Media Release,
28 October 2011
For more information go to www.acmro.catholic.org.au
The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office offer our condolence to the family of the Sri Lankan refugee who passed away on Wednesday, 26 October. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to the Sri Lankan community. Continue reading
By Beth Doherty
Note: For a copy of the Social Justice statement, or for more information, visit http://www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au/
Social Justice Sunday was celebrated in parishes over the weekend of 24 September and this year’s statement by the bishops is on a unique and timely subject: prisons and the justice system. The statement is hopeful and reflects the Gospel-inspired dream of human dignity held by the Church for some of the most undervalued members of our society. It also wonders aloud about a system in this country which falls terribly short.
The CEO of Jesuit Social Services Julie Edwards spoke on our justice system as she opened the National Justice Symposium held at Australian Catholic University over the weekend of 21-22 October, a symposium specifically on this topic.
She said: “We want a community where people flourish and get to reach their potential. We want to bring this type of community into being through evidence-based assessments and respect for human dignity, not just knee-jerk reactions. Let’s not have a shallow, superficial and populist conversation. We want to help people turn their lives around. We need to step back and ask, “What does a humane, effective justice system look like?” Continue reading
By Patricia Mowbray
The Disability Projects Office of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference is a much more all-encompassing ministry than one might imagine. It involves encouraging and promoting the full participation of people with disability, their families and friends in the faith life of our Church in Australia.
It’s all about taking our rightful place in the Body of Christ. Continue reading
CARITAS AUSTRALIA MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release: October 19, 2011
Torrential rains have hit Central America hard, causing deadly floods in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, Caritas Australia reports.
Caritas Australia Latin America Program Coordinator, Margaret Fyfe, said 12 out of 14 regions have been severely affected by the downpour, with over 13,000 people forced to flee the rising waters.
Continue reading
Media Release from Catholic Health Australia, 19/10/11
By Martin Laverty and Gavin Abraham
Bipartisan support is emerging to improve access to aged care for older Australians living in poverty, according to the nation’s largest network of residential and community aged care providers.
As Anti-Poverty Week is marked across Australia, Catholic Health Australia (CHA) chief executive Martin Laverty said people often have an image of what poverty looks like. That image is rarely of people in retirement, but there are tens of thousands of older Australians who are struggling financially. Continue reading
Over a million people have been left dead, homeless or in danger since Typhoon Nesat tore through the South-East Asian nations of Cambodia and the Philippines.
Floodwaters continue to overwhelm cities, towns and villages including Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh, and Luzon in the Philippines. Continue reading
Two years ago I was researching material for a new book. The book Call and Response is the resource that the Catholic Enquiry Centre supplies to those who enquire seeking information about the Catholic faith. In the midst of research and writing three significant things happened. The first was we received an enquiry from a priest asking if we had any catechetical resources that might be suitable for a person with impaired vision. Continue reading
By Bishop Pat Power
There are many Australians today who are living on the Newstart allowance, one of the lowest payments available to those who are currently out of work. The payment totals about $35 a day, which in a country like Australia makes it impossible to make ends meet.
One of the things I’ve always tried to do in my time as a Bishop is stay in contact with the real people. It’s through this connection that you get to hear their stories, their reality – good and bad. I’ve always had a heart for social justice ever since my early years as a priest, having been born in Cooma and growing up in Queanbeyan Continue reading
Growing up in regional Australia you will forgive me for thinking that been part of the Catholic Church was a lot like been a member of an RSL club – same thing each week and full of old people! I didn’t even know what the word “Catholic” meant and only recently found out it means “Universal”.
While I found that info on Wikipedia, I was also very blessed to actually ‘see’ our Universal Church while at World Youth Day in Madrid this year. Seeing the Church at an event where over two million Catholics from every country in the world come together in unity as sisters and brothers is an amazing sight. It was the Church in her true colours – vibrant and universal! Continue reading