving in Australian health ning of a series of collaborations with account of what Vatican II meant to facilities has declined, the Church has irreverent satirist John Safran on SBS the Catholic Church, the priests and maintained a strong presence in health TV and Triple J radio.1 the people. care. The Sisters of Charity continued their mission among the sick, open- 3. South Melbourne Catholicism was an anachronism, ing Australia’s first HIV/AIDS ward outdated … they were still reading at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, in South Melbourne, an inner Melbourne the Mass in Latin. Then along comes the 1980s. Declining vocations and bayside suburb, is now considered a Pope John XXIII. Three months after increasing complexities in health care desirable place to live. While it still re- he’s elected he jumps up and says technologies and management saw tains a mix of public and private hous- we need to call a council. It’s where religious institutes like the Sisters of ing, it is one of the inner Melbourne SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 all the Catholic bishops get together Charity and Sisters of Mercy amal- suburbs that has been ‘gentrified’ and decide what the rules are. The gamating their efforts and divesting over the past thirty years. The last two idea was to drag the church kicking themselves of daily management of episodes of the television renovation and screaming into the modern world. hospitals. show The Block have been filmed in ‘Open the windows,’ he said, ‘and let South Melbourne and house prices the fresh air in and the stale air out’. Following Vatican II, new styles of min- remain very high. He said the church should join the istry were tried by Australian religious. 5 However, in the 1970s – when Father Bob Maguire began working in the parish of Sts Peter and Paul’s – South Melbourne was a more rundown area harbouring many social problems. Its rows of terraces had not then been bought and done up by young people looking to live in a period-style house close to the city centre. Rows of old houses designated as slums had been bulldozed for high-rise public hous- which religious organisations use ing to accommodate families who social media and connect with had migrated to Australia, as well as young people? families who had previously lived in 9. Do you think there is a particular the old workers cottages. There were age at which people should be many people who needed a great deal retired from their job? Why do you of social and financial support. Father think many workplaces (and some Bob Maguire was one of the people workers) think turning sixty-five is a whose welfare programs supported good time to stop working in paid these people. But as the area changed employment? Is the main purpose and the church hierarchy changed, the of work financial? value of the community work of Father 4. Should all schools teach students 10. What can we all learn from the life Bob was sometimes challenged, par- religious education – of a particular experiences of people who are ticularly by economic rationalists and religious faith, through comparative older? those who had a different view of the religions, ethics or not at all? church’s role in the community. Once 5. Should church organisations take STUDENT ACTIVITY land values rise, there is a premium an active role in welfare work and on economic imperatives; all land in helping people who may have Watching the Film and buildings are seen as economic fallen through the cracks of soci- opportunities. ety and are perhaps living on the As you watch this documentary about streets, suffering through a mental Father Bob Maguire, use the Viewing STUDENT ACTIVITY illness, family breakdown, poverty Charts (Tables 1 and 2) to take notes or drug dependence? in response to the general questions. Pre-viewing questions 6. How has the now widely known You may choose to allocate different for discussion and acknowledged abuse of viewing tasks amongst small groups of children by members of various students. Later, share your responses 1. Do you think religious organisa- churches throughout the world and observations with others. tions are relevant in society in – but particularly the Catholic 2013? If so, what is the nature of Church – tarnished the image and STUDENT ACTIVITY their relevance? respect for priests and other mem- 2. For what reasons do people attend bers of religious orders? In following the story of the last
religious centres and churches to 7. Given the continuing decline of three years of Father Bob’s work SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 worship in a community setting? men and women entering reli- at Sts Peter and Paul’s Church, the 3. What do you believe is the role gious orders and/or training to be documentary also tells the story of the of a religious leader such as a priests, what role might those with factors that led him to becoming the parish priest, a pastor, an imam, a a religious vocation and a desire slightly eccentric, not quite predictable rabbi or any other religious leader? to serve both God and the people or traditional parish priest in South Should they be looked to for opin- have in Australia today? Melbourne. ions and advice on ethical issues? 8. What is your view of the ways in 6 Table 1 – Viewing Chart
Questions Your responses
– Why does Father Bob Maguire’s story matter? – How has he become something of a celebrity priest in Melbourne?
– What approach has been taken by the filmmakers to show the character of their subject?
– What is the focus of this film in relation to Father Bob’s life? How would you characterise ‘the retirement controversy’?
