Media Release, 9 July, 2013
The Australian Catholic Life Council has made available the DVD version of “God So Loved The World”, a Pastoral Series on Life Issues. It can now be purchased and shipped within two days through orders at www.godsolovedtheworld.org.au. The DVD is available for a suggested donation of $10. Continue reading
Rio de Janeiro Safety and Security Statement, 3 July, 2013.
In recent weeks grassroots protests have taken place in Brazil.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) would like to reassure leaders, pilgrims and their families that the safety and well-being of pilgrims is our first priority.
The World Youth Day (WYD) Office in Rio reports that, contrary to some media reports, the protests have mostly been peaceful and some actions by small groups of activists are not supported by the majority of the protesters.
The protests seem to have since died down and the Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Most Rev. Orani João Tempesta O.Cist., has expressed his confidence that the protests will not impact upon the celebration of WYD, which he says is “held in high esteem by all”.
Archbishop Tempesta said that WYD shares with the demonstrators a desire to build a better society.
“Catholic youth also have these same hopes and dreams, and they keep Christ in their hearts,” he said. (See http://www.rio2013.com/ en/news/details/2457/pilgrim-s-safety-in-the-spotlight)
The Australian Bishops’ Commission for Pastoral Life (BCPL) has been in liaison with the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) since October 2012. Continue reading
Media Release, 5 July, 2013
As the peak Indigenous advisory body to the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) is proud launch a National Consultation into Indigenous Inculturation of the Catholic Church in Australia.
It is a timely announcement, given that this Sunday – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday – will see Indigenous and non Indigenous Catholics sit side by side to celebrate the gifts that Australia’s first people bring to the Church in Australia.
In collaboration with Aboriginal and Islander Catholic Ministries, councils and communities, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and the National Liturgical Council, the consultation aims to discover what can be done by Indigenous Catholics to bring to life the immortal words of Pope John Paul II in Alice Springs 1986:
The Church herself in Australia will not be fully the Church that Jesus wants her to be until you have made your contribution to her life and until that contribution has been joyfully received by others. Continue reading
Australian Religious Response to Climate Change
In a remarkable show of unity, prominent faith leaders from diverse religious backgrounds are calling for bipartisan support of a carbon price in the lead up to the 2013 federal election.
The leaders have signed an open letter organised by the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, and will be commenting publicly at an official launch in Sydney this Thursday. The letter adds moral weight to calls for the winding back of coal exports and for greater investment in clean, renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The sixteen signatories include the Grand Mufti of Australia, the President of the Uniting Church Assembly, Senior Rabbi of The Great Synagogue in Sydney, and the Chair of the Hindu Council of Australia. Continue reading
Photo courtesy of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne.
The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) notes the passing of the Australian Education Act through the Australian Parliament last week.
The Act determines new funding arrangements that will deliver additional funding for the needs of students in Catholic schools across Australia from 2014.
Given the passing of the legislation, NCEC is committed to continuing discussions and negotiations to finalise the regulations and other relevant arrangements to enable funding for Catholic schools from 2014.
State and Territory Commissions as system authorities will further progress outstanding arrangements in the coming months.
ENDS
Contact:
Ross Fox
Executive Director
Tel: (02) 6201 9830
Mob: 0422 583 117
2 July, 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1gDmj9KiAQ
Media Release
3 July, 2013
Catholics are being urged to engage in the political process in the lead up to the coming federal election and to vote for the common good.
This week Australia’s Catholic bishops have written to the more than 1300 parishes across Australia to ask them to consider the bishops’ Vote for the Common Good election statement. The statement is available today for parishes and the general public at www.catholicsvote2013.org.au
“As bishops we want to focus your attention on some key issues of vital concern to the Australian community,” the statement says.
“We encourage Catholics to look beyond their own individual needs to apply a different test at the ballot box – the test of what we call the common good. The good of the individual and the good of society as a whole must be brought together in harmony. When they are, we have the common good.”
