Pubdate: Thu, 16 Dec 1999
Source: Australian, The (Australia)
Copyright: News Limited 1999
Contact:  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/
Author: David Tanner

PRIEST'S CHECK IN THE E-MAIL

THE priest whose e-mail started the chain of events that has thrown the
future of shooting galleries into disarray was overjoyed last night with
the result of his efforts.

Father John George had hoped his e-mail would help to block the planned
shooting gallery for heroin addicts in Sydney's Kings Cross but he never
expected to get a reply from the UN's International Narcotics Control
Board.

When the reply came three days later much to his surprise, since the
narcotics board usually only responds to governments and heads of state
Father George knew it was only a matter of time before the UN body would
act.

"I've set the ball rolling and the rock coming down the mountain is
gathering a lot of moss," he said last night.

It was a bonus that the INCB had written to the Prime Minister rather than
the heads of the state governments considering opening safe injecting
rooms.

Father George, 55, who is chaplain to the Retired Senior Teaching Brothers
of Waverley College in Sydney's east, e-mailed the INCB on August 17. He
decided to act after learning, through its Web site, that the board had
investigated the legality of safe injecting rooms in Switzerland, Germany
and The Netherlands.

While his e-mail asked the INCB for "its view" on the proposed Kings Cross
injecting room, Father George had a deeper philosophical objection which he
did not include in the e-mail.

"I'm personally opposed to the shooting gallery or an injecting room, or
whatever you would like to call it, for the same reasons as the Vatican and
the INCB," he said.

"It creates a weakness of moral standards and an extraordinary danger to
young people."

The priest is also opposed to the Sisters of Charity operating a safe
injecting room, which was proposed at the time. The Sisters have since been
ordered to withdraw from the project.

Father George said he was resigned to having angered those in favour of
opening safe injecting rooms to help addicts and prevent overdoses.

However, he expected that being isolated from the general community would
shield him from negative feedback.

He entered the Catholic church when he was 14 and was ordained as a priest
at 31.
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