MACKILLOP HOUSE TO HELP IN ADDICTS' CARE

The birthplace of the woman destined to be Australia's first saint is
to form a major part of a multi-million-dollar Catholic church
anti-drug initiative.

The church has bought the site of the house in the inner Melbourne
suburb of Fitzroy in which the Blessed Mary MacKillop was born and
will develop it as a support, counselling and referral centre for drug
users and their families.

The announcement of the centre's establishment came yesterday with the
release of a report by the Archdiocesan Drugs Task Force set up in
mid-1999 by Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne George Pell.

A key aspect of the church's latest initiative, which is based on a
parish-by-parish response to local needs, the $2.7 million Mary of the
Cross Centre is meant to be a memorial to the nun who was beatified in
1996.

Dr Pell said two pilot "community strengthening" projects would start
soon in two parishes.

Among its recommendations, the taskforce called for the archdiocese to
negotiate with hospitals and the government to increase detoxification
services, provide more support for the families of drug users and
institute drug and alcohol training for priests.

But Dr Pell said the church opposed supervised injecting
rooms.