Cardinal Pell

George Pell (born 8 June 1941) is an Australian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the eighth and current Archbishop of Sydney, serving since 2001. He previously served as auxiliary bishop (1987–96) and archbishop (1996–2001) of the Archdiocese of Melbourne. He was created a cardinal in 2003.

Climate change denial
In a February 2006 speech on Islam, Pell argued that:


 * "Some of the hysteric and extreme claims about global warming are also a symptom of pagan emptiness, of Western fear when confronted by the immense and basically uncontrollable forces of nature. Belief in a benign God who is master of the universe has a steadying psychological effect, although it is no guarantee of Utopia, no guarantee that the continuing climate and geographic changes will be benign. In the past pagans sacrificed animals and even humans in vain attempts to placate capricious and cruel gods. Today they demand a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

In a 2007 article for The Sunday Telegraph, Pell wrote that while climate had changed, he was '"certainly sceptical about extravagant claims of impending man-made climatic catastrophes, because the evidence is insufficient".

Responding to the Anglican bishop and environmentalist George Browning, who told the Anglican Church of Australia's general synod that Pell was out of touch with the Catholic Church as well as with the general community, Pell stated:


 * "Radical environmentalists are more than up to the task of moralising their own agenda and imposing it on people through fear. They don't need church leaders to help them with this, although it is a very effective way of further muting Christian witness. Church leaders in particular should be allergic to nonsense..... I am certainly sceptical about extravagant claims of impending man-made climatic catastrophes. Uncertainties on climate change abound ... my task as a Christian leader is to engage with reality, to contribute to debate on important issues, to open people's minds, and to point out when the emperor is wearing few or no clothes."

In 2011 he delivered the annual Global Warming Policy Foundation lecture.

Other views
In an Australian TV debate against atheist Richard Dawkins Pell argued that "no people in history had been punished more than the Germans"

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Global Warming Policy Foundation
 * Global warming skeptics

External resources

 * George Pell, "Vanishing Challenge", July 18, 2010.
 * George Pell, "One Christian Perspective on climate change", The Global Warming Policy Foundation 2011 Annual GWPF Lecture, Westminster Cathedral Hall, October 26, 2011.
 * George Pell, "Can our Babel succeed? Questioning the moral dimension of climate change", Religion and Ethics, ABC, November 9, 2011.


 * Graham Readfearn, "Cardinal Pell’s mine of climate misinformation", Graham Readfearn blog, February 23, 2011.