On November 12, 1991, Indonesian troops fired upon a peaceful memorial procession to a cemetery in Dili, East Timor that had turned into a pro-independence demonstration. More than 271 East… Read More »1991: Dili Massacre, Timor-Leste: more than 271 people killed
In the early hours on 16 November 1989, six Jesuit priests, a cook and her 16-year-old daughter were shot and killed at the Pastoral Centre of José Simeón Cañas Central… Read More »1989: Murder of six Jesuit priests and two co-workers in El Salvador
An Act to amend the National Service Act 1951-1957. The National Service Act 1964, was an Australian federal law, passed on 24 November 1964, which required 20-year-old males to serve… Read More »1964: Passage of National Service Act by Australian Parliament
‘You are part of Australia and Australia is part of you. And the Church herself in Australia will not be fully the Church that Jesus wants her to be until… Read More »1986 Meeting of St John Paul II with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in Alice Springs
Dorothy Day was a journalist and social activist who cofounded the Catholic Worker Movement with Peter Maurin. Her approach to social issues combined direct service of the poor, prayer, advocacy… Read More »1980: Death of Dorothy Day, Founder of the Catholic Worker Movement
The Post Synodal Statement of the 1971 Synod of Bishops contains some of the most quoted words in the body of modern Catholic Social Teaching: "Action on behalf of justice… Read More »1971: Synod of Bishops’ Statement “Justice in the World”
On this day in 1961 the West Papuan national flag, the Morning Star was first raised. Although the Netherlands' plans for West Papuan independence at that time did not come… Read More »1961: First raising of the Morning Star flag, West Papua
"A trailblazer who won hearts around the nation, the achievements of Sir Douglas Nicholls KCVO OBE JP are many and varied, taking in the fields of sport, politics and social… Read More »1976: Appointment of Sir Douglas Nicholls as Governor of South Australia, first Aboriginal person to hold vice-regal office
The Melbourne walk, starting at Flinders Street Station and finishing at King’s Domain gardens, drew as many as 300,000 people. The bridge walk and similar events across Australia were enormously… Read More »2000: 350,000 people walk for reconciliation in Melbourne and Perth
At the end of the year 2000, the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation handed its final report to the national Parliament at a ceremonial event at Parliament House in Canberra. This… Read More »2000: Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation Final Report presented