"Cardinal Newman is a most important figure today," the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, told me during a private visit to quiet Quarr Abbey, the Benedictine monastery, near Ryde on the Isle of Wight.

"Many of the issues that Newman was writing about in the 19th century are now being played out more generally in the life of the Catholic Church in the 20th and 21st centuries," he said, "Newman's letter to the Duke of Norfolk on the topic of conscience, his Development of Doctrine, and the role of lay people in the Church are still crucial issues today."

The Australian cardinal said his personal interest in Newman dates back to his time as a seminarian in the 1960s. "I was secretary and president of the Newman Society when I was a student at the Propaganda Fide College in Rome. I edited the Newman magazine. I have read a lot of Newman and I have written and spoken about Newman many times.

Cardinal Pell is hosting the 23rd World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney during July. Asked what message of encouragement he had for young Catholics who are struggling to practise their Catholic faith in today’s secular and materialist society, he paused for a moment and replied.

"My central concerns are religious and my task as a priest is to preach Jesus Christ and to try to explain the person and the teaching of Jesus Christ to young people. My interest in other matters follows as a consequence of Christian teaching. I do not know too much about the present situation in the UK but two things are encouraging.

"One is the increase in the number of worshipping Catholics through Polish and other overseas immigration. Secondly is the fact that forces our trying to push the Christian viewpoint out of public life and discussion. English people don’t like being pushed around, especially young English Catholics. These hostile pressures will help to produce a healthy reaction."

Cardinal Pell added: "I would encourage young Catholics in the UK and Ireland to come to Australia for World Youth Day. We are on the other side of the world geographically but the way of life is very similar.

"I would urge them to come for two reasons. First of all to strengthen their own faith and secondly to help strengthen the faith of young Australians. My hopes are that the World Youth Day 2008 will showcase the Catholic package and will strengthen the faith and goodness of many, many young people."

Young people found the last World Youth Day held in Germany during 2005 to be rather chaotic. Did he think arrangements in Sydney would run more smoothly? "We organised a successful Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 but a World Youth Day is not a success because it is well organised.

"Cologne was a big success both spiritually and religiously but certainly some of the organisation did not match my stereo type of Germany efficiency. We believe in Australia that we are pretty competent organisers. I have said on a number of times in Australia that our bigger challenge is for the World Youth Day to be a spiritual success."

The calm silence of the cloisters at Quarr Abbey was only broken by the sound of the bell ringing to call the monks to prayer.