The Catholic Weekly 29 May 2022

catholicweekly.com.au 2 29, May, 2022 EDITORIAL CONTINUED FROM P1 IN THE wake of euthanasia’s legalisation in NSW, Premier Dominic Perrottet and Opposition Leader Chris Minns equal- ly face the most serious question of all: in a moment of mortal crisis and as a moral disaster loomed, were the men who style themselves the leaders of the state of sufficient calibre to meet the evil? Did they do enough? The almost certain answer is no. When Premier Perrottet fronted a media conference follow- ing the final passage of the legislation through the Parliament last Friday, those who had campaigned tirelessly against media indifference and prejudice towards the sanctity of human life and against the lies of the euthanasia lobby were left stunned. Despite his personal opposition, Mr Perrottet said, the journey toward the passage of laws allowing euthanasia had ‘brought people together.’ Euthanasia, he said, should be a “last resort”. The process of legalising the ending of human life had ‘brought people together’? Killing patients should be a “last re- sort”? Had the Premier taken leave of his senses? But there was more. Somehow, Mr Perrottet went on, that the political debate had been far more non-confrontational than might otherwise have occurred was some kind of a positive. “I’ve always found these conscience debates bring out the best in our parliamentarians,” he blandly told media on Friday. Bizarrely, he credited Independent MP for Sydney Alex Greenwich, the author of the new euthanasia law, going so far as to appear in front of the assembled media in remarkably col- legial fashion with the individual responsible more than any other person in the state for imposing legalised killing on NSW. “I think he set a tone for a deeply respectful and sensitive de- bate on, I think, an issue that people come from their different perspectives,” Mr Perrottet told media. Was the loss of the sanctity of human life in NSW an unparal- leled tragedy in the entire history of the state? One would have thought nowwas themoment to say why in terms of exceptional directness, authority and clarity that only a Premier can exer- cise. But no. Instead, the Premier treated the issue as more of a disagree- ment. “… [C]learly the majority of the parliament disagree with me, and that’s okay,” he said. “That’s the very nature of the great democracy that we live in and there will always be different views. “ Those left wondering whether the Catholic Premier had tak- en leave of his senses watched in amazement as he said he was ‘proud’ that the NSWParliament had presided over a respectful, tolerant and sensitive debate. “Sometimes, in the past, debates like these can tear us apart,” he added. “I think it’s brought us more together.” Yet we could not, for example, ever contemplate that a debate over slavery in which those in favour of its barba- rism won could ever be characterised as “okay” or a “bringing us together.” No-one could call a debate over the consignment of ethnic groups to the concentration camps and which ended in that outcome a ‘unifying’ experience. The performance was bizarre and surreal, constituting one of the most humiliating examples of meek acceptance of evil ever seen. Premier Perrottet has not, to The Catholic Weekly’s knowl- edge, denied the truth of the media reports of his remarks. Instead, he invited the individual who had just made it man- datory for Catholic healthcare and nursing organisations - and others - to cooperate fully in the killing of their patients and res- 21mediocre minutes measured loss of nerve idents to stand beside him at a press conference as he spoke. Meanwhile, NSW Labor Opposition leader Chris Minns also a Catholic, could hardly escape the same criticism. Like the Premier, Chris Minns now has explaining to do. His speech given on 12 November last year opposing euthanasia lasted just 5 minutes. In other words, five brief minutes was the most the Leader of the Opposition could find to argue that healthcare organisations - including Catholic hospitals - should not be forced by law and against their most fundamental ethical principles to collaborate in killing. Contrast those 5minutes (and Premier Perrottet’s 16minutes on 14 October) to the two successive days dedicated by Labor MLC Greg Donnelly as he valiantly attempted to at least ame- liorate by amendment some of the most obscene measures of the Greenwich bill. The combined time both leaders spent on their feet opposing euthanasia was therefore 21 minutes. The difference spoke volumes. Both Mr Minns and Mr Perrottet are serious political opera- tors, shrewd, tactical and strategic enough to rise to the top of their respective parties’ ladders. Both could have mounted pro- longed, effective and strategic opposition to the slow moral evil eclipsing their parties. They might have won. They might have forced amendments. Instead, their comparative lack of action constituted a comprehensive political failure when their lead- ership was needed most. As such, their record in dealing with the issue contrasts shamefully with the heroic resistance offered by lesser ranking members of their parties such as Liberal MLC Damien Tude- hope and Labor MLC Greg Donnelly. Compared with the ex- amples of their leaders, these, together with like-minded MPs, mounted an opposition that can only be described as heroic. What the public therefore witnessed was a political failure by the Premier and Leader of the Opposition that was also a ca- lamity, a loss of nerve and a loss of courage to attempt to shift heaven and earth to prevent a social disaster, to try. Writing on the eve of World War II and mourning the great Irish poet WB Yeats, WH Auden, himself one of the most influ- ential poets of the 20th Century, summed up not only the vision of his fellow poet but also the essence of the time: In the nightmare of the dark All the dogs of Europe bark, And the living nations wait, Each sequestered in its hate; Intellectual disgrace Stares from every human face, And the seas of pity lie Locked and frozen in each eye. Both intellectual disgrace and indifference to moral