MORE DETOX, NOT SAFE ROOMS

The Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Dr George Pell, has repeated his
opposition to heroin injecting rooms, calling instead for better
detoxification and rehabilitation programs.

In a wide-ranging speech last night to the Institute of Public
Affairs, Dr Pell also said pro-monarchy forces had used "an age-old
imperial tactic to divide and rule" in the recent referendum, and
warned they would "continue to act as spoilers, to prevent any
republican model from being accepted by the people".

Dr Pell was speaking about the role of the church in politics, which
he described as a vexed discussion.

He several times mentioned the difficulty for the church in
understanding what level of cooperation it should have with government
initiatives on drugs and other social issues.

"Drug taking is a scourge. Present measures are not working, and no
quick, easy solutions are at hand," Dr Pell said. "Certainly more
facilities for those willing to enter detoxification and
rehabilitation programs are needed. This is surely the better, though
harder, approach. The church's ethic is not one of harm-minimisation
and acceptance of wrong-doing."

The Catholic leader told the audience the church's obligation to a
moral dimension was too easily overlooked, and the heroin injecting
rooms were not an isolated case.

Dr Pell said the church needed to remain mindful of Christ's example
of not becoming embroiled in politics, although it was clearly
appropriate for church leaders to encourage people to contribute to
the political process.