The Catholic Weekly 1 November 2020

$2 1, November, 2020 GAY CIVIL UNIONS: WHAT’S THE SCORE? CRONULLA’S BUZZ OF COMMUNITY P6 P14 Looking for a new job? www.catholicjobsonline.com.au The fact that churches are beginning to reopen in Victoria is a good thing ... but it is extremely discourag- ing to see that people of faith are still being treated differently.” Fr Marcus Goulding WELCOMING THE ex- tremely-limited reopening of churches last week, Melbourne Catholics said the move is an important step in the right di- rection as people of faith begin to recover frommonths of pan- demic lockdown and depriva- tion of the sacraments. Ballarat vicar general Father Kevin Maloney said that the faithful were delighted to final- ly be able to return to church for Mass, especially as Ballarat weather over winter prevented most parishes from celebrating Masses outdoors. “Although [the limit] is aonly 20 it’s still a start and a move in the right direction,” he said. “Most priests realise there is a serious crisis and we need to work with those who are in authority to keep everyone healthy as well.” Fr Marcus Goulding, an as- sistant priest in Melbourne’s outer northwestern suburbs, welcomed the end of the lock- down but was disappointed at the remaining unequal treat- ment of churches in both the city and regional areas com- pared to other sectors. However the different standards for churches as op- posed to entertainment venues remain in place under Victori- an rules, perplexing believers of all faiths. “The fact that churches are beginning to reopen in Victoria is a good thing which people of faith welcome and are encour- aged by, but it is extremely dis- couraging to see that people of faith are still being treated dif- ferently,” Fr Goulding told The Catholic Weekly . “The Premier Churches slowly open Victorian believers welcome re-openings but remain frustrated by inconsistencies minus clear reasons ¾ ¾ Marilyn Rodrigues Statue a labour of love for Joseph ONE MORNING last April 3.45am Joseph Saliba woke up, quietlydressedand left the housewhile his family slept. Climbing into his coun- cil waste truck at the de- pot where it was parked, he noticed it was a dark- ¾ ¾ Marilyn Rodrigues er pre-dawn than usual. But the 48-year-old father of four from south-west Syd- ney remembers themorning of 22 April so well because of what happened while emp- tying bins in a quiet subur- ban street. He noticed on his inter- nal video screen something pale land in the truck’s met- al hopper along with (in fact, gently cushioned by) a load of green waste. The truck was close to be- coming overfull, and so for a moment, the mechanism stalled. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 has been asked repeatedly to provide the evidence behind the way churches are being treated and he has only given vague responses.” In Melbourne, 10 people and a faith leader are permit- ted for indoor worship and 20 people and a faith leader out- doors. But in cafés and pubs 20 people are permitted to be seated inside with a maxi- mum of 10 people per space. Outside, 50 are allowed with one person per two square metres. In regional Victoria, indoor Masses are resuming for 20 people at a time and up to 50 people out- side, although there is still a disconnect with hospitality venues allowed 40 people in- doors and 70 outdoors. Melbourne Archbishop Pe- ter Comensoli has demand- ed to see the health advice informing public policy that places of worship are inher- ently riskier than other public indoor environments. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli. PHOTO: GIOVANNI PORTELLI

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