By Marnie O'Neill
Daily Telegraph
July 6, 2008
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23974712-5006009,00.html
THE Pope will spend his first three days in Australia unwinding at a semi-rural retreat run by conservative Catholic organisation Opus Dei where television is banned but guests are permitted to bring their own radios.
Cardinal George Pell yesterday confirmed that Pope Benedict XVI would be taken straight to the Kenthurst Study Centre, on Sydney's north-western outskirts, after flying into Richmond RAAF Air Base next Sunday.
The retreat caters for as many as 30 guests and features tennis, volleyball and basketball courts and a 25m swimming pool. It also has plenty of room to land the helicopter, which the Pope will use to beat Sydney's traffic later in the week.
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| Happy landing ... The Kenthurst Study Centre where the pope will rest. |
While the Pontiff is unlikely to be shooting hoops, he will be able to indulge his love of playing piano and catch glimpses of the Blue Mountains from the many bush trails on the property before beginning his pastoral duties at World Youth Day.
"The venue was chosen as it is a semi-rural location run by the Catholic Church which is in close proximity to Sydney,'' Cardinal Pell said.
"At his time at the Kenthurst Study Centre, he will be resting from his long flight - which is the furthest he has travelled.
"He will be partaking in his daily prayers, and doing some of the things he enjoys, such as playing the piano.''
The centre itself resembles a large country home but features austere decor suited to an Opus Dei residence. The rooms are simple, furnished with just a single bed, desk, sofa and a small heater.
The centre's hospitality manager, Maryanne Woodhead, said World Youth Day organisers contacted Opus Dei and asked if the Kenthurst facility could also accommodate visiting bishops and cardinals.
"We don't know how many there will be but we are on stand-by to cater for a number of visiting dignitaries,'' she said.
"The police are here securing (the compound). There may be dignitaries from politically unstable countries who require additional protection.''
After his three days of private retreat, the Pope will move to Cathedral House in the city to stay with Cardinal Pell for the rest of the week.
Sadly, the view from his room will take in sections of Cook and Phillip Park, which remain under construction.
City authorities are scrambling to complete the forecourt closest to the Archbishop's residence before July 9, when they hand over the site to World Youth Day organisers.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore's office confirmed hoardings around the forecourt near St Mary's Cathedral would be gone tomorrow.
The $10 million refurbishment of the park was intended to be finished by February this year but the completion date has been delayed repeatedly and remains indefinite. The City of Sydney has blamed the delays on wet weather.
Meanwhile, World Youth Day organisers have privately urged the Pope to issue an apology to victims of sexual abuse by church officials.
The plea has been made in a letter from church leaders and sent to the Vatican. It calls on the Pope to make a historic statement on sexual abuse in a list of suggested "live'' issues, including Aboriginal reconciliation, he could address in his Australian speeches.
The Vatican has not yet responded to the list.
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