Media Release
Saturday 7, September 2013

Catholics are being urged to join Pope Francis today for a day of prayer and fasting for peace in Syria, in the Middle East and throughout the whole world.

President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Denis Hart, said Australia’s Catholic bishops are joining the Pope’s call, with dioceses and parishes across Australia organising to pray with the Pope over the weekend.

“Australians have been very concerned to see the civil war in Syria develop over the past year and a half to a point where it appears poisonous gas may have been used in a chemical attack last month,” said Archbishop Hart.

“There can be no justification for the use of poisonous gas.

“More than six million Syrians are now refugees in neighbouring countries, fleeing the fighting.

“Australia has a special role as president of the United Nations Security Council, to help try to find a way to end the armed conflict.

“We need to pray for the more than 100,000 Syrians who have been killed in this conflict. We need to pray for the maimed, the homeless and the destitute. We need to pray for the armed groups in this conflict, that they can negotiate a peaceful settlement. And we also need to pray for the members of the United Nations Security Council, that they act with wisdom. Continue reading →

Media Release, 4 September, 2013

As leaders of Christian Churches in the ACT we reject the current government policy on the processing of asylum seekers who arrive by boat. Furthermore we reject the asylum seeker policies of both the major political parties.

Current asylum seeker policies for boat arrivals and those proposed by both major parties are unjust, inhumane and a selective, questionable application of Australia’s commitment to the UN Refugee Convention.

As leaders of faith communities who profess to follow the way of Jesus of Nazareth, we call on all candidates in the forthcoming election to reject the current inhumane policies and to embrace policies that protect the human rights of each and every person who seeks asylum in Australia, regardless of the means they use to arrive in Australia.

We call on all political candidates in the forthcoming election to embrace compassionate asylum seeker policies, to fully support Australia’s obligations to the UN Refugee Convention, to permit the processing of asylum seekers on the Australian mainland however they arrive, to expedite as soon as practical the processing of asylum seeker’s claims, to ensure legal advice is available to all asylum seekers who require it, to ensure that no children spend time in detention and to offer successful claimants of asylum permanent residency in Australia.
Continue reading →

MEDIA RELEASE 2 September 2013

Catholic Mission’s 2013 World Mission appeal – “I will build my Church” – focuses on the world’s youngest Catholic Church in Mongolia

Many people would not associate the vast expanses of Mongolia with the Catholic Church, but that is about to change. This year’s Catholic Mission World Mission Month appeal in October will focus on the world’s youngest Catholic Church which was established in Mongolia just over twenty years ago following the fall of communism.

In 1992, Bishop Wenceslao (Wens) Padilla, a Filipino from the Italian Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and two fellow missionary priests, travelled to Mongolia to build the Church ‘from scratch’ in a country known to other missionaries as the ‘hardship country’. Bishop Wens recalls that when he first arrived, the country, which was mostly comprised of nomadic herders, had no knowledge of Christianity, and was struggling with alcoholism, domestic abuse, minimal government social services and extreme poverty. Continue reading →

As you are aware, the Holy Father announced during the Angelus last Sunday a Day of Prayer & Fasting for peace in Syria, in the Middle East and throughout the whole world, next Saturday, 7th September. On that same day, the Pope will preside at a Prayer Vigil in St Peter’s Square from 19.00 hrs until midnight.

it is His Holiness’ fervent desire that the whole Church be united with him in the Day of Prayer & Fasting. Individual Bishops are invited to take the most appropriate initiatives, in order to promote the participation of the faithful throughout their Dioceses. As Pope Francis has already indicated, non-Catholics may also be involved in such initiatives with the possibility of joint-acts of prayer.

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3 September 2013, Media Release

The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office express great sadness as the coalition announced on Sunday they will withdraw legal assistance to people seeking asylum in Australia who arrive by boat.

“Asylum seekers do not commit any offence by coming here. Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights every person has the right to seek asylum in any territory they can reach” said Bishop Gerald Hanna, Australian Catholic Bishops Delegate for Migrants and Refugees.

“It is a dismal reflection of the state of the politics around this issue that commentators frequently refer to asylum seekers arriving by boat as “illegals”. This is just not true. As for “queue-jumping”, leave aside that there is no queue where boat people come from, the etiquette of the checkout at the supermarket is not how it works when you are running for your life” said Bishop Hanna.

“We must stop treating asylum seekers as if they are the enemy. We do not fail when people turn up unexpectedly and ask us for help, we fail when we refuse to offer help” he said.

