16. July 1999

‘News From The Pews’
Issue No.16, 23 July 1999, St Stephen’s Cathedral
Check the ‘News From The Pews’ web site: www.ozemail.com.au/~trps
“Moral Confusion …”
“… And last year was a watershed in the
Australian church, with a 22-page Statement
of Conclusions issued jointly by Vatican
officials and the Australian bishops reporting
that a “crisis of faith” had enveloped the
Australian church. It bore the undeniable
imprint of the John Paul/Ratzinger
worldview, explaining how and why the
“crisis” had led to declining attendances,
theological dissent, and widespread moral
confusion …”. (Of Cardinal Importance,
Paul Gray, Courier Mail, 10 July 1999, p. 19)
Nowhere in Australia is this moral confusion
more in evidence than in Brisbane’s St
Stephen’s Cathedral and in its cross-cultural
“mystery” shrine “The Human Search For
God” – a shrine which archbishop John
Bathersby appears incapable of either
defending or explaining.
So, how did the shrine get into St Stephen’s
in the first place? Why was it put it there?
Why does Archbishop Bathersby not have it
removed? And, why does the archbishop
fail to publicly explain or defend the shrine?
These are the questions we examine in this
and coming issues.
The Evidence
Over the past year or so, in examining the St
Stephen’s Cathedral shrine “The Human
Search For God”, we have seen how the
artwork in the shrine is embedded with
hidden occult and sexual meanings and is
deeply offensive to traditional Aboriginal and
Catholic spirituality.
In previous issues, “News From The Pews”
has shown:
• that its presence in St Stephen’s is in
breach of church law
• the “Eliza Fraser Heads 4 Trouble” reading
• the mocking “black cock/_a_too” reading
• the “L_u_c_i_f_e_r” reading
• the “C _ _ _” reading
• the secret-sacred “K_u_n_a/_pipi” reading
• how the sign complements these readings
• how Cathedral artist Ms Fiona Foley
breached Aboriginal customary law in a
number of ways, including appropriating
and inappropriately re-working ritual
knowledge from her earlier works, “Moon
Fish”, “Gunabibi 3” & “Maningrida”
• how Ms Foley cross-matched that ritual
knowledge with the demonic ritual
knowledge of the “hard core” western
occultist Aleister Crowley, making specific
reference to –
- “witchcraft”
- “the false moon of the sorceress”, and
- Crowley’s “Liber Samekh”/
“Congressus cum Daemone” ritual.
Archbishop’s Claim
Perhaps the most curious element of the
whole affair has been the claim made in a
statement by Archbishop Bathersby that he,
“… is very happy that it (the shrine) is there.
It is a fitting tribute to the Aboriginal people
who originally owned the land on which the
Cathedral is built. As well it acknowledges
the Aboriginal people’s search for God.”
(Archbishop’s Statement, 29 June 1998)
So, why does no-one come forward to
support His Grace’s claim?
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Traditional Owners
There are a number of reasons why no
traditional owners of “the land on which the
Cathedral is built” have come out in support
of His Grace’s “tribute” claim, including:
1. There are the shrine’s breaches of
Aboriginal customary law, to which we have
referred a number of times. No traditional
owner will come forward to support a
“tribute” which itself breaches Aboriginal law.
2. In similar vein, there is the calculated
mockery of traditional Aboriginal law and
spirituality, (see NFTP No. 14). No
traditional owner can support the mockery of
another traditional owner’s law or spirituality.
3. Aboriginal art is about land. The art itself
contains a land claim element. Mixing a
land claim relating to the Brisbane
archdiocese with a reference to “Kunapipi”
(appropriated from the Northern Territory) is,
in Aboriginal terms, grossly and calculatingly
offensive.
4. We have previously seen that the “shrine”
expresses a certain kind of “New Age” Koori
perspective. This perspective is one which
finds acceptable a mixing of Aboriginal
beliefs and practices with those from the
western occult, including the likes of Aleister
Crowley. This perspective is deeply
offensive to traditional Aboriginal people. In
supporting the presentation of this
perspective in St Stephen’s, Archbishop
Bathersby is staking out a divisive position in
relation to the Aboriginal community.
“Tribute” and Aboriginal Protocol
For a “tribute” to be acceptable to traditional
Aboriginal owners, the owners would have
had to be involved in the tribute from the
outset. Their permission would have been
essential. Considerable discussion,
consultation and negotiation would have
been necessary, both between the church
and the traditional owners and within the
traditional owning community.
The Brisbane archdiocese has a wealth of
knowledge about Aborigines and Aboriginal
culture. It is not remotely likely that the
church somehow naively overlooked
Aboriginal protocol when it installed the
shrine.
A “New Age” Koori Perspective
One of the more intriguing aspects of the
shrine is the particular “New Age” Koori
perspective which it expresses. As we have
seen, this particular perspective does not
respect traditional Aboriginal spirituality nor
Christian spirituality nor the Catholic Church.
“New Age” influences in the Catholic church
are not a new phenomenon. The “New Age”
in the church is a known quantity. A great
deal has been written about the subject.
What is unusual about this shrine, however,
is that the “New Age” content is specifically
sourced, via Crowley’s unique codes and
numerology, to Crowley himself and his cult.
If you know how Crowley’s codes work, the
meaning of this otherwise obscure shrine is
laid bare. This is not your average or run-ofthe-mill
“New Age” influence. This is from
the hard core “Crowleyan” occult – and it is
on public display in St Stephen’s.
“Moral Confusion”
Now that we are all able to see the nature of
the “mystery” shrine in St Stephen’s, the key
question has become one of where
Archbishop Bathersby himself stands.
• Why has His Grace not denied any of
NFTP revelations?
• How can he allow such an offensive shrine
to stay in place?
• Does he stand with Crowley’s
“spirituality”?
• Does he stand with the other disparaged
parties - the traditional Aborigines and the
Catholic Church?
• Or, is His Grace nowhere to be seen?
Tim Pemble-Smith
3 – 111 Central Avenue, Indooroopilly Q 4068
after hours: (07) 3871 2047
Want NFTP by mail or e-mail? For e-mail, let
NFTP know at: trps@ozemail.com.au
Current & all back issues are available on the
Internet at the ‘News From The Pews’ web site:
www.ozemail.com.au/~trps
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