Page 48 - October 7 - Teresa Pirola

How will the Catholic Church in Australia reassert its own moral teaching regarding antisemitism at the very time that we are witnessing eruptions of Jew-hatred on our streets?
There are two constructive paths to take. First, individual bishops can come forward and say, in their own right, what should have been said collectively by the ACBC. To this end, Melbourne’s Archbishop Peter Comensoli has set an example with a statement condemning displays of antisemitism in Australia.
The second, equally essential path is for Australia’s Catholic lay leaders—and all who have a platform to extend moral guidance, including clergy, teachers and parents—to speak up, clearly and unambiguously, within their sphere of influence against antisemitism in all its forms, including its most barbaric expression on October 7. They have a guiding principle to do so. As taught by Vatican II, the church ‘decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone’ (Nostra Aetate, 4).
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