Now I thought Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore was a catholic. I remember walking passed the St Francis of Assisi Church in Paddington, Sydney, one Sunday some years ago, and seeing Clover standing outside chatting with the parish priest, after a service.

I was therefore surprised to read that Clover is now blocking the use of Sydney’s Hyde Park after World Youth Day organisers failed to pay a $150,000 bond for the park’s use during Pope Benedict XVI’s Sydney visit next month.

“The City supports the event, but not at the expense of our most famous park,” the Lord Mayor said. “WYD organisers have applied to install structures in many parts of Hyde Park, some of which will be in place from June 20 to August 1. There is no question that many of the grassed areas of Hyde Park will need to be re-turfed after this event but now, just weeks before it’s due to start, organisers are backing down on a commitment to fully fund the cost of restoring Hyde Park to its pre-WYD condition.

Maybe Hyde Park will be the place to seek refuge during WYD events, since Randwick is pretty much going to be a no-go zone for the weekend of the Pope’s visit.