“The Coalition should not forget that the Liberal government of Robert Menzies was instrumental in drafting the 1951 refugee Convention and was one of the first governments to sign the convention” said Fr Maurizio Pettenà, National Director, Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office. Continue reading →

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has developed the following election site www.catholicsvote2013.org.au. The site includes a statement “A Vote for the Common Good” to help Australian Catholics discern how they will vote in the 2013 Federal Election. You can download a copy to your apple or android device or read a plain text version. The statement can also be watched on the High Definition YouTube clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVKv5g9HZVk&feature=share&list=UUPR3WmzwBvrHbNnWel2PQJg

Media Release, 28 August, 2013

Christopher Saunders, the Bishop of Broome and Chairman of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, has called on all eligible voters to remain attentive to issues of justice at the next Federal Election.

“Each voter shares a responsibility to keep alive the critical faculty, to analyse carefully all policies put forward by the various political parties and individual candidates, and to judge carefully the moral worth of all proposals, before casting a ballot in the September 7th election. Continue reading →

Media Release, 27 August, 2013

The Truth Justice and Healing Council is currently engaging with church and other stakeholders as prepares its submission to Royal Commission’s third issues paper on child safe institutions.

Submissions to the paper close on 11 October and the TJHC’s will be distributing a consultation document to Church stakeholder on Friday 6 September.

Francis Sullivan, CEO of the Council, said the Council’s submission would represent the whole Church and would be a comprehensive statement on the current church environment and include recommendations for reforms.

“The process the Royal Commission is going through in calling for submissions to various issues will ultimately paint a picture of how different institutions across the country have responded to child sexual abuse,” Mr Sullivan said. Continue reading →

Media Release
26 August, 2013

Former Holy See Ambassador Tim Fischer, Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Paul Gallagher and Bishop Gerard Hanna addressed a crowd of over 100 people at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) Melbourne on Thursday 22 August about the pressing issues of migration and poverty.

The colloquium was held to honour Bishop Joe Grech, who was a steadfast supporter of migrants and refugees until his untimely death in 2010.

With a particular focus on the Catholic Church’s commitment to refugees and asylum seekers, each speaker brought his own personal experience to bear in their addresses.

Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Gallagher, focused on his diplomatic experience emphasising the need for a realistic, compassionate approach.

“I think that it is clear that the phenomenon (of irregular migration) cannot be eradicated. Refugees and migrants of all categories, like the poor, we will have with us always (cfr. Mt 26:11) and there will always be those whose circumstances are highly irregular. We must seek durable solutions, but we should not be scandalised if we do not find them. The ethical foundation of our response is in the authenticity and integrity of the response itself”, he said.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer noted the importance of education and employment opportunities in raising living standards of migrants and refugees from poorer nations.

“Firstly, we should never forget the power of education to lift the standards of living of migrants and indeed people right around the world be they in Bhutan or Botswana or beyond.”

Bishop Gerard Hanna spoke on the pressures facing developing countries who accept much larger refugee numbers than Australia.

“We ask our neighbours, poor third world countries, to do what we, a very rich first world nation, are selfishly unwilling to do ourselves. We must open our hearts to refugees, listen to their hopes and welcome them into our communities. Solutions must be based in the real world and address the real needs of people”, he said.

The speakers all showed deep concern with developing viable solutions and better policy around the issue of asylum seekers and refugees. Rather than focusing on partisan polics, the speakers looked at the human face of migration, and examined ethical solutions in their addresses.

A video will be made available of the colloquium in the coming weeks and photos can be ordered from the following link: http://bit.ly/14TqzXq

For media enquiries, please contact Beth Doherty on 0407 081 256 or Joe Moloney on (02) 62019895

Media Release, 19 August 2013

The Maronite Eparchy of Australia is delighted to announce the launch of two aged care projects for the Lebanese and Maronite communities in Western Sydney.

We established our first church in the Sydney suburb of Waterloo in 1894. Steady migration to this great land has seen our Maronite community expand significantly, resulting in a large ageing population. There is now a critical shortage of culturally sensitive facilities for our aged, particularly those suffering from dementia. All sectors of our community have been asking us to address these issues.

In response to the needs of our community, the Eparchy is pleased to announce that it has prepared plans to redevelop and complete the Our Lady of Lebanon Aged Care Centre at Harris Park, and to commence the St Charbel Care Centre in Greenacre. These two Maronite Care projects will be the first of several the Eparchy intends to develop in coming years in order to serve not only our local Maronite people, but also the wider and diverse Australian community. Continue reading →