Migrants, Refugees & the Gospel of Mercy The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office has prepared a kit for Migrant and Refugee Sunday 2016. It will help individuals, parishes, schools and communities to celebrate the event. The kit shares Pope Francis’ World Day of Migration Message for 2016, and a message from Bishop Vincent...
Bishop Patrick Dunn, President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, has welcomed an increase in New Zealand’s refugee intake, and the pilot of a community sponsorship program. He acknowledged that New Zealand’s contribution is modest and pointed to the need to address the causes of the refugee crisis, saying: “The extent of the...
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) has issued a statement urging Catholics to consider how they will vote in the Federal Election 2016. In it they pick up Pope Francis’ expression “thrown away people” highlighting the experiences of Indigenous Australians asylum seekers and refugees survivors of sexual abuse those who suffer family violence those...
Causes of Trafficking In a submission to the Australian Government’s Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference say that human trafficking and slavery are the terrible consequence of economic and social exclusion, where: • We don’t recognise the human dignity of each person, so people are treated as an object...
Bishop Vincent Long responded on behalf of the Australian Catholic Bishops to a High Court finding on 3 February 2016 that the offshore processing of the refugee status claims of asylum seekers is not contrary to Australian law. He called for compassion and mercy for families currently in Australia who are threatened with return...
Bishop Terence Brady issued a message for the International Day of People with Disability 2015 on behalf of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. He is the Conference’s Delegate for Disability Issues and a member of the Bishops Commission for Pastoral Life. Bishop Brady noted that “according to the 2011 National Church Life survey figures...
Archbishop Denis Hart, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference offered condolences and deep sympathy for the victims of terror attacks in France. He called for unity among cultures and expressed special concern that Australians of Middle Eastern backgrounds should not be vilified as a result of the attacks. He noted that millions of...