The Catholic Weekly 30 August 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 2 NEWS 30, August, 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 IN A united front on faith in the public sphere, Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic and Orthodox bishops of New South Wales have backed a bill aimed at addressing a lack of legal protections for believ- ers in the state. The submission to the joint select committee on the An- ti-Discrimination Amend- ment (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill 2020 was signed by 25 bishops span- ning eastern and western tra- ditions. They included Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fish- er OP, President of the East Christian Apostolic Churches Bishop Robert Rabbat who heads the Melkite Catholic Eparchy of Australia and New Zealand, and Maronite Bish- op of Australia Antoine-Char- bel Tarabay LMO. The leaders warned that recent years have seen a hardening of attitudes in some elements of Australian society towards religion and religious believers, with re- sulting challenges for people of faith in accessing employ- ment, education and profes- sional accreditation. Meanwhile, there is also a trend towards “increasing at- tempts to punish them for ex- pressing a faith-based view,” they wrote, while same-sex marriage and a push to define access to abortion and eutha- nasia as ‘rights’ also pose new challenges for religious organ- isations including schools and parishes as well as people of faith engaged in the health care or aged care sector. Catholic Schools NSW, Catholic Women’s League NSW and the Australian Catholic University’s PM Glynn Institute were also among the organisations who ¾ ¾ Marilyn Rodrigues Churches unite on protection of faith made submissions support- ing the bill. The President of CWL NSW, Ann Pereira, said that its members feel strongly that society is best served by allowing space for religious belief to flourish by protect- ing families who wish to raise their children in the practice of their faith. “We believe the country is enriched by the presence of religious believers who reg- ularly contribute to society in a way that should benefit everybody,” she said. “There is increasing con- cern about the increase of hostility towards people who Churches are concerned by increasing efforts to punish believers for expressing faith-based views. do live their faith and make it public ... but we feel that everybody has the right to live their faith publicly and they should be offered the neces- sary protection to do so.” The signatories pointed out that despite six inquir- ies at the national level into or relating to the protection of religious freedom in recent years there has been no leg- islative action taken on the matter.  “By seeking action from the New South Wales parliament in protecting its citizens from discrimination on the basis of religious belief or activity, people of faith are not ask- ing for special treatment, but equal treatment,” they wrote. Also signing the bishops’ submission were the leaders of the state’s Chaldean, Syr- ian, Coptic Orthodox, Anti- ochian Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Ancient Church of the East, Armenian Catholic churches as well as the Or- dinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross. The private member’s bill by Mark Latham MLC is a response to a recommenda- tion by the Expert Panel on Religious Freedom in 2018 that an amendment be made to anti‐discrimination laws in New South Wales render- ing it unlawful to discrim- inate on the basis of a per- son’s religious belief or activ- ity.  The state has the highest religious affiliation in the country, with 66 per cent of the population professing a faith, and 24.7 per cent of the state identifying as Catholic. I n this edition News Streaming Archbishop’s homily World Opinion, comment 1-7 8-9 14-15 11,17-19 20-21 18 PLEASE STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT A MAN DROUGHT! 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 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 5148. 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 ... We feel that everybody has the right to live their faith publicly and they should be offered the neces- sary protection to do so.” Ann Pereira, NSW CWL NE