No Media please, we're Catholic!

Poor Barney. Imagine arriving at the steps of St Patrick's Cathedral, star of the ABC Lessons and Carols for Christmas Eve, and find that there is no room at the inn for the media!

Here is his report in today's edition of The Age:

The Age is unable to describe the solemn pontifical Mass at St Patrick's Catholic Cathedral because new dean Gerard Johnson has imposed a policy of refusing media entry without written permission. Unfortunately he only advised us of this new policy on the steps of the cathedral seconds before the service began.

Dean Johnson has worked hard this year to maintain the character of the Cathedral as an house of prayer. He has placed up signs in various languages asking that due reverence be shown by tourists, placed security guards at the doors during liturgical services to admit worshippers only, and placed up fences around the Cathedral precincts to keep skateboarders and others from causing damage and disturbance. I guess this policy is designed to the same purpose.

Now, if Barney had come as a worshipper rather than as a journalist, he would have been admitted with no problems...