Archbishop Philip Wilson, Vice President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said today that aware of the turbulent political situation, the Bishops saw the importance of outlining some key areas which might inform consciences, while leaving it to voters to make their final decision.
“The principles of social teaching cross party political boundaries and Catholics may, in good conscience, form different opinions on the candidates and parties standing for election.”
“As Catholics, we need to take our democratic freedoms seriously and become involved in the political process.”
Focussing on principles of Catholic Social Teaching, the Bishops outline a range of issues including positions on the poor and vulnerable, marriage and family, life, child protection, migrants and refugees, indigenous Australians, education, health, ecology and sustainability and peace and development.
“The statement draws on our rich tradition of social teaching and upon the Church’s long experience of serving all people without distinction through our work in a broad range of areas including health care, education and social services”, he said.
The statement is available for download from www.catholicsvote2013.org.au as a PDF as well as in eBook format. A short video is available also on the website which can be used in parishes and schools where appropriate.
For media enquiries, please contact Beth Doherty on 0407 081 256 or media@catholic.org.au
By +Archbishop Mark Coleridge
The full text of the ACBC election statement can be viewed at www.catholicsvote2013.org.au
The elusive concept of “the Catholic Vote” frequently makes an appearance during elections and this year’s Australian Federal election will be no different. But like all groups, Catholics are a broad and diverse lot, representing a wide cross section of the Australian population.
One in four Australians are Catholic. A quarter of the 5.4 million Catholics in Australia were born overseas and more than two thirds of this group are from non-English speaking backgrounds. The top five non-English languages spoken are Italian, Filipino languages, Spanish, Arabic and Vietnamese.
That diversity is a great strength as it allows us to have a great many perspectives on how best to apply Catholic social teaching to the problems that face Australia.
The first point of contact with the political process for most of us is the local candidates that present for election. The bishops have asked us all to meet with local candidates and make our concerns known. That’s important because however presidential the style of campaigning that we see every night on the television, ultimately we vote for local candidates – not national leaders. If we can award the best of the local candidates with our vote, that’s one of the most important steps we can take to ensure the national parliament runs well. Continue reading
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCsqMGl0gdI
www.wisdomatthegate.org.au: Wisdom at the Gate is a colloquium facilitated by the Council for Australian Catholic Women and supported by the National Office for the Participation of Women. It aims to gather, connect and reenergise those who are responding to the issues of women’s participation in our church within their local context.
While acknowledging the limitations that exist, the colloquium is an invitation for women to gather and dream; to be all they can be; to re-imagine the potential of what is possible within their own context; and to distil the wisdom that women carry and nurture within their lives and our church.
Australian Religious Response to Climate Change
Media Release
Prominent religious leaders from five diverse traditions are calling for urgent action on climate change to help avert a devastating 4° C rise in global temperatures.
In an open letter to both sides of the political divide ahead of the upcoming Federal election, they are unequivocal about human-induced climate change. They call for bipartisan support for carbon pricing, the fast-tracking of renewable energy and the winding back of coal exports.
The twelve leaders include the Grand Mufti, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad, the Chair of Catholic Earthcare Australia, Archbishop Philip Wilson, the President of the Uniting Church Assembly, Rev. Professor Andrew Dutney and the Chair of the Hindu Council of Australia, Professor Nihal Agar.
Spokesperson for Archbishop Wilson, Catholic Earthcare Director, Jacqui Remond, said, “We urge all Australians to give this moral issue the attention it demands. If we don’t, our children and grandchildren will face devastating consequences because of our failure to act now.”
With reference to numerous recent reports, the leaders write, “influential bodies are now warning us about an unthinkable 4 degree Celsius rise in temperatures if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase. Recent experiences of extreme weather events, both here and overseas, are a mild foretaste of what this will mean.” Continue reading
Pope Francis has decreed that the name of Saint Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, be added to Eucharistic Prayers II, III and IV. Below is the Decree from the Congregation for Divine Worship together with a schedule stating how Saint Joseph is to be mentioned “with Blessed Joseph, her spouse”, after the naming of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God in Eucharistic Prayers II, III and IV.
Continue reading