The Catholic Weekly 6 December 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 3 6, December, 2020 NEW SOUTHWales Labor has joined forces with religious leaders to decry inconsistent restrictions placed on religious observances. “The current restrictions are unfair and it’s taking a toll on people of faith,” NSW La- bor Opposition Leader Jodi McKay said on Tuesday. Currently, religious servic- es inside must follow the four square metre rule with up to a maximum of 300 people meaning Catholic churches are still limited to 100-150 peo- ple at each Mass.  Outdoor services, however, can cater for 500 people un- der the two square metre rule if parishioners are assigned a seat. Meanwhile, other ven- ues and events such as sports matches, shopping malls, and casinos are somehow exempt from such restrictions in the lead up to Christmas. “Forty thousand people were allowed to attend the footy grand final and eleven thousand attended the Ever- est horse race but there is still a maximum of 300 people for some of the most important religious gatherings. People are allowed to sing at karaoke bars and concerts but only five people can sing carols in a church. It doesn’t make sense,” she said. Sydney Archbishop Antho- ny Fisher OP has repeatedly called on the state government to ease the inconsistent re- strictions on religious obser- vances – especially in the lead up to Christmas. “We’re really just asking for a fair go at Christmas, especially given the absence of commu- nity transmission of COVID-19 for some weeks now in NSW, IN THE first such case for Aus- tralia, parents had their teen- ager removed from their care because they did not consent to their child receiving cross- sex hormones. National media reported this week that a state chil- dren’s court magistrate cited the risk of self-harm when making the protection order in October almost a year after the female-born teenager was removed by police at age 15 af- ter discussing suicide online. The parents were judged to be abusive and potentially harmful for failing to consent to their child’s self-declared NSWOppposition Leader Jodi McKay urges government to drop church limits ¾ David Ryan ¾ David Ryan Labor condemns unfair restrictions said the Archbishop. “Peo- ple are rightly asking, if you can have tens of thousands of spectators at a Grand Final to cheer their team on, then why can’t you have more than 500 gather for religious purposes?” Religious leaders repre- senting a diverse range of faith backgrounds – Christian, Mus- lim, Hindu, Jewish and Bud- dhist among them –  wrote to NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant and other government ministers in late November (see column at right) asking for worship capacity increases St Mary’s Cathedral with a COVID-19 sign-in cordon. NSW Labor Opposition Leader Jodi McKay, inset. PHOTO: PATRICK J LEE to allow one person per two square metres indoors; similar COVID-19 rules already apply for other small hospitality ven- ues. The leaders also commis- sioned a report from biose- curity and risk management expert David Heslop to argue treating places of worship dif- ferently to hospitality venues or concert halls is “not logical”. “If the risk posed by reli- gious gatherings is no greater than the risk posed by gath- ering for entertainment or recreation, then people of faith deserve an honest expla- nation for the unequal treat- ment,” said Archbishop Fisher, who lamented the restrictions during one of the most sacred times of the year. “I know our economic health is important, but so is our spiritual health. If you can have bigger crowds doing their Christmas shopping then you can have going to Christmas Mass, and with far fewer re- strictions, then we have our priorities wrong.”  The NSW Labor Opposition agreed – citing also the impor- Transgender teen removed transgender identity and wish for irreversible cross-sex hor- mone treatment. The parents said they knew their daughter had been de- pressed but they wanted an independent psychologist to consider all possible under- lying causes rather than only gender issues and to look into non-invasive treatment op- tions. Queensland University’s dean of law Patrick Parkinson, speaking in a personal capac- ity as a family law expert and critic of “gender affirming” medical treatment for young people diagnosed with gender dysphoria, said it was “a very troubling development”. 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 tance of emotional wellbeing for people of faith at the end of an otherwise traumatic year. “It’s been a challenging and difficult year and religious worship provides an anchor for many in times of adversity and isolation,” said Opposition Leader McKay. “It is so important for families to come together in churches, mosques, temples and synagogues to reflect on the past twelve months. Get- ting people back to work is critical but we also need to support places of worship.” Faith leaders unite in letter Aside from Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, the letter sent to the NSW Chief Health Officer and other ministers was signed by: • Sydney Anglican Archbishop Dr Glenn N. Davies • Imam Shadi Alsuleima, President of the Australian National Imams Council • Brian Houston, Senior Pastor, Hillsong Church • Gawaine Powell Davies, Chair, Buddhist Council of New South Wales • Rev. Dr Peter Barnes, Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia • Surinder Jain, National Vice President and Director, Hindu Council of Australia • Rev. Dr Steve Bartlett, Director of Ministries, NSW & ACT Baptist Churches • His Eminence Archbishop Haigazoun Najarian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia and New Zealand • Most Rev. Antoine- Charbel Tarabay, Maronite Bishop of Australia • Most Rev. Robert Rabbat, Eparch of the Melkite Catholic Church of Australia and New Zealand • Dr Marshall Ballantine-Jones, Executive Director, New South Wales Council of Churches Find the career you deserve SEE OUR LATEST JOBS Call Katie (02) 9390 5402 catholicjobsonline.com. au NEWS