Run by Father Peter Kennedy, the vibrant and strong church community of St Mary's - where women are allowed to preach and homosexual couples can have their relationships blessed - has long been a thorn in the conservative Catholic Church's side.
Just a note in passing - beware of anything that describes itself as "vibrant." That's today's word for "insanely heretical."
Our cries are heard, after all. Things may be changing in Rome.
I'm a little familiar with the Brisbane archdiocese and I consider Bathersby to be an empty cassock. He's certainly no Pell. The fact that the "very right wing parishioner" had to contact the Vatican at all, tells you all you need to know about this cleric. In a sane world, this should have taken one telephone call to the Archbishop's office and that statue should have been out of there, pronto.
Rome telling Bathersby to take action is a large but well deserved kick in the butt for this prevaricator.
I can neither condone this behavior nor get particularly upset about it.