Dr Tim Soutphommasane, Race Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission.

How would you organise your society if you were living behind a veil of ignorance? Dr Tim Soutphommasane, Race Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission asked this question of leaders gathered at the Catholic Social Services Australia National Leadership Forum held at QT Canberra Hotel last week.

Would you ‘protect the vulnerable, help those in need, ensure there is a sense of justice?’, Dr Soutphommasane added.

Focusing on a local story about recent protests against a place of worship, a mosque in Bendigo, he said, ‘Bendigo is a town divided because of such protests. Some residents have sought to close down this project of building a mosque. They see the religion of Islam as incompatible with Australian values and society’.

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Photo of prison

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) president, Archbishop Denis Hart, has written to a Parliamentary inquiry, offering the Church’s help for the Australian Government’s international work to abolish the death penalty.

The Australian Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, recently published the ACBC’s submission. The Joint Committee is holding an inquiry into Australia’s advocacy for the abolition of the death penalty.

Archbishop Hart restated the Catholic Church’s opposition to the death penalty, saying we must recognise and honour the human dignity of both victims and offenders. Continue reading →

A radical change to society’s most foundational law, overturning the prohibition of euthanasia, would be ethically unjustifiable; could not ensure the legal protection of the vulnerable and would fail to uphold the dignity of the dying, according to a submission from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC).

The ACBC submission to the Inquiry into End of Life Choices was this week published on the Victorian Parliament’s Legal and Social Issues Committee’s website.

‘The clear conclusion of reason and experience is that euthanasia or assisted suicide cannot be made safe because no law allowing euthanasia can prevent vulnerable people from abuse,’ said Bishop Peter Comensoli, Bishops Delegate for Life Issues.

‘Rather than buying into the dishonest euphemism of “dying with dignity”, we would do better – and be more human – by dignifying the lives of the dying. Palliative care is one key way we can dignify the dying.’

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A new website is being launched via video conferencing today as a Catholic ministry resource for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community across Australia.

Developed by the Australian Catholic Disability Council with the support of the Bishops Commission for Pastoral Life, the new website contains a series of liturgical resources with Australian Sign Language (Auslan) and live captioning.

Bishop Terry Brady, Bishops Delegate to the Australian Catholic Disability Council, said, ‘A major challenge is to ensure that all people are included in the life of the Church in Australia. We must assist and ensure that the deaf and hard of hearing community can fully participate in the life of the Church in Australia. Continue reading →

A nationwide survey has been launched this week to determine the number of Catholic workplaces across Australia and the numbers of people who are employed in those workplaces.

The survey is designed to create a profile of those who are employed in Catholic organisations by reference to occupation, Church sector, State, the form of employment regulation, nature of employment and gender.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) is conducting the survey with the support of Catholic Religious Australia. The Pastoral Research Office (PRO) in collaboration with the Australian Catholic Council for Employment Relations (ACCER) will undertake the work. Continue reading →

Australia’s Catholic Bishops have condemned victimisation of women in detention and offered the Church’s support to help Somali refugee Abyan who was said to be a victim of rape and sexual assault.

Bishop Vincent Long, Bishops Delegate for Migrants and himself a refugee, made the offer of support on behalf of the Church today.

‘The Church wants to offer trauma-related counselling and practical support to Abyan, to help her feel supported during and after her pregnancy, and to other women who find themselves in the same horrific situation,’ Bishop Long said.

‘Given Abyan was raped and that it was Australia who released her into the community in Nauru, we have a duty to provide her the appropriate services and care in Australia. Continue reading →

The Government’s revised family payments legislation still means many low income families face significant cuts to their income.

Social Security Minister Christian Porter today introduced a new family payments bill into the Parliament, which would mean single income couple families lose Family Tax Benefit Part B (FTB B) when their youngest child turns 13, instead of the earlier proposal to cut benefits at 6 years.

“The new family payments legislation means fewer families will be affected, but still means the income of single breadwinner families with the youngest child aged 13 years or older would be worse off by more than $54 a week,” said Marcelle Mogg, Chief Executive of Catholic Social Services Australia. Continue reading →

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference is launching a new website, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Catholic Ministry, via video conference on Thursday 22 October 2015.

The launch will begin at 2pm with a short liturgy in Auslan; Australian sign language. During the 30 minute launch, there will also be live captioning.

You can experience the event from any location in Australia as long as you have a computer or tablet with internet connection. Register to join the launch at: deafministry.catholic.org.au

This website, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Catholic Ministry, will encourage and challenge all of us to celebrate the beauty and strength of the Body of Christ by promoting participation and inclusion of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Catholic community. It will be a call to create opportunities for participation and inclusion where everyone is valued, gifted and acknowledged. Continue reading →

Fr Brian Lucas

Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, has announced the appointment of Father Brian Lucas as National Director of Catholic Mission.

This appointment follows the resignation of Mr Martin Teulan who has taken up another position.

For just over thirteen years, Father Lucas has been General Secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) and prior to that appointment he was for twelve years Archdiocesan Secretary and Financial Administrator of the Archdiocese of Sydney.

Welcoming the announcement, Archbishop Denis Hart, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said, ‘Father Lucas has given his considerable skills, expertise, hard work and giftedness to serve the Bishops as General Secretary since August 2002 and we recognise the immense contribution which he has made to many areas of Church life in Australia. We thank him for his service and extend our prayers and wishes for his important new role’. Continue reading →

Social Services Minister Christian Porter, should dump plans to cut the income of most single breadwinner families by more than $54 a week.

The Chief Executives of the Australian Catholic Council for Employment Relations, Brian Lawrence, and Catholic Social Services Australia, Marcelle Mogg, said the Coalition Government should not be taking Family Tax Benefit Part B (FTB B) from low and middle income families with school age children.

“The proposal discriminates against couple parent families and would leave them and their children at a lower standard of living,” said Mr Lawrence. Continue reading →