The Catholic Weekly 24 May 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 2 NEWS 24, May, 2020 Call 02 9649 6423 or visit www.catholiccemeteries.com.au Consecrated lawns and chapels Sydney’s only Catholic crematorium Monthly mass for the Repose of Souls Funeral directors available for a Catholic service Bereavement pastoral care Serving the Catholic community for over 150 years FROM PAGE 1 “If this is true, and I hope it is not, then it is behaviour un- worthy of an elected repre- sentative, especially as it in- strumentalises the dreadful horror of child sexual abuse.” The archbishop acknowl- edged the Church’s “deplor- able record” in dealing with the abuse of minors in the past, but that its safeguard- ing work in recent years is “hardly ever acknowledged”. “Forcing priests to break their solemn vows in rela- tion to the Seal of Confession will not make any child or young person safer, but will, in all likelihood, make some more vulnerable to abuse,” he wrote. Archbishop Costelloe also released a longer pastoral letter explaining the back- ground to his missive to the minister and why supporting the proposed law “is simply not open” to him or better for children’s safety. “Generally we have a good working relationship with Prelatecondemnsbehaviour ‘unworthyof anelectedrepresentative’ Perth archbishop rebukesMinister the government but I think that people in the govern- ment and so many others right across our society really We will not budge on Confession: Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB. struggle to understand our point of view in relationship to this,” he told The Catholic Weekly . “It sometimes gets reduced to a very simple equation, either you support child protection or you are in favour of the seal of the con- fession but you can’t do both and I don’t agree with that as I tried to explain.” The archbishop said he had received a “great re- sponse” to his pastoral letter from the Catholic communi- ty. “People were grateful that I had spoken out in defence of who we are and what we believe,” he said. He is hopeful that the gov- ernment will reconsider its approach, but regardless of the outcome will continue encouraging his priests to be “absolutely committed” to both child safety and the seal of confession. In February a similar law came into effect in Victo- ria where priests now face a penalty of up to three years in prison if they do not disclose information about child abuse gained during the sac- rament of confession. PHILIPPA MARTYR P18 I n this edition News Streaming Archbishop’s homily World Opinion, comment 1-7 8-9 14-15 11, 17-19 20-21 12 SAINT JOHN PAUL II AT 100 EDITOR Peter Rosengren (02) 9390 5400 REPORTERS Marilyn Rodrigues (02) 9390 5410 David Ryan (02) 9390 5408 SUBSCRIPTIONS Rita Ng (02) 9390 5411 ADVERTISING AND MARKETING Steve Richards (02) 9390 5404 Paul Desmond (02) 9390 5406 DESIGNERS Renate Cassis Mathew De Sousa Our story begins in 1839 with the Australasian Chronicle, continuing with the Freeman’s Journal in 1850. Level 13, Polding Centre, 133 Liverpool Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. Phone (02) 9390 5400 | Vol 73, No 5134. The Catholic Weekly is published by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney ABN 60 471 267 587 and is printed by ACM Australian Community Media, 159 Bells Line of Road, North Richmond NSW, 2754. LEAVE A GIFT Archdiocese of Sydney Catholic CHARITIES Order your FREE Wills and Bequests Guide today 1800 753 959 or [email protected] myWill SUPPORTINGTHE MINISTRIES OF THE CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY Leaving a gift in a IN AN effort to curb the ex- ploitation of migrant laborers and boost its crippling agri- culture industry, the Italian government has granted tem- porary residency to agricul- tural workers without proper immigration documents. Italian Prime Minister Gi- useppe Conte announced the measure on 13 May during an evening news conference ¾ ¾ Junno Arocho Esteves Migrant workers get visas while presenting the govern- ment’s “Relaunch Decree,” an A$93 billion package to re- launch Italy’s struggling econ- omy in the wake of the coro- navirus pandemic. Granting temporary resi- dency tomigrant farmworkers is a victory “in the fight against crime and in putting an end to the black market in the work- force,” Conte said. He also said the measure guarantees migrants “an ad- equate level of health care in front of this exceptional health crisis.” In an emotional statement, Italy’s Agricultural Minister Teresa Bellanova, whoworked in the fields as a teenager and went on to become a labour rights advocate, wept during a news conference following the announcement. “From today the invisible will become less invisible,” Bellanova said. “From today the state wins, because it’s stronger than crime and exploitation.” After the outbreak of the pandemic and subsequent nationwide lockdown, thou- sands returned to their home countries out of fear of con- tracting the coronavirus, re- sulting in the loss of countless crops and threatening the collapse of Italy’s agricultural sector and subsequent eco- nomic consequences. - CNS