One of the quiet giants of the Labor party
"He gently tried to recruit me, of course, as he tried to recruit Tony Abbott," Archbishop Fisher said.
Mr Carr quoted Mr Johnson on some Labor leaders: "He was charmed by Kristina and thought she lived in theological error", "He saw [Opposition leader] Luke Foley as an altar boy of great promise", "he thought Mr Hawke and Paul Keating matched Chifley and Curtin".
We owe him a lot': ALP's Johno farewelled
Both sides of politics have turned up to farewell John 'Johno' Johnson, the man described as "the heart, soul and sinews" of the NSW Labor party, at his state funeral.
More than 1600 mourners filled St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney on Friday to farewell the man former NSW premier Bob Carr described as "a character with character".
Dignitaries at the funeral were led by NSW Governor David Hurley.
Politicians included former Labor prime minister Bob Hawke and other former premiers Barry Unsworth, Nathan Rees and Morris Iemma.
Politicians included former Labor prime minister Bob Hawke and other former premiers Barry Unsworth, Nathan Rees and Morris Iemma.
Mr Johnson's political foes, but personal friends, former Liberal prime minister Tony Abbott and former Liberal premier Barry O'Farrell also attended.
Mr Johnson, who served as the NSW upper house president from 1978 to 1991, and won respect from all sides of politics, died in Sydney last Wednesday aged 87.
Born in Murwillumbah in 1930, the trade union official entered parliament in 1976.
He was a staunch Catholic and made a papal knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great in 2006. In 2015 Pope Francis promoted him to the top echelon of the award.
Mr Carr delivered the eulogy saying the separation of Church and State was not a fetish for Johno, saying "he adored the Cross on the Calvary and rallied to the Light on the Hill".
"I owe you a lot, I said on my first and last visits to Johno on his sick bed," Mr Carr said.
"We all owe him a lot," he told the service.
Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher also paid tribute to Mr Johnson describing him as a man of integrity, who was a faithful servant of both his church and his party.
Referring to his fame for ALP fundraising, Archbishop Fisher said he "could picture Johno at the Pearly Gates selling raffle tickets to St Peter".
A poignant moment during Friday's funeral came when Mr Johnson's great grandson was lifted up to place the politicians' trademark trilby hat on the pile of white flowers on his coffin.
“Johno was a true believer — a decent man, with deep commitments, a man who practised what he preached with energy and compassion,” Reverend Fisher said.
John Richard “Johno” Johnson, spent 25 years in the New South Wales Legislative Council, including 13 years as president between 1978 and 1991. He retired from politics in 2001 and was given lifetime membership of the Labor Party.
“There are very few selfless people in this world but Johno was one of them.”
Words like that might be expected to flow easily from one of any number of people within the Labor party or the trade union movement about one of their own. Instead the tribute came someone not normally sympathetic to the Labor Party: former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, after hearing of the passing of former NSW Labor Party stalwart John (popularly known as ‘Johno’) Johnson The Johno effect Sydney mourns a remarkable man