The Brisbane Archdiocesan Justice & Peace Commission asserts that Catholics are called, at this time especially, to be voices of justice in support of our brothers and sisters who are homeless. We are particularly reminded during this time of Lent to remember who our neighbours are and to reach out to them in compassion and love, rather than walking by.
“In supporting the push to continue Commonwealth Equal Remuneration Order Funding for specialist homelessness services, which ceases on 1 July 2023, we can assist those who find themselves without safe shelter to be able to access targeted support. All Australians deserve the right to safe housing which is at the heart of individual and family wellbeing,” according to the Chair of the Brisbane Archdiocesan Justice & Peace Commission, Mrs Elizabeth Fort.
Mrs Fort said the Commission was particularly concerned that hundreds of calls for assistance are already turned away each day. “Funding needs to continue at least at the current level as the calls for help will only grow as the increasing cost of living and housing crisis expands. We cannot ignore the pleas of those without a home and shelter,” she said.
Mrs Fort continued, “As loving Christians, we need to contact our federal government members and call strongly for a continuation of Commonwealth Equal Remuneration Order Funding so that specialist support workers are enabled to continue their life-giving roles in assisting the vulnerable among us who are homeless.
Pope Francis calls on us to ‘overcome a culture of indifference that deadens us to the suffering of others.’ The Commission asks for the help of Australian Catholics in actioning voices of support for funding of the vital mission of specialist homelessness services that seek to restore human dignity to those they assist.”
For further information or comments, please contact Executive Officer Emma Beach on 3324 3010.
The voice of the Lord full of splendour.” (Psalm 29:3)
It has been a great joy for the Bishops of Oceania to gather in Fiji this week to pray for and consider our shared mission as the Chief Shepherds of our region. As we have prayed for our people, we have also been aware of the prayers they have been offering for our assembly and our ministry.
Our assembly has provided the opportunity for us to pray together, to build fraternal relationships, learn from one another and consider common pastoral challenges. The delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic meant we cherished this chance to gather in particular.
Our assembly focused on three themes: Care for the oceans; Becoming a more synodal Church; and Formation for mission.
Oceania is a network of islands, large and small, rich in diversity. Our Oceanic identity and location provide the context in which we participate in God’s mission. In our region, the ecological crisis is an existential threat for our people and communities. It is experienced in sea level rise, the acidification of the oceans, droughts, floods and more frequent and more extreme weather events.
Cardinal Michael Czerny SJ, Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, presided at our opening Mass and gave the opening address for the assembly. We welcomed his emphasis on an integral approach to care for the wellbeing of people and all of creation. This affirms the cultural wisdom of our peoples.
We recognise ecological conversion as an urgent mission priority not only for us, but also for the whole Church. Furthermore, we feel called to make our voices heard at the highest levels of government in our own countries, and also at the global level – in the Church and broader society – for the sake of our ocean home and its peoples.
The themes of becoming a more synodal Church and formation for mission were chosen by the Federation’s Executive following reflection on the Bishops Conferences’ syntheses for the diocesan stage of the international Synod for a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission. Although our region is very diverse in many ways, these two themes were important concerns in each of our Conferences.
Oceania is home to some of the world’s youngest local churches and also the oldest continuing culture in the world. We appreciate the complexity of the contemporary world that our people must negotiate. While being young may entail vulnerabilities, it also offers freshness and vitality. We learned that the youngest churches in our region have lessons to teach the more established churches about synodality and about maintaining the freshness of the encounter of the Gospel with local cultures and societies.
Accompanying our young people, in particular, in more courageous, creative and engaging ways is an essential aspect of mission for our Church in the context of our world today. In this year of World Youth Day, we encourage their participation in local and international celebrations.
We shared our reflections on the many ways in which our churches are already living synodality, and how they can become more synodal. As always, our desire is to be communities of ever-closer followers of Jesus Christ, led by the Holy Spirit to the Kingdom of the Father.
We recognise that as a pilgrim people we are always on a journey, and at times may make wrong turns. As we continue on the journey towards the Synod Assemblies in Rome, we place our trust in the mercy of God who will surely accompany us.
Indeed, significant time during our week was spent in anticipation of those Synod assemblies, as we prayed with and discerned our response to the Working Document for the Continental Stage of the Synod. Guided by the voices of the People of God in Oceania, we progressed the work already undertaken to ensure a distinctively Oceanic voice will continue to resonate through the Synod documents. Our response will be completed in coming weeks.
We were able to further our understanding of synodality through the experience of our gathering. We appreciated hearing of the Synod experience from other parts of the world through the presence and contribution of Sr Nathalie Becquart XMCJ, the Undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod. As in Oceania itself, there is no “one size fits all” template. We felt affirmed in responding in our own way in our own context.
