POPE John Paul II made it a point to leave an important message of hope wherever he travelled.
His most significant legacy to Australia was during his 1986 visit when he addressed the significant place of the indigenous people in this country and the need for the Church and, indeed all Australians, to embrace them.
He was a pioneer of Aboriginal reconciliation, even before it was a “fashionable” cause.
His message still echoes 20 years later as a reminder of “unfinished business”.
As indigenous and Church leaders gather in Alice Springs this week to recall the Pope’s 1986 address, it is timely to reassess how far we have all come in our efforts towards reconciliation.
