Articles are reproduced with thanks from the Archdiocesan website, unless otherwise stated.
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Election Guide put together by the Catholic Weekly newspaper |
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17 August 2010
Federal Election 2010 – the policies of the major political parties relating to some life, marriage and family issues
Election Guide put together by the Catholic Weekly newspaper |
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Churches call for a safer Victoria |
9 August 2010
Victorian Heads of Churches have written a joint letter urging a greater effort from Victorian politicians to respond to the community demand for a safer Victoria.
Church leaders recognise the importance of the rule of law: this includes responding to crimes against the person and their possessions. But providing a safer community, particularly for our most vulnerable members, requires much more than appropriate responses once a crime is committed.
They are saying that restorative and rehabilitative justice policies will make Victoria a safer place – not simply focussing on more prison beds which each cost the taxpayer $113,000 per year.
“It’s time we saw the debate shift to reducing the number of prisoners in Victoria rather than increasing them.”
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Coalition ISP Filter Announcement Incomprehensible |
6 August 2010
The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) described as incomprehensible Joe Hockey’s announcement that the Coalition would do away with ISP level filtering of the internet.
“This announcement is incomprehensible on a number of levels”, said Mr Wallace. “Firstly to say it doesn’t work is to deny the trials that show it does. Secondly to have a system that orders takedown notices for Australian sites carrying Refused Classification (RC) material, but allow it to come in unhindered from overseas sites is simply illogical. And finally to imply that parents rather than the ISPs are best equipped to manage the technology by presumably introducing the discredited Net Nanny system, again simply defies technological reality.”
Mr Wallace said the anti-filter proponents have run a well funded scare campaign on the issue, beginning with claims it would slow down the internet by up to 87%, only to be proven it was less than 1/70th of the blink of an eye, and conspiracy theories that saw us all becoming like China and North Korea.
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Party responses to key issues of concern promoted to one million Christians |
5 August 2010
With little more than two weeks to go until the Federal election, the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) today launched a website – promoted by a million flyers and booklets sent to churches throughout Australia – informing Christians about the different political party standpoints on key issues they care about.
The website www.australiavotes.org.au provides the responses of eight political parties, including the Coalition and Labor, to 24 questions on issues of interest to Christians ranging from homelessness and foreign aid to freedom of religion and the sexualisation of children. Tellingly, the Australian Greens only answered six of the questions, choosing to avoid scrutiny on a variety of issues where their policy is unlikely to be well-received by most Christians.
“The failure of the Australian Greens to answer 18 of the 24 questions – even where they have known positions on the issue such as their support for gay marriage and removing school chaplains – can only be seen as a cynical exercise to avoid scrutiny of their more radical policy positions,” he said.
“But as disturbing as the deception in not declaring their antagonism to faith in society, is the failure to comment on issues like youth unemployment, the funding of private schools and the sexualisation of children – all issues of concern to a broader constituency,” Mr Wallace said.
“This deception and narrow agenda is hardly the stuff of a legitimate third force in politics.”
Mr Wallace reiterated that Christians don’t vote as a homogenous block but that they tend to care about a broad range of moral and social justice issues which are likely to influence their vote.
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It’s Time for a Humane, Bipartisan Approach to the Treatment of Asylum Seekers |
2 August 2010
Asylum seekers are people in need of care and not to be feared, say Australian Churches.
At the recent National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) triennial Forum, the Churches affirmed the Australian Government’s right and responsibility to ensure legitimate border protection but also expressed grave concern over the treatment of asylum seekers.
The Churches believe that it is time for the major political parties to work toward a humane, bipartisan approach to the treatment of asylum seekers. To look to an approach that fulfils our international obligations and enhances Australia’s reputation as a just and humane global citizen.
Reverend Tara Curlewis, NCCA General Secretary, said, “It is time that both political parties stop misleading our community by painting pictures of asylum seekers as people to be feared. Asylum seekers are vulnerable, often traumatised people fleeing conflict and persecution. As a safe and secure country we must treat asylum seekers with compassion rather than placing them in detention in enforced limbo.
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Pakistani brothers killed for insulting Mohammed |
22 July 2010
The murder of two Christians in Pakistan outside of a courthouse where they were on trial for insulting Mohammed has re-ignited calls for an end to Pakistani blasphemy laws.
The slaying Monday of Rashid Emmanuel and his brother Sajid Masih was widely reported in Rome by Vatican and other Church media sources.
The brothers had been imprisoned for the last three weeks. At the hearing prior to their murder, a police report had attested to their innocence.
Those who shot the brothers outside the courthouse escaped without arrest.
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Cardinal Pell welcomes revised vatican guidelines for sexually abused |
19 July 2010
The Vatican has moved to toughen and speed up procedures dealing with sexual abuse by priests.
Under the revised procedures there will be a faster process for permanently removing abusers from the priesthood.
The procedures also cover sexual abuse committed against the mentally disabled, and the possession of child pornography by priests.
These procedures are set out in “Norms concerning the most serious crimes”, which was released by The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome.
The Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, welcomed the release of the revised procedures.
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Archbishop releases Pastoral Letter on Sexual Abuse |
1 July 2010
Catholic Archbishop Denis Hart has today issued a Pastoral Letter in response to the recent international focus on the issue of sexual abuse.
“This year is proving to be a distressing and sorrowful time for all Catholics throughout the world as well as here in Australia, “ says Archbishop Hart.
“In the Melbourne Archdiocese we have been dealing with this abhorrent issue for some 14 years.
“It is only in recent times that this issue has emerged in other countries to the extent it has, “ adds Archbishop Hart.
“Here in Australia the 1970’s were the worst period of reported sexual abuse cases. Most of the complaints relate to incidents from 30 to up to 80 years ago.
“The number of proven reported cases of abuse occurring in the last ten years here in Melbourne have declined to less than a hand full. But even that’s too many for me”.
The Archbishop has pledged to continue the Melbourne Archdiocese’s strong response to allegations of sexual abuse -which provides care, counselling, support and compensation to sexual abuse victims and deals with offenders.
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