Media Release
August 14, 2013

The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (ACMRO) will celebrate Migrant and Refugee week (19-25 August) with a colloquium in honour of Bishop Joe Grech on 22 August, 2013 at Australian Catholic University’s Melbourne Campus (24 Brunswick St, Fitzroy) from 7-9pm. The theme is “Migration and Poverty: Exploring Ethical Solutions.”

Bishop Joe Grech was a tireless advocate for refugees and asylum seekers on behalf of the Bishops Commission for Pastoral Life (BCPL). He passed away suddenly in December 2010, and this is the third colloquium to be held in his memory.

Speaking at the colloquium will be Australia’s former Ambassador to the Holy See Tim Fischer; His Excellency Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Apostolic Nuncio to Australia; and Bishop Gerard Hanna, Bishops’ Delegate for Migrants and Refugees.

Bishop Hanna spoke of the importance of continuing a dialogue and tradition in honour of Bishop Joe Grech, and emphasised its impact on policy-making.

“The Colloquium will take place just two weeks prior to the Federal Election, and it is our hope that all political parties will take the opportunity to listen carefully to what is said here, and to what the Church says about how we must protect the most vulnerable in our society”, he said. Continue reading →

Media Release
August 13, 2013

The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (ACMRO) will launch their annual Parish Resource for the celebration of Migrant and Refugee Week (19-25 August) at Australian Catholic University in Strathfield on 19 August at 10am.

The Parish Resource is developed each year by ACMRO as a way of sharing and encouraging reflection on crucial information about migration, and the teaching of the Catholic Church in this area.

This year’s theme for the resource is taken from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s Message for the World Day for Migrants and Refugees: “Migrations: Pilgrimage of Faith and Hope.”

Bishops’ Delegate for Migrants and Refugees Bishop Gerard Hanna says that migration is deeply linked with faith, and that this year’s parish resource reflects that.

“Faith and hope are inseparable in the hearts of many migrants, who deeply desire a better life and not infrequently try to leave behind the “hopelessness” of an unpromising future. During their journeys, many of them are sustained by the deep trust that God never abandons his children and this certainty makes the pain of their uprooting and separation more tolerable and even gives them the hope of eventually returning to their country of origin”, he said in a letter introducing the resource. Continue reading →

Media Release, 13 August, 2013

Catholic Earthcare Australia is pleased to announce that we have received funding from the Australian Government’s Energy Efficiency Information Grants Program. The grant was awarded to Catholic Earthcare based on our strategy for the formation of a National Energy Efficiency Not-for-Profit (NEEN) Network that informs and supports energy efficiency awareness in the Australian not-for-profit sector.

The purpose of the NEEN Network Project is to educate, resource and connect small to medium sized, not-for-profit organisations across Australia in their efforts to reduce energy consumption, energy expenditure and ultimately their carbon footprint. Continue reading →

“We must ensure the participation of indigenous peoples – women and men – in decision-making at all levels. This includes discussions on accelerating action towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals and defining the post-2015 development agenda” – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Media Release from NATSICC, 9 August 2013

Click here to view a photo gallery of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People (9 August) was first proclaimed by the General Assembly in December 1994, to be celebrated every year during the first International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (1995 – 2004).

This year’s theme resonates strongly as we strive for Constitutional Recognition in this country. NATSICC has long echoed UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s call for the participation of Indigenous people in making decisions that directly impact on the lives of our people. It is about giving people the opportunity to control their future and that of their children. Catholic social teaching calls for trust to be placed on the least centralised body (ie. the local community) to make decisions, resulting in more relevant and targeted outcomes. The principle builds self determination and leadership within these communities. Continue reading →

Media Release, 12 August, 2013

Photo: Mrs Therese Temby and Bishop O’Kelly in May 2013 at Mrs Temby’s farewell. Photo by Beth Doherty Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) met for the first time on Wednesday 7 August with a new mandate from the Bishops Commission for Catholic Education (BCCE).

After the NCEC meeting Chair of the BCCE, Bishop Greg O’Kelly, celebrated mass at the St Mary of the Cross (MacKillop) Chapel on the St Patrick’s campus of the Australian Catholic University. Mass was followed by a dinner hosted by Bishop O’Kelly to recognise the significant contribution of Mrs Therese Temby and Dr Bill Griffiths to the NCEC and the life of Catholic education in Australia. Mrs Temby was NCEC Chair for 5 years from September 2008 to July 2013. Continue reading →

Media Release, 5 August, 2013

Prisons must contribute to building a safe and just society, by rehabilitating prisoners, and successfully reintegrating them into the community on release.