The nature of our context and the desire to become more synodal call for an integral formation for the entire People of God – lay, religious and clergy. Integral formation requires a holistic approach to the human person. It considers the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual dimensions of being human, and acknowledges that we are creatures within God’s creation.
Formation is always at the service of mission, which has several dimensions: the witness of life; explicit proclamation of the Gospel; conversion; entry into and growth within the Christian community; and becoming an agent of evangelisation oneself. With Pope Francis, we affirm that the witness of life requires the defence of human life from conception to natural death; respect for all life; the promotion of justice and peace; and an ecological conversion that is personal, communal and structural.
As we walk together on the synodal path, our formation programs may need to give more emphasis to inclusion, transparency, accountability, intercultural competency, new theological methods and leading in a more participative and collaborative way. Our efforts should equip our Church to reach out and enflesh a culture of hospitality, encounter and dialogue in a world marked by both sin and grace on our pilgrim way to God’s kingdom.
We seek to become people who are grounded in Scripture and Tradition, and its interpretation in our cultural traditions. Lay people, whose mission is in the heart of the world, especially require formation in the Church’s tradition of teaching and acting on social issues and ecological crises – that is Catholic Social Teaching. Most of all, formation should mould us to be people who joyfully accept the invitation to participate in God’s mission.
We leave our gathering with this mission in ever sharper focus in our hearts and minds. We carry with us the hopes and dreams of our people, and of our precious region of Oceania.
I’m a country girl at heart, raised in Butler Tanks (SA). My passions are faith, justice, ecology and peace, with a side obsession with running. For over 25 years I’ve been teaching but my work life has also included counselling, chaplaincy and parish youthwork. Through this I’ve focused on Reconciliation programs and advocacy for refugees, students of colour, the LGBTQIA+ community and those who are neurodiverse. My husband and I are blessed with three school aged children and I’m excited to support the important mission of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission.
Understanding God’s love for humanity, the commandment of love calls forth a renewed commitment as a response to that love. This encyclical articulates the Church’s charitable activity as an expression of God’s love. Charity must be grounded in a personal encounter with Christ, who awakens the meaning of love of neighbor.
Pope Benedict XVI deepens the Church’s social teachings, by grounding them in love and truth. Justice is linked to charity and the faithful are called to practice justice for the common good. Building a future of peace, justice and love is dependent on fundamental values of justice and charity.
Share the Signs of Our Times you encounter during this Christmas season in the joys and hopes, grief and anguish of those who live on the margins of our community.
Share this video invitation to make 2023 a year of a culture of encounter in your social and environmental action.
The Catholic narrative at the COPs is related to the financing of Loss and Damage (L&D), the financing of just transition in terms of alternative energies, and the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas). In line with this, earlier this year, the Vatican Dicastery for Human Development adopted the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty calling for the proliferation of coal, oil and gas by ending all new exploration and production of coal, oil and gas, an existing phase-out production of fossil fuels in line with the 1.5ºC global climate goal and a fast track in real solutions and a just and fair transition for everyone.
In this sense, the outcome of COP 27 is deeply disappointing for the Catholic community who hoped and worked for an advanced agreement on fossil fuel phase-out. Instead, what was agreed upon was a copy and paste of the Glasgow accord referencing a phase-down of unabated coal power, phase-out of inefficient oil subsidies, and the inclusion of a transition to low-emission energy, which is essentially gas that is a source of GHG emissions. (Full report available here)
Goal Seven of Laudato Si invites us: Community resilience and empowerment envisage a synodal journey of community engagement and participatory action at various levels. Actions could include promoting advocacy and developing people’s campaigns, encouraging rootedness and a sense of belonging in local communities and neighbourhood ecosystems.
You can read about the Laudato Si Action Plan for the Archdiocese of Brisbane here
The Catholic Justice and Peace Commission is a member body of Queensland Conservation Council and welcomes this opportunity for local action and support.
Queensland has a rich natural legacy – an abundance of plant and animal species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world.
Sadly, we’re also a state that has historically fallen well short when it comes to protecting that natural legacy for future generations.
Queensland has the highest rate of deforestation in the country and one of the highest rates of animal extinction in the world.
We’re failing to do the basics when it comes to protecting our home – and we’re going to shortchange our kids and grand kids unless we do more for Queensland’s wildlife and natural places.
Establishing a strong, independent environmental protection agency (EPA) is a much-needed first step to protecting this natural legacy.
Queensland is the only state in Australia without an EPA and now is our opportunity to implement an independent agency with the authority needed to make the tough calls.
An EPA acts as a watchdog to enforce the laws that protect our natural places and wildlife. Without one, there’s no one to hold those who exploit the rules accountable.
Let’s take this opportunity to build the EPA that Queensland deserves to preserve our natural legacy for future generations. If you believe we need an independent EPA with teeth, please feel free to use our letter template to develop a letter to send to your MP. You can also download it as a Word Doc here.