In This years Social Justice Statement, Australia’s Bishops invite us to renew our engagement with the First Peoples of Australia. They have come to this view through much listening to the First Peoples and they encourage us all to listen to them in a spirit of love and humility.
Laudato Si’ Week, a celebration of Pope Francis’ encyclical on caring for our common home is taking place 16 May – 24 May this year. The ACBC Office for Justice, Ecology and Peace has created resources for individuals and groups to use throughout the week.
Director Peter Arndt shares some information on a global survey of over 17,000 Catholic women about their experience of the Church and what they want to change.
Respect: Confronting Violence and Abuse points out that the roots of domestic and family violence “lie in the abuse of power to control and dominate others” and that “this stands in contrast to the relationships to which God calls us”. Our relationships should be “marked by equality and reciprocity rather than domination and violence, respect and freedom rather than coercion and control”. We reject the manipulation of religious teachings to justify violence and abuse. We support women in calling for respect in relationships; their lives and those of their children are sacred.
A personal, on the ground reflection from Catholic Schools Diocese of Lismore Mission team on what Laudato Si’ means to them. They share their experience of ‘Standing on Holy Ground’ as they support each other to clean up after the floods and rebuild after catastrophic flooding where over 12 of their schools had damage to half of its buildings, and three completed inundated. You can support with prayers and responding to their appeal.
A significant number of refugees continue to be held in PNG’s Manus Island Regional Processing Centre, despite its closure to new arrivals years ago. These individuals, many of whom have been detained for over a decade, face severe uncertainty regarding their futures.
Wear It Purple Day is 30 August. Why not wear something purple on the day? Take the opportunity to explain to others why you are doing it. Let God’s love shine in the lives of everyone who experiences fear and rejection including young LGBTQI+ people!
The Conversation recently published an article in which a number of academics offered their opinion on the Federal Government’s response to the recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission.
The 2024 Season of Creation theme, “To hope and act with Creation,” emphasizes the profound relationship between humanity and the natural world.
In his message for World Migrant and Refugee Day 2024, Pope Francis draws a powerful parallel between the Church’s synodal journey and the experiences of modern migrants.
Christine Carolan reflects on the theme of “Welcoming Migrant Workers to Australia: gift and responsibility” at the ACMRO conference on 18 and 19 July at the Australian Catholic University campus in Melbourne.
The 2024 Closing the Gap report, released in the aftermath of the failed Voice referendum, presents a stark picture of Indigenous disadvantage in Australia. Key metrics, including imprisonment rates, suicide rates, and child protection involvement, have worsened, deepening concerns about the efficacy of current policies.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference’s social justice statement for 2024-2025, “Truth and Peace: A Gospel Word in a Violent World,” addresses the urgent need for peace from a Gospel perspective.
In the 2024 – 2025 Social Justice Statement, “Truth and Peace: A Gospel Word in a Violent World”, Australia’s Bishops scrutinise the signs of our own troubled times, observe the violence around us, and ask why it is so. They also ask what is needed if there is to be peace.
Since 2018, the Human Rights Commission has been working towards a model for a single legislated Human Rights Act in Australia