The recent death of Fr Gerald O’Collins SJ brings to a conclusion a remarkable life, marked by faithful and faith-filled service to the Catholic Church in Australia and around the world and indeed, through his teaching and scholarship, to the wider Christian family in Australia and beyond.

As a Jesuit priest, teacher and scholar, Fr O’Collins’ constant focus was to share his faith in Jesus, crucified and risen, as the fulness of God’s self-revelation.

He was well-equipped to do so, because of his remarkable ability to hold in tension the very best of biblical scholarship and the richness of the Church’s living and developing Tradition.

His skills as a writer and communicator enabled him to express this powerful synthesis in an attractive and accessible way.

Through his many books and articles, and through his lasting impact on his students, his friends, his colleagues and his religious and natural families, he will continue to be a source of inspiration and faithful discipleship of Jesus for a long time to come.

As we bid farewell to Fr Gerald O’Collins SJ, we give thanks for his life and witness. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

(A statement from Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.)

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