– What kind of documentary is this – cinéma-vérité, observational, fly-on- the-wall / warts and all, a ‘bio-pic’, a film with a particular view to present (and what might that be?), fair and balanced to all those who are party to the disputes and matters in question, i.e. the Melbourne Catholic hierarchy?
– What does the film reveal about the ways in which established and essentially conservative organisations such as the Roman Catholic Church can make life difficult for Catholics who think things should and could be done differently?
– Describe some of the multiple roles a parish priest is expected to take on, e.g. manager of finance and business, celebrant of births, deaths and marriages, counsellor, social support worker and … ?
– Describe any scenes or moments in the film that you thought were especially strong or moving. SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013
– Describe some of the people in the documentary that are important in Father Bob’s life and work, e.g. Frank O’Connor, Costas Vasiliou and Judy Sampson.
7 Table 2 Key experiences Significance
Childhood experiences
Response to the opening up of the Catholic Church post–Vatican II in the 1960s
Working with ‘the unloved and unlovely’
Developing a high profile in the media, particularly through his television and radio work with John Safran
Challenges at Sts Peter and Paul’s church
The ‘retirement issue’ SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 Outreach work in the wider community
8 as the Mayor of the City of Port Philip. Frank resigned from the Parish Council in early 2012 when Father Bob was no longer parish priest.
TONY LONG – member of the Parish Council of Sts Peter and Paul’s, South Melbourne. Along with Frank O’Connor, he has been one of Father Bob’s trusted advisors, whom he refers to as his ‘suits’. Tony resigned from the Parish Council in early 2012, when Father Bob was no longer parish priest.
ARCHBISHOP DENIS HART – Roman • What are the key experiences in currently co-host a radio talk show Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne Father Bob Maguire’s life that have on Triple J: Sunday Night Safran. since 2001. He requested Father formed his approach to his life’s John’s credits include Race around Bob’s resignation on 2 September work? the World (The ABC), John Safran’s 2009, two weeks before Father Bob’s • How is he unlike many Catholic Music Jamboree (SBS), John Safran 75th birthday. Father Bob Maguire an- priests in the way he speaks and vs God (SBS), and John Safran’s Race nounced on his blog on 7 September uses the media? How would you Relations (ABC). 2009 that he would be contesting his describe his way of communicat- invitation to retire. In response, the ing with people, both inside and COSTAS VASILIOU – one of the found- Archbishop sent a media release with outside the church? ing clients of the Father Bob Maguire the following wording: • Use the Key Experiences list in Foundation. Born in 1961, Costas Table 2 to comment on the impor- was homeless at the age of ten when The Code of Canon law, which tance of a range of experiences in Father Bob took him into his care. governs the structure of the Catholic shaping father Bob Maguire’s style Church, provides that when a Parish and convictions. Add any other FRANK O’CONNOR – member of the Priest reaches 75 years of age, that he experiences you think have formed Parish Council of Sts Peter and Paul’s is requested to offer his resignation and shaped his views. Parish, South Melbourne. Frank to the Diocesan Bishop. The Bishop, has extensive experience as a non- after considering all of the circum-
Who’s who in this executive director on a number of stances of the priest and the parish, SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 documentary? not-for-profit boards and currently can decide whether to accept or defer serves on boards in the areas of the resignation. JOHN SAFRAN – radio host and docu- health, housing, aged care and mentary maker. John Safran is a community services. He has been a After negotiations with Father Bob’s long-time collaborator of Father Bob’s. long-term advocate on issues of social ‘suits’, the Archbishop granted Father Together they made the TV series justice, including experience as a local Bob a two-year reprieve to stay on at Speaking in Tongues for SBS and councillor and mayor, most recently Sts Peter and Paul’s Parish, and after 9 an interview on 3AW Melbourne radio with Neil Mitchell committed to con- tributing $20,000 to assist Father Bob in the setting up of his foundation’s new headquarters.
CARDINAL GEORGE PELL – Archbishop Denis Hart’s predecessor as Archbishop of Melbourne. Cardinal George Pell was elevated to the College of Cardinals in 2003.
