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Concerns about protecting religious freedoms keep growing
THE National Catholic Education Commission has defended the right of more than 1700 Catholic schools to teach students the traditional de nition of marriage.
The NCEC has added their voice to concerns about protecting religious freedoms, ahead of the postal vote on same-sex marriage.
“Without having seen the wording of legislation that is intended to enable same-sex marriage in Australian law, it is impossible to say if there will be adequate protec- tions in place to ensure Catholic schools can continue to teach the Catholic view of marriage,” the NCEC said.
“Explicit protections are needed so as to enshrine the right of all faith-based schools to teach their view of marriage, consistent with their conscientiously held religious beliefs.”
Catholic schools educate more than 765,000 students across Australia.
There are 300 Catholic schools in Queensland and 146,200 students – more than 18 per cent of all students.
The NCEC statement follows comments made by the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Commission for Education chair Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe about the commitment of Catholic schools to provide quality, faith- based education.
Archbishop Costelloe said an essential element of that faith was the Church’s teachings about marriage.
“Families who choose a Catholic education for their children understand that Catholic schools always seek to be expressions of this Catholic world view and that their children will be educated within a Catholic framework,” he said.
The issue of freedom of religion appears to be gaining traction in the SSM debate, as Church leaders warn their schools, hospitals, charities and welfare agencies would be vulnerable if the Yes campaign succeeds.
A Newspoll survey conducted for The Australian newspaper asking voters if parliament should provide legal guarantees for freedom of conscience, belief and religion if same-sex marriage were legislated, found 62 per cent of voters agreed, 18 per cent disagreed, and 20 per cent were uncommitted. – Mark Bowling
Freedom: “Families who choose a Catholic education for their children understand that Catholic schools always seek to be expressions of this Catholic world view and that their children will be educated within a Catholic framework.”
The marriage debate: part i
Death prompts demands to resettle asylum seekers
THE family of an asylum seeker found dead on Manus Island on August 7 has demanded an inquest in Australia after Papua New Guinea police said his death was suicide.
The body of 31-year-old Iranian Hamed Shamshiripour was found in forest near to the refugee transit centre on Manus Island where he was being held.
Mr Shamshiripour had been missing for three days and his mental health issues had been raised within the top echelons of the Australian Immigra- tion Department.
His tragic death has sparked Church human rights activists – the Catholic Alliance for People Seeking Asylum – to demand the Federal Government to bring asylum seekers to Australia and support their applications.
“There have been so many horrifying stories and tragic events within Manus Island and Nauru, and the senseless death of Hamed Shamshiripour this week brings into sharp focus the fact that vulnerable people are suffering
and resorting to tragic actions, on the Federal Government’s watch,” CAPSA chair Julie Edwards said.
“Stories such as this demonstrate that offshore detention is systemati- cally destroying people’s spirits and hopes for a better life, all the while plans to resettle people in the USA re- main unclear and the futures of many are in limbo.
“We, representing the Catholic community, call on the Federal Gov- ernment to stop playing politics with so many lives and #BringThemHere.”
Australian Catholic Bishops’ Delegate for Migrants and Refugees Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen said Australia had long been known for its generous welcome of migrants and refugees, but was drastically fail- ing to show leadership.
“It is not illegal to seek asylum and I, and thousands of other members of the Vietnamese community, have been
welcomed to Australia with open arms in the past,” Bishop Long said.
“Australia is a wonderful country but where it is in terms of its treatment of asylum seekers should galvanise us into action.
“Pope Francis has called for a co-ordinated and effective response to people seeking asylum and it is im- perative that Australia heeds his call.”
CAPSA previously offered to lead a co-ordinated approach to support the people currently on Nauru and Manus Island, and stands ready to receive and support them if they can be brought to Australia.
Many parishes, schools, community service organisations, health services and local communities are ready and keen to assist.
“CAPSA reiterates that it is ready and willing to co-ordinate the provi- sion of housing, education, health and social services to those seeking asylum in Australia, and believes
the Government cannot stand by and continue these cruel and inhumane policies that result in devastating con- sequences,” Ms Edwards said.
Bishop Long said there was no ex- cuse for Australia not to nd more just and humane ways to deal with people seeking asylum.
He said most of those who are de- tained on Manus Island and PNG were proven refugees and the Government and the people of Australia had an obligation to protect them and not to subject them to further suffering.
“We can no longer leave them languish in offshore detention centres without in icting more pain and caus- ing more tragedies to occur,” he said.
“Enough is enough – we must im- mediately #BringThemHere to afford them rightful protection, to prevent further harm and allow these vulner- able people the chance to seek asylum in Australia instead of in icting fur- ther pain and punishment on them.”
– Mark Bowling
By Peter Pellicaan
ON January 9, 2010, I looked into the eyes of my beloved and vowed to take her as my wife, to have and to hold, from this day for- ward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until
death do us part.’
Seven years and car full of chil-
dren later, there can be no doubt that those vows have changed our lives completely – and for the better.
On September 12 up until No- vember 7, Australians will be invited to take part in a postal plebiscite on the de nition of marriage.
The government currently de nes marriage as “the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all oth- ers, voluntarily entered into for life”.
The marriage debate has become unquestionably polarising and controversial in Australia, not least because it affects all of us.
Just post something on social media and see what happens.
Over the next three issues of
The Catholic Leader, I will write three short columns on the marriage debate, what the Church teaches, and how this might in uence our vote.
I focus here on the spirit with which we should engage, and what it is that we’re actually debating.
1. debate with truth and love
Firstly, in St Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he writes, “conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious,
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seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone”.
If we’re going to have a voice in this debate, we as Catholics, must engage with grace.
You may have noted that not all of the voices in the marriage debate are willing to be gracious and gentle, but not all of the voices claim to know and follow Jesus Christ.
Jesus calls us, Catholics, to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:43 – 48). So let’s speak the truth, but let’s be gra- cious, gentle and forgiving. Aggres- sion is not the way of our Lord.
2. Understand the question
Secondly, we have seen some effective slogans particularly by
the “Yes” campaign. Slogans such as “marriage equality” and “love is love” have powerfully moved people to feel a sense of injustice that those who are same-sex attracted cannot marry a person of the same gender.
It has created the sense that a “Yes” vote is a vote for equality and love, and a “No” vote is a vote
Vote issues: Pe- ter Pellicaan with his wife Leone on their wedding day.
against equality and love.
In order to engage on either side
of the debate, we must be honest enough to recognise that everyone already has an equal right to marry.
No matter who you are and where you’re from or what your sexual orientation may be, you have a right to marry.
Marriage is however, by current de nition, between a man and a woman, so in order to qualify; you must nd someone of the opposite sex. All of that is to say that when you’re considering your own position, the question is not – “do we want equality” or “do we want love” – of course we want equality and love,
but it is not equality and love that is at stake. The question is: should the government rede ne marriage?
To consider this question, we must consider what the role of marriage plays in our society.
Are the vows I made back in 2010 important for society?
In the next issue I will address the role of marriage in society and what the Church teaches us about marriage.
The Catholic Leader, August 27. 2017