The Catholic Weekly 1 August 2021

$2 I have seen some footage ... and let me be frank, it is unacceptable and does not reflect our freedom or our values to break the law and the public health orders.” Bishop Charbel-Antoine Tarabay MARONITE BISHOP Char- bel-Antoine Tarabay crit- icised last weekend’s an- ti-lockdown protests in Sydney as “unacceptable” and “not a solution” to the problems faced under the current outbreak. The Eparch of the Ma- ronites in Australia, New Zea- land and Oceania used his homily last Sunday, in a Mass livestreamed from Our Lady of Lebanon Church in Harris Park, to say that he shared the pain of those who were suf- fering from isolation and the stresses of the lockdown in- cluding financial and health concerns. “However, breaking the rules will not make this [end] any quicker,” the bishop said. “I have seen some footage of a so-called freedom rally in Sydney yesterday, and let me be frank, it is unacceptable and does not reflect our free- dom or our values to break the law and the public health orders. “[These] laws which are put in place are for our com- mon good and for our safety ... What happened in Sydney yesterday did not bring free- dom; it brought division, dan- ger and violence.” Dozens of people were charged and a dedicated po- lice strike force established after thousands attended the anti-lockdown protest in Syd- ney’s CBD last Saturday. In his homily, Bishop Tara- bay spoke of his recent visit to Lebanon where the pan- demic has escalated ongoing political and economic crises in the country. He also recalled the ex- perience of the Harris Park congregation, which saw pa- rishioners die following an outbreak of the virus last year. “COVID-19 is not the aver- age flu,” he warned. “I acknowledge the pain, difference of opinion and the struggle of those who feel for their own reasons that they want their voice to be heard. “I also know that home is not a happy place for every- one. But this was not a solu- tion.” “In Australia, and thanks to the response of the govern- ment and all of our citizens we have until now been spared the devastating impact of this virus and have been relatively safe,” he said. “We should not take this for granted and this is not a reason to become compla- cent and disbelieve the reality of COVID-19.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Protests unacceptable Division, danger and violence: Maronite Eparch criticises anti-lockdown protests as irresponsible ¾ Marilyn Rodrigues THERE’S SOMETHING in the “Holy” water in the Sutherland Shire with three of Australia’s Olyroos Olympic squad hail- ing fromthe area and attending Sydney Catholic Schools. Believed to be the first time a trifecta of players have made a national squad fromthe same area, the fact they all attended local Catholic schools makes the achievement all the more “miraculous”. Goal keepers JordanHolmes and Tom Glover went to Aqui- nas Catholic College in Menai while midfielder Cameron Devlin attended St Patrick’s College in Sutherland. Bounded by the waters of the Georges and Port Hacking Rivers, the area boasts one of the largest playing rosters in the southern hemisphere with al- most 20,000 registered players. CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 ANTHONY CLEARY PAGE 17 ¾ Debbie Cramsie Roo little Olympics beauties! 1, August, 2021 REALITIES OF EUTHANASIA P14 WHEN JOURNALISTS TURN DIRTY HARRY P21 Find the career you deserve Going for gold … Olyroos and Shire boys Jordan Holmes, Cameron Devlin and Tom Glover in Tokyo. PHOTO: SUPPLIED