HENRI SER – a member and leader of Father Bob’s emergency outreach team since the 1980s. He ran Father Bob’s food van stationed outside the Gatwick Private Hotel in St Kilda every A particular ten-year-old boy, Costas Thursday and Sunday night. Vasiliou, elicited some prickly but protective care from Father Bob. Over MEMUZIN RIVER – one of the found- the years there was nothing the boy ing clients of the Father Bob Maguire could do, no matter how infuriating Foundation. Memuzin now works for and chaotic it became, to make Father Father Bob’s Foundation on a part- Bob give up on him, and he continued time basis, helping the next generation to care for Costas despite the trouble of young people in need. it caused him with the Archdiocese. In 1978, Father Bob Maguire and Brother JUDY SAMPSON – Father Bob Maguire’s Presentation College, Windsor. She Alex McDonald started Open Family in administrator. Judy Sampson worked credits Father Bob for giving her the order to address the immediate needs for Father Bob until September 2012 best possible start to her career by be- of Melbourne’s ‘street kids’, young and oversaw Father Bob’s entire move ing the perfect student. people who were either homeless or from Sts Peter and Paul’s into the at risk. Foundation’s new headquarters in The Open Door Albert Park. In 1989, Father Bob started up Some of the programs initiated at Sts Emerald Hill Mission in response to the FATHER JULIAN MESSINA OMF CAP. – Peter and Paul’s Church through the poverty of South and Port Melbourne’s current parish priest of Sts Peter work of Father Bob Maguire: public housing tenants. Emerald Hill and Paul’s, South Melbourne. The Mission provides meals for up to Capuchin Friars signed a ten-year Father Bob devised programs of seventy people five times a week, lease for the South Melbourne Parish interest for troubled young people school cost relief for public housing with the Catholic Archdiocese of and delivered them through mentors children and employs social workers Melbourne in September 2011. The not unlike themselves so they would for outreach work. lease took effect on 1 February, 2012. not feel the long arm of an institu- SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 tion. With mixed success, many of In 2003, he started a third, ready- SISTER MARY KAVANAGH – Sr Mary them remained vulnerable and would response unit, Beyond Care, for former Kavanagh was Father Bob’s primary eventually be lost to drugs. Those that clients of Open Family who have school teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes survived became a lifetime responsi- survived their troubled adolescence Primary School in Armadale, Victoria. bility Father Bob upheld staunchly and but are now faced with a crime- and Sr Mary Kavanagh is a Presentation loyally. drug-related adulthood without Sister and was once the principal of personal, family or community support. 10 He also started the Father Bob The best care comes from those who members in a social situation with Maguire Foundation, with outreach truly understand the community and good community intentions. Friends for street kids, food programs and a culture of the people needing care. In of the Earth leased part of the old scholarship fund that provides funding his own words, Bob sees his work as Galilee Primary School from the to disadvantaged students regardless a ‘life-long attempt to empower teens, Parish of Sts Peter and Paul’s. The of creed or religion. twenty-somethings and even children building underwent a sustainable to be their unique selves… unique retrofit to accommodate several social He opens the Church to all of them contributors in recreating the world enterprises and provided valuable (not that they always take him up on it) and the cosmos’. He believes that community services including the Let and supports their basic needs from the Father Bob Maguire Foundation Me Be Frank café in this now (once) his own and the parish funds. needs to be ‘urgent, sensitive to young public space. peoples’ fragile dreams and flexible in Father Bob’s church in responding to young people of every See Father Bob Maguire’s recent blog action class and creed’. Direct outreach entry concerning the non-renewal work for the Foundation currently of The Commons’ lease:
11 How the Cards Fell – currently at least ten Catholic priests this and the threat of his unpredictable Provoking the Hierarchy working across Australia who have behaviour in the presbytery that had exceeded this nominal age without any been one of the fractious issues with In 2002, the disarray of Father Bob’s issue from Head Office. the Archbishop years before. By now, parish accounts and the distribution of When Father Bob turned seventy-five, the parish volunteers and the people of the parish finances in the community wider South Melbourne had come to projects fuelled tension and ultimately the Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis understand and hold great affection for disputes with the Archbishop and the Hart, saw it as the perfect opportunity Costas. money managers. The Archbishop to be rid of him by enforcing his warned of limits to be