The beloved social justice advocate and Catholic priest Father Bob Maguire has died at age 88, his foundation has confirmed.
Maguire defiantly and tirelessly advocated for the underdog. Candid and controversial, he brought a legion of new adherents to the church with his distinctive approach and unwavering commitment to feeding and housing the poor, the hungry and the homeless of Melbourne.
Tributes for the larrikin priest poured in on social media, including accolades from premiers, comedians and members of the Catholic church.
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, applauded the work Maguire did for the poor.
“Our nation has just lost a hero,” Chris Minns wrote on Twitter. “The people’s priest. A social justice warrior. And a man who dedicated his life to faith and standing up for those most vulnerable.”
Our nation has just lost a hero.
— Chris Minns (@ChrisMinnsMP) April 19, 2023
The people's priest.
A social justice warrior.
And a man who dedicated his life to faith and standing up for those most vulnerable.
Vale Father Bob Maguire. pic.twitter.com/85v02MeJJI
The secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council, Luke Hilakari, praised Maguire as “a man who always stood with us”.
“You’d see him at picket lines, protests & community actions preaching the good word the way it was meant to be done,” Hilakari wrote. “He goes with all of our love and solidarity. Our flag is at half-mast.”
So sad to hear about the death of Father Bob.
— Luke Hilakari (@lhilakari) April 19, 2023
He was a man who always stood with us.
You’d see him at picket lines, protests & community actions preaching the good word the way it was meant to be done.
He goes with all of our love and solidarity.
Our flag is at half-mast. pic.twitter.com/roWHi2nrN2
Former Victorian state MP Fiona Patten called Maguire “a beautiful human” and thanked him for his help – particularly on unexpected issues.
“I was always humbled by your support even when it came to issues like removing the Lord’s Prayer,” she said.
Maguire’s maverick approach often put him at odds with the very institution he was meant to serve – the Catholic church.
He was first asked to resign at the age of 75 in line with canon law but he refused to back down.
Vale @FatherBob you were a beautiful human who helped thousands changing the lives of many. I was always humbled by your support even when it came to issues like removing the Lord’s Prayer #RIPFatherBob pic.twitter.com/mdCzkkOJU0
— Fiona Patten (@FionaHPatten) April 19, 2023
In 2011, he accused Cardinal George Pell of punishing him for being “open to all” and described his exit as a “dishonourable discharge”.
“George Pell has declared those of us Vatican II-ists to be ‘Cafeteria Catholics’ whereas he and his lot are authentic Catholics,” Father Maguire said at the time.
In 2012 he retired aged 77. To a packed crowd of more than 1,000 people he promised to keep up the good fight.
“I can’t take the church with me, and I don’t have another church to go to, [but] I’m still Bob Maguire the Catholic priest and I’m still Father Bob the citizen,” he said.
His final years as parish priest were depicted in the documentary film In Bob We Trust, which includes snippets of his run-ins with church figures.
“I’m going to explain to a senior cleric why we’re spending money on the poor,” he told film-makers.
“Now to me that’s offensive, not only intellectually but religiously and spiritually.”
For 10 years Maguire worked with comedian John Safran hosting Sunday Night Safran, where radio’s “oddest couple” chatted to religious leaders, conspiracy theorists and extremists about culture and politics.
The pair had a prickly on-air relationship but remained good friends – with Safran visiting Maguire in hospital last month.
“What was Father Bob like privately? Somehow kinder and funnier than he was publicly,” Safran said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
“We somehow ‘fought’ nonstop from the moment the record button was pressed in 2004, through documentaries, radio shows and books, right through to filming this year, but we never once fought.”
— John Safran (@JohnSafran) April 19, 2023
Safran said he once asked Maguire how he remained kind to people who were not always pleasant towards him, to which he replied: “You don’t have to like people to love them.
“I never thought Bob would ever stop making me laugh, but with the sad news of today, he finally has,” Safran said.
Maguire was never afraid to wade into political discussions and in December 2022 said far greater action was needed to be taken on the “national disaster” of homelessness.
“A national characteristic is that we’re kind to one another because we’re a land of migrants, refugees,” he said.
In the same interview, he urged Australians to “brighten up” and focus on what gave them joy.
“You are a child of the universe, you’ve got a right to be here and all the talents needed not only to survive but to flourish,” he said.
“I’m a Collingwood supporter and the motto is ‘Floreat Pica’, ‘let the magpie flourish’, and I think that’s what we have to do not to survive but for God’s sake to flourish!
“Sing and dance in the street … otherwise the dark side says ‘good, I’ve got ’em’.”
