The Catholic Weekly 13 September 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 2 NEWS 13, September, 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 “But we certainly don’t want to discourage people from re- ceiving a vaccine that is nec- essary.” Sydney professor of bio- ethics Dr Margaret Somerville also welcomed the University of Queensland deal. “Mutual respect for peo- ple’s freedom of conscience and freedom of religion is an essential element in main- taining a high ‘ethical tone’ in our Australian society,” she said. “Opening up, as the Gov- ernment has done, the possi- bility of having a vaccine that everyone can accept as ethical is an important move in that direction.” UQ Vice-Chancellor Pro- fessor Deborah Terry said she was “enormously proud” of the contributions that UQ re- searchers have been making in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Archbishop Peter A Comensoli met with One of two research options not drawn from aborted children Vaccine option given the nod Mr Hunt last Tuesday. The chair of the Bishops Commission for Life, Family and Public Engagement had previously alerted the Fed- eral Government about the Catholic communities’ con- A chemist works at AstraZeneca’s headquarters in Sydney. PHOTO: CNS/DAN HIMBRECHTS,AAP IMAGE cerns that a vaccine, though welcome, should not be mor- ally comprised. Archbishop Anthony Fish- er OP, also presented the “le- gitimate concerns” of many in a letter to Mr Morrison co- signed by the Anglican Arch- bishop of Sydney and Met- ropolitan of NSW Dr Glenn Davies, and the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdio- cese of Australia, Archbishop Makarios Griniezakis. I n this edition News Streaming Archbishop’s homily World Opinion, comment 1-7, 10 8&9 22-24 11, 26-27 28-29 23 ASIA BIBI SHOCKS SUPPORTERS 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 5150. 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 THE CALIFORNIAN state government has passed a bill that aims to soften the crim- inal penalty for LGBT adults who engage in intercourse with teens aged from 14-17. Under the current Sex Of- fender Registration Act peo- ple found guilty of a sexual act with a minor are automatical- ly required to register with law enforcement as a sex offender. Discretion is currently al- ¾ ¾ Benjamin Conolly ‘Californication’ set to become law lowed only when the offence involves vaginal intercourse between a male and female, if the victim is aged between 14- 17 years-old and the age dif- ference between offender and victim is less than 10 years. That discretion, the Cali- fornian Supreme court rea- soned, is allowed because in such a situation pregnancy can result, and “forcing a fa- ther to register as a sex offend- er would subject him to social stigmatisation that could make it difficult to find a job and support his child.” The new bill calls for the same allowances for discre- tion for all offences, including oral intercourse and sodomy. “I cannot in my mind as a mother understand how sex between a 24-year-old and a 14-year-old could ever be con- sensual, how it could ever not be a registrable offence,” said Democrat State Represent- ative Lorena Gonzalez. “We should never give up on this idea that children should be in no way subject to a predator.” Democrat Senator Scott Wiener, who proposed the legislation said “[The bill] does nothing more than treat LGBTQ young people exactly the way straight young people are treated when a decision is made whether to put them on the sex offender registry.” If signed by Californian Governor Gavin Newsome, the bill will become law next month. NEWS