imposed if retirement. Despite the history of their The Final Push Father Bob did not allow alternative conflict, it is still an overwhelming arrangements to be made for Costas shock to Bob and the parish. The In September 2011, the Archbishop and immediately curb his spending finality of it precipitates a dark time plays his trump card. Two Capuchin activities. of questioning and emotional turmoil. monks from Sydney visit Father Bob His unfinished business makes it hard to inform him they have signed a Father Bob fought back with wit for him to countenance change and he lease with the Archbishop and the and a healthy disregard for authority, fights to stay on his ‘point-nine of an Melbourne diocese. The Capuchin stamping his financial documents with acre’, his patch of land. Friars are an order of friars from within notations from the gospel to ‘spiritually’ the Roman Catholic Church that is an explain the expenditures. He did not Amongst the confusing array of public offshoot of the Franciscans. Effective fear for himself but fought for what he and media outcry and confusing advice in February 2012, they announce thought right – that this was his job. from his ‘advisor suits’, Father Bob is pressured into signing a ‘resignation that they will be taking possession of Eventually using disciplinary mandates letter’ that gives him a two-year stay of Bob’s Saints Peter and Paul’s Church. they came down hard on him, closing execution. When the storm clouds clear, Father Bob and his Parish Council are his accounts so that Father Bob had to he realises he has signed his life away in devastated. They realise that they are operate his Church and care for those a ‘deal without honour’. to have no say in the destiny of their for whom he had taken responsibility parish and experience firsthand the With a deep sense of rejection and a without access to his usual funds. It Archbishop’s disregard for them. was to be some time before he would fierce need to do all he can in the time turn the situation around and get his he has left, Bob doubled his efforts There is to be no recourse, no parish back on track. But this had made with his Father Bob Foundation and conversation. The Archbishop coolly him vulnerable. According to diocesan bringing one of his long-term dreams states by letter that they are to vacate insiders, there was discussion then into being; the successful creation of Sts Peter and Paul’s by 1 February 2012 about finding a way to be rid of him, the South Melbourne Commons, a and make way for the incoming tenants. but the Archbishop’s advisors believed community hub resident in the old Father Julian Messina of the Capuchins he would elicit pity and cast them as school buildings next to his churchyard will be the new parish priest and the evildoers due to his popularity. They and forty units of public housing on the monks will take over the presbytery and bided their time instead. parish land adjacent to it. introduce their way of doing things. They are blissfully unaware of Father The Archbishop’s Decree Around this time, he also takes in Costas, who had yet again been evicted Bob’s work in progress; the ongoing Parish priests have a ‘nominal’ and was without a home. Father Bob plans for his social justice foundation retirement age of seventy-five, yet this has cared and protected him for the and empowering his parishioners to is almost always ignored and there are past thirty-five years and it had been occupy Catholicism.
STUDENT ACTIVITY • Do the filmmakers seem to have STUDENT ACTIVITY a view of the situation in which The structure and style of Father Bob finds himself as a The heart of the matter the film – telling the story result of the Catholic hierarchy’s decision to push him to retire? Father Bob’s crimes and • How successfully do the different What do you think their view is? misdemeanours as put to him
elements of the film create a pic- • Comment on how effective some by John Safran SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 ture of the complexities of Father of the film’s various scenes are in Bob Maguire, of his life and values reflecting the realities of Father 1. Disobedience to the Church and his conflicts with the Catholic Bob’s situation. hierarchy Church hierarchy? 2. Demystifying that which should • What is the overall sense con- See Table 3 on page 13 and boxed remain mystifying veyed in the film of the nature of information above. 3. Fraternising with other faiths, the Father Bob’s personality and work- poor, the media and generally ing style? consorting with the secular world 12 Table 3
– The rapid-fire eight-minute illustrated history of how the Catholic Church was established – The personal explanation by Father Bob that accompanies the images relating to Vatican II
– The dramatised meetings with John Safran interrogating Father Bob about his life, his choices and his responsibilities – The ‘Angel of Death’ meetings on the beach
– Inside the church and the presbytery (the parish house)
– Outside the church going about his core business
– The voice and humour of Father Bob. What is distinctive about how he sees things and expresses his views?
– The people who come and go in Father Bob’s world
– The musical score SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 – Father Bob alone
13 Father Bob speaks I’m not going to explain to a senior cleric why we’re spending money on the poor. To me that’s offensive, not just intellectually, but religiously and spiritually. They asked me which account is paying for Franklin the dog’s upkeep. • How truthful are these • Are so-called ‘whistleblowers’ accusations? who reveal secrets and lies, ‘spill One of the aspects of clerical training is that you shouldn’t • Do they all fall into the category of the beans’, expose hypocrisy what a Catholic priest should not and dishonesty or ‘call a spade a have a heart and in my case I’ve do? spade’ important in societies and got too much heart. • What is your understanding of the organisations that are increasingly The church needs to change description of Father Bob as a hierarchical and governed by ‘spin’ shape regularly. ’contrarian’? and hypocrisy? All the saints were rebels. • Do you think any of the ‘charges’ Safran reads out offer a true ac- STUDENT ACTIVITY Peter stands for stability – that’s count of why the Catholic hierar- the Archbishop – you’ve got to chy was keen to see Father Bob All we are saying is ‘give priests a have law and order. Paul stands resign from his position as Parish chance’. for creative chaos. priest at Sts Peter and Paul’s They would dearly like to get Church? See quotes to the right. me out of a structured position What other reasons might the within their church because I’m Catholic hierarchy have for prefer- • What do these statements reveal an embarrassment, not because ring not to have Father Bob remain about the fundamental nature of what I do but because of the in charge of the Parish of Sts Peter of Father Bob’s dispute with the style, which is not clerical. and Paul’s church? Catholic hierarchy? • How does the stoush between the • Name any other individuals in The unloved and the unlovely high-profile champion of the poor society who could be described have their own biosphere and the church hierarchy symbol- as non-conformists, dissidents, in which they live. They’re ise the divisions within Melbourne whistleblowers, radicals, contrar- unworldly. They have a glorious Catholicism, between formal cleri- ians or loose cannons, e.g. Julian ordinariness. calism and inclusive ministry? Assange of WikiLeaks or Nelson I’m angry because of the mess • What does Archbishop Denis Hart Mandela. they have made of my church. claim about Father Bob’s manage- • Do you think it is important that ment of Parish finances? How individuals take a stand against an You’ve got this clash of cultures does Father Bob counter these institution’s practices when they between what would Jesus do assertions? believe the organisation is failing and what would the Roman • What is Father Bob’s expressed to behave ethically and honestly Pope do. I believe in heaven
view of Cardinal George Pell, in serving their clients, custom- but I don’t know what shape it SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 Australia’s most senior Catholic ers, constituents or congregation? is. The Kingdom of Heaven is leader, who preceded Denis Hart When should individuals ‘cross the among us now. as Archbishop of Melbourne? line’ by speaking out about what Jesus was a threat to the clerics so What are two of the areas of they perceive to be ‘wrong direc- they did what clerics are good at church life where Father Bob tions’ or unsound work practices? – got into bed with the secular believes he did not play by the Some of the ethical questions • powers. church’s unwritten rules? Father Bob has made public 14 comment about in relation to of- ficial church practices include: gay marriage, abortion, female priests, clerical celibacy, rigid religious education, sexual abuse within the church and forcible retirement. Might Father Bob’s public discus- sions about these important ethical issues have made him a target for the Catholic Church, a person to be denied a platform to express divergent views?
Opposing Views
Read the following information about suggest about the fundamental was seventy-four, the median age the Catholic Church’s recent excom- and conservative beliefs of the cur- of religious brothers was seventy- munication of Melbourne Catholic rent Catholic bureaucracy? one and 65 per cent of all clerical priest Father Greg Reynolds. This religious were aged sixty and over.4 report is from the Age newspaper (see STUDENT ACTIVITY
If Father Reynolds and his ‘Inclusive Catholics’ wish to stray so far from the doctrines and worship of the church that Christ himself started, then they should do like so many others have done before them – leave the Catholic Church and start another Protestant Christianity. Christ ordained twelve men, not women, to his priesthood. The church has a role for women in the church as leaders and
teachers of the faith. And if women desire they can SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013 devote their lives to Christ by becoming nuns. The magisterium of the church is the foundation and pillar of the truth, not individual parishes. The church has seen empires come and go – these times will too, and Christ’s church and her 2000 years of unchanged doctrines will still be here. David Howard3 15 • What are some of the factors that overarching themes that will be illumi- Sunday Night Safran:
16 This study guide was produced by ATOM. (© ATOM 2013) ISBN: 978-1-74295-360-1 [email protected] For information on SCREEN EDUCATION magazine, or to download other study guides for assessment, visit
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