He gave new theological genre to church

National Catholic Reporter, Jan 6, 1995 by Arthur Jones

The synod was explained:

November 1985: "Right from the start of this 18-day summit meeting, Pope John Paul II made it clear who was in charge and what he wanted: two meetings, of the College of Cardinals and then the synod, rolled into one. ... John Paul went so far as to claim that the College of Cardinals was better able to express the spirit of the (Second Vatican) council (1962-65) than the synod of bishops."

He would file his story, banged out on a tinny British-made Lion portable with threadbare ribbon. Often enough, hours later, when they still had to file their stories, other reporters would seek him out for insights, background, facts. And he loved, in such settings, to hold forth. He signaled his views with a puff of disgust, a hiss of regret or a snort of disdain.

Our friendship fractured. We were of an era when booze and journalism went together. I'd switched in the 1960s to wine and beer only. In Rome, concerned for his health, I strongly urged Peter to stop drinking. It was a bitter confrontation. Later, not because of me, he did stop drinking but only for a while.

For years thereafter we were civil; only in the last year or so had some of the old cordiality returned. We were back to telephone chats.

Three weeks before his death - the reason for the call completed - we talked about our children. Oh, how he loved his three, Dominic, Cordelia and Benedict.

Their dad was a wizard with words, but it was the children he loved. And those were the words he most wanted to say - words which, in all probability, he never found time for. He was always so busy elsewhere.

As he told NCR readers in July, 1975, just before he came aboard as a correspondent: "Is there no (Vatican) accountability, other than to God, in the church? There is need for constant evaluation of the church's policies, especially in its central administration. Who is to do it? Unofficially, the task is left to journalists, who put their heads on the block every time they write."

And that he did. Very well indeed.