How times change. Early in the 20th Century, it was Protestant Orangemen who warned Australians not to vote for a Catholic. In the early 21 Century, such warnings are now delivered by a former Catholic priest in a publication of the Jesuit Order.
As Eureka Street readers who have followed my work will know, I have been a considered critic of the late B. A. Santamaria over the past three decades. This is evident in my book Mr Santamaria and the Bishops — and elsewhere. However, I am concerned about the extent to which Santamaria's many opponents have exaggerated the case against him and those who associated with him.
Paul Collins is a case in point. In his article titled 'Abbott and Santamaria's undemocratic Catholicism', Collins projects his considerable dislike of B. A. Santamaria onto the Opposition leader Tony Abbott. In his piece, Collins makes a number of assertions — none of which are documented. They deserve correction or clarification.
Collins claims that Cardinal George Pell is 'another self-proclaimed disciple of Santamaria'. I am not aware that George Pell has ever said that he was a 'disciple' of Santamaria. Nor am I aware that Abbott has ever declared himself as one of Santamaria's 'disciples' — although he has described Santamaria as 'my first political mentor'.
Collins asserts that 'essentially Santamaria embraced a form of theological integralism'. I am not aware that Santamaria ever proclaimed such a commitment.
Collins maintains that Santamaria 'refused to recognise that there were other equally sincere Catholics who had other theological ideas about the relationship of the church to the world and the state, people like Archbishop Justin Simonds, Dr Max Charlesworth, the YCW and the Catholic Worker group'.
In fact, Santamaria did not doubt the sincerity of the people named by Collins. He just happened to disagree with them on politics. That's all. The late Xavier Connor (who was associated with the Catholic Worker group) told me that he enjoyed a warm personal relationship with Santamaria — despite the fact they had disagreed on the relationship between religion and politics for decades.
Collins' claim that 'integralism has much in common with Italian Fascism, Franco's Spain or Salazar's Portugal' is a cheap shot. First, Collins identifies Santamaria with integralism. Then he links integralism with Italian Fascism. Quite a debating trick, when you think about it.
Santamaria, like the rest of us, had many faults. But support for Italian Fascism was not one of them — and Collins has not supplied any evidence to the contrary.
Collins links Santamaria's support for immigration to 'the mantra "populate or perish" with its racist overtones'.
Another cheap shot. There is no evidence whatsoever to support the view that Santamaria was in any sense racist. Indeed Santamaria and his colleagues were ahead of both the Labor and Liberal parties in advocating the abolition of the White Australia Policy.
Collins opines that 'Abbott is wrong to suggest that [integralism] has made Australian Catholicism "more intellectual"'. I am not aware that Abbott has ever commented on integralism — and Collins does not quote any sources in support of his implied assertion. This is mere verballing.
So, what is the point of Paul Collins' Eureka Street piece? It seems that he is saying that Abbott and the Coalition should not be supported at the election on Saturday because, by the process of 'osmosis', Abbott might have absorbed Santamaria's integralism without knowing it. That's about it.
The fact is that Santamaria discouraged Abbott from seeking Liberal Party pre-selection. Moreover, during his years as a minister in the Howard Government, Abbott did not act as an integralist Catholic — whatever that might mean.
Gerard Henderson is executive director of the Sydney Institute.