Legal euthanasia would endanger vulnerable people

real-care-love-and-compassion-square-largeA 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.’

Continue reading →

New website launched through video conferencing for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community

ACBC_Deaf & HOH Facebook image v.12A 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 →

Nationwide Survey to determine employee numbers in Catholic sector

Person filling in a surveyA 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 →

On the Road Together – The last day

Here’s one of the commemorative gifts we were given – a rather lovely image in metal of the Holy Family.

Here’s one of the commemorative gifts we were given – a rather lovely image in metal of the Holy Family.

“There’d been some rabble-rousing discussion before the session about the method we’d follow. It’d been decided that we would read the entire document through in the morning and then vote on each of its 94 paragraphs in the afternoon.”

The end is nigh. Upon entering the Synod Hall and until we began the prayer, I sensed a mood of restlessness tinged with frivolity as we looked to start the last day. There was a lot of movement, much chattering, a fair bit of laughter. At last we were to see the definitive version of the final document. This makes for Synodal excitement.

Mind you, the excitement was tempered by a chorus of coughing, with God knows how many bishops stricken (as I am) by some sort of cold. At one stage I felt like standing up and conducting the orchestra; there was so much coughing we could’ve attempted Beethoven’s Fifth. All we would’ve needed was the odd sneeze or loud nose blow. They came later. Continue reading →

On the Road Together – A New Congregation

Bishop of Darwin, Eugene Hurley, representing ACBC at the Synod. Photo by Fiona Basile.

Bishop of Darwin, Eugene Hurley, representing ACBC at the Synod. Photo by Fiona Basile.

“Pope Francis will be sitting poker-faced up the front, taking it all in and wondering what to do with all this. I don’t doubt for a moment that he already has some thoughts. He’s nothing if not a strategist.”

When we made it back into the Hall yesterday, the Secretary General said the Pope wanted to say a word. My ears pricked up. This Pope doesn’t take the microphone just for the sake of it. What’s going on here, I thought. Well, again he caught us on the hop. For some time there have been rumblings that we may have a couple of new Congregations in the Roman Curia, and the Pope took this opportunity to announce one of them – a Congregation for the Laity, Family and Life. Continue reading →

On the Road Together – Seeking Reality

Archbishop Coleridge discusses Synod business with brother bishops. Photo credit: By Fiona Basile.

Archbishop Coleridge discusses Synod business with brother bishops. Photo credit: By Fiona Basile.

“Some seem to think that decentralisation and unity are incompatible. Clearly Pope Francis doesn’t. The paradox, I think, is that ‘a healthy decentralisation’ could in fact strengthen the real unity of the Church.”

Yesterday was supposed to be a free day for all but 10 of the Synod members – those chosen by the Pope to draft the final document. They were hard at it all day and (I imagine) into the night. They have a colossal job.

But a few others – myself among them – were also tied up, trying to finish our assessment of the 520 proposed amendments to Part III of the working document. My little group resumed work at 9am, with Cardinal Lacunza saying he couldn’t stay beyond 10.30. So we agreed that we would finish by then. As it turned out, we finished by 10.25, with His Eminence making a very speedy exit for a big man. For me, what was left of the day was largely absorbed by talking to journalists – four of them. This was a bit tougher than it should’ve been because my voice had turned decidedly hoarse. But I managed to croak away. Continue reading →

Catholic bishops condemn victimisation of women in detention and offer support for Abyan and other refugees who are pregnant in difficult circumstances

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 →

Government’s new family payments proposal still means low income families worse off

Women using calculatorThe 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 →

On the Road Together – A View on the Blog

“The Synod … is a steady diet of soap opera and theology, and almost too much for any reporter to keep up with.”
David Gibson, RNS
Archbishop Mark Coleridge

Archbishop Mark Coleridge

I have enjoyed speaking with journalists when time permits at this Synod. One of those journalists is David Gibson, who writes for Religion News Service. David has provided a view on my blog. You can link to his piece here or read below:

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Barrels of ink, digital and real, have been spilled by journalists trying to convey the gravity of the high-stakes debate on church teaching in Rome this month, as the melodrama that a closed-door Vatican gathering of some 270 churchmen almost guarantees. Continue reading →

On the Road Together – Developing Pastoral Plans

Bishop Tarabay greeting Pope Francis during a break at the Synod on the Family.

Bishop Tarabay greeting Pope Francis during a break at the Synod on the Family.

I am currently in Rome, participating in the 14th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on “the vocation and the mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world” and I am pleased to share with you some aspects of this experience so far.

Last Wednesday, I had the chance to deliver my intervention at Synod. I spoke about the sanctity of marriage and the challenge of same-sex marriage, referring to points 130-132 of theInstrumentum Laboris. In my address, I underlined three main points being: the consequences of redefining marriage, the need to develop pastoral and spiritual plans for people with same sex attraction, and our call to work together as members of the mystical body of Christ to protect the family from all challenges especially that of a change to the definition of marriage. Continue reading →