Five people who mattered this week

Ombudsman Allen Asher exited his office with his tail between his legs after his much-publicised collusion with the Greens, Sydney's Cardinal George Pell went to Rome to celebrate the opening of his $30 million pilgrim centre, and Alan Jones conceded that his call to put the Prime Minister in a chaff bag and throw her out to sea was kind of harsh. Meanwhile South Australia's long-serving premier, Mike Rann, called it a day, and Libya's former dictator Moamar Gaddafi has been killed by rebel fighters who overran his last bastion in Sirte. This is The Power Index's roll call of people who mattered this week.

1. Commonwealth Ombudsman Allan Asher admitted that he made a big mistake when he scripted questions for Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, owning that his actions damaged the reputation of his office. Back in May, Mr Asher provided Senator Hanson-Young with pre-scripted questions to ask him at a committee hearing, as a means of raising questions about the Gillard government's treatment of asylum-seekers. Given Bob Carr described the Ombudsman's behaviour as "indefensible" and "plain unethical", we suspect Mr Asher quit just in time to avoid a parliamentary axing.

2. Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal George Pell and 36 Australian bishops gathered in Rome for the official opening of Domus Australia, Pell's new multi-million dollar pilgrim centre in Rome. A destination for devotees of the Catholic Church, the complex is intended to strengthen Australia's profile in the Vatican and combines a 32-bed hostel with a chapel decorated with Australian artwork and symbols.

3. Sydney's favourite shock jock Alan Jones admitted to the Press Club that his suggestion Julia Gillard be tied in a chaff bag, taken out to sea and thrown overboard was inappropriate after launching a blistering attack on the coal seam gas industry. He also apologised for inferring that ACT police hadn't done their job at the Convoy of No Confidence protest rally in August but maintained that he was fully justified to to call politicians – such as Rob Oakeshott and Sarah Hanson-Young – "braindead" and "dopes".

4. Long-serving MP Mike Rann has cleaned out his desk after being told by faction bosses that his time was up and will hand over the top job to his Education Minister Jay Weatherill. The man often dubbed "media Mike" for his spinning skills and love of Twitter has continued to list his achievements since coming to office in 2002 to any one who'll listen; already displaying symptoms of Relevance Deprivation Syndrome.

5. Libya's former dictator Moamar Gaddafi has been captured and killed in Sirte after being found hiding in a cement drainpipe as regime forces and ordinary Libyans marked the end of the eight-month war. Thousands of people have been murdered or imprisoned during Gaddafi's rule and the news of his death has sparked manic celebrations across the country.