Cardinal George Pell of Australia says Benedict is sick and deteriorating rapidly

(1 Mar 2013) SHOTLIST
1. Wide of St. Peter's Basilica
2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
"He (Benedict XVI) knows his history better than I do, he recognises this represents something of a change in tradition and you could say in a mild way, it destabilises, changes 600 years of tradition. "
3. Wide of newspapers with articles on Pope's departure
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
"And you only have to look at him to see how sick he looks. I don't know whether he is, but how weak and he's deteriorated even in the last couple of months."
5. Medium of Swiss Guards at Vatican gate
6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
"I hope we don't move to a succession of Popes who resign quickly. The mystique of the successor of Peter, I think, is remarkable, it's something founded in the scriptures, Peter, the rock man, we believe it comes from the will of Christ, I wouldn't want to see the successor of Peter popping in and out, now I am sure (Boston) Cardinal (Sean) O'Malley wasn't suggesting that. The instinct I suspect of a number of Cardinals would be to look at a somewhat younger person than Cardinal Ratzinger was when he was elected Holy Father, I think at the age of 78."
7. Pan close of newspaper headline reading (Italian) "Scandals and arguments will stay out of the Sistine chapel".
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
"Problems there have been, problems there are, and this is one factor that has to be addressed as the new Pope comes into office."
9. Close photo in newspaper of Cardinals in last meeting with Pope Benedict XVI
10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
"It would be useful to have a Pope who can pull the show together, lift the morale of the curia, and strengthen a bit of the discipline there and effectively draw on all the energies and goodness of the great majority of the people in the curia. "
11. Pan of Cardinal George Pell standing with Vatican in background
12. Medium of Papal apartment in Apostolic palace.
STORYLINE
Sydney Cardinal George Pell on Friday clarified comments he made that the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI was destabilising, acknowledging the departing Pope's deterioration in health.
"He (Benedict XVI) recognises this represents something of a change in tradition and you could say in a mild way, it destabilises, changes 600 years of tradition," Pell said on Friday.
However he added that Benedict clearly did not look well and had "deteriorated even in the last couple of months".
Speaking to the Assocaited Press on the first day of the Sede Vacante - when the Vatican is without a Pope, Pell said he hope Benedict's resignation did not lead to " a succession of Popes who resign quickly" and he said he suspected that cardinals would be looking to choose "a somewhat younger person than Cardinal Ratzinger was when he was elected Holy Father...at the age of 78."
Cardinal Pell also addressed the question of the reports of a dysfunctional Vatican curia, the scandal known as Vatileaks in which the Pope's butler was convicted of stealing documents from the Papal apartment and giving them to a journalist. Pell noted that not all the curia was failing, but the next Pope would have to make some efforts to improve the administration of the Vatican.
"It would be useful to have a Pope who can pull the show together, lift the morale of the curia, and strengthen a bit of the discipline there and effectively draw on all the energies and goodness of the great majority of the people in the curia, " he said.


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