As the Victorian Government considers Expressions of Interest to build and operate a new prison at Ravenhall in the Western suburbs of Melbourne, the Interchurch Criminal Justice Taskforce has called on the Victorian Government to ensure that the new prison is focused on these key areas.

The Government requirements around the new prison include maximising rehabilitation, and the provision of high quality mental and general health services ,and effective transitional support. Potential providers have been asked to outline how they would approach these and other issues.

“The Government must provide a prison that incorporates best practice in all of the key areas of operation and responsibility”, according to Denis Fitzgerald, chair of the taskforce. “This will require that it take the best of the ideas that are put forward by the various bidders.”

“Investment in good health and rehabilitation is cost effective for the community in the longer term, with reduced crime rates, and increased productivity – cutting costs can jeopardise the building of a safer community.”

“To maximise community safety, the ideas that emerge for best practice must also be incorporated into existing prisons in Victoria.”

The involvement of private operators in running the new prison brings added risks. The longer-term safety of the community may be compromised in the search for financial efficiencies and higher profits.

The Taskforce is also very concerned that the focus on new prisons comes at the expense of a broader efforts to improve community safety by tackling the causes of crime.

Enquiries to Denis Fitzgerald, Chair, Victorian Interchurch Criminal Justice Taskforce 0418 136 372

MEDIA RELEASE: August 5, 2013

Caritas Australia, the Catholic Church’s international aid and development agency that helps some of the world’s poorest people, is extremely disappointed the Australian Government is once again taking much needed overseas aid money to fund the growing costs for their asylum seeker processing policy.

With the Federal Election called at the weekend for September 7, the government also announced a new deal to reportedly permanently resettle a “modest” number of boat arrivals in the small Pacific Island of Nauru.

Caritas Acting CEO, Jamie Davies, called on all political parties to commit to the aid budget rather than continuing to raid its coffers.

“The aid budget is not like a blank cheque, it’s a finite amount of money that the most marginalised around the world rely on,” Ms Davies said.

“We call on the Federal Government to be fully transparent and specify how the cuts and re-allocations are targeted.

“Our aid dollars work hard to improve lives by tackling poverty, injustice and instability – often addressing the conditions that cause families to seek asylum in the first place. Continue reading →

This blog first appeared on the website of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council

By Francis Sullivan

Last week results from a study on more than 3400 telephone calls to the Adults Surviving Child Abuse helpline revealed some heart breaking results.

It reaffirmed much of what we already know: that while abuse within the home represents a very substantial proportion of all cases, abuse within religious settings is still far too prominent.

The research found 63 per cent of callers said a family member had abused them, while eight per cent of respondents were abused in religious settings.

It is terribly sad that so many people have been abused by those closest to them. However, the comparatively low number of sexual abuse allegations in religious settings is absolutely no defense for the Church.

As a church we must continue to work as hard as we can to ensure all children within our organizations are safe and looked after. Continue reading →

The following are some tidbits and reflections from WYD. Follow the links to read more!

This first article first appeared on the Darwin Diocese’s WYD blog

Benita de Vincentiis from Darwin reflects on the Vigil of WYD, where her iPhone was stolen and she ends up praying for the person who stole it!

…..And then the Pope offered some words: “The Cross of Christ is felt here, in Brazil. The Cross of Christ invites us to be smitten by his love, to look upon others with mercy and love.” There it was. And more. “Who are you like, pilate? Simon? or Mary? Jesus is looking at you right now. Do you want him to carry the cross? How do you answer? Let us bring our joy/suffering/tears to the cross of Jesus, to love each person with the same love.” Continue reading →

From Fr Brian Lucas – 25 July 2013

Dealing with historical complaints which came forward in the early 1990s was often complex, challenging and difficult.

There was little in the way of regulation or established procedures and I think it is clear that we underestimated the complexities around offender behaviour and did not appreciate the full impact on victims of such unspeakable and damaging conduct and the difficulties that they encountered bringing their stories forward. The respect given to the wishes of the victims was, in some circumstances, overstated. We should continue to do more to make it easier for Victims to take complaints to the police. Continue reading →