catholicweekly.com.au 2 NEWS 15, November, 2020 FROM PAGE 1 “People manifest it in things like the institutions and or- ganisations they set up, schools, hospitals, welfare services, parishes and so on, and that will often include operations that include goods and services.” Appearing alongside Arch- bishop Fisher was the Primate of the Armenian Church of Australia and New Zealand, His Eminence Archbishop Haigazoun Najarian. An un- precedented level of collabo- ration between the Catholic and Orthodox churches saw a joint submission made to the Committee by the Catholic Bishops of New South Wales and the Bishops of the Aus- tralasian-Middle East Chris- tian Apostolic Churches. Critics of the bill also spoke at the two-day hearing, in- cluding the director of the Buddhist Council of NSW, Bhante Akāliko Bhikkhu, who said it would increase dis- Church leaders back freedom crimination against people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The archbishop said that the aim was the reconciling of supposedly conflicting rights. Rather than insisting on a “winner takes all” approach to human rights that viewed protection of one right as ne- cessitating the diminishment of another, we should seek to protect all of them, he said. Meanwhile, LGBTI Catho- lics, for example, were as concerned about their reli- gious freedom as non-LGBTI Catholics and he did not want to see it undermined, he said. Legislating for religious Considering religious freedom: Tania Mihailuk MLA, Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, Mark Latham MLC, Archbishop Haigazoun Najarian, Scott Farlow MLC, Robyn Preston MLA and Gabrielle Upton MLA gather after the parliamentary committee hearing. PHOTO: MONICA DOUMIT freedom was about “making space” for each other and included the need to allow people to express a religious belief outside the workplace without the threat of losing their job or facing other dis- criminatory treatment. “Employers should not re- gard themselves as owning the souls of employees, as if they are free to control their minds and their speech in every part of life,” Archbishop Fisher told MPs, although a person’s life outside of a religious-based workplace did have a bearing in some situations, for exam- ple the leader of a faith com- munity or a school principal was expected to live in a way that did not undermine their authentic witness to those communities. Archbishop Najarian ech- oed Archbishop Fisher’s words and told the committee that it was important to the Armenian Orthodox commu- nity that Catholic institutions were given the legal right to operate in accordance with their beliefs. As a small proportion of the population in New South Wales, he explained, the com- munity did not have the same presence in terms of schools, hospitals and aged care facili- ties as the Catholic Church. Many Armenians, he said, chose Catholic institutions for education and health care, making it clear to the Com- mittee that the protection of Catholic institutions assisted minority faith groups as well. The Committee is due to provide its final report by March 2021. MONICA DOUMIT P11 I n this edition 7 HOPE AFTER FRENCH HORROR 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 5159. 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. News Movies, books Archbishop’s homily Opinion, comment World 1-7 8&9 11, 17-19 14-16 20-21 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 Helping build a brighter future for children and families in crisis. Dunlea Centre 35A Waratah Road Engadine NSW 2233 Phone 02 8508 3900 AUSTRALIA'S ORIGINAL BOYS' TOWN A place for change... www.dunleacentre.org.au Celebrating loved ones for over 90 years Trevor Lee & Son is a family business that has helped families celebrate and remember their loved ones for over 90 years. ♦ Intimate and personal funeral services ♦ Professional, compassionate staff, available 24 hours a day ♦ On site or in the comfort of your own home ♦ Servicing all areas of Metropolitan Sydney and Country NSW ♦ Pre-Paid Funerals available Contact Bernadette (nee O’Hare), Trevor or Darren Lee on 9746 2949 to arrange an appointment. Employers should not regard themselves as owning the souls of employees, as if they are free to control their minds and their speech in every part of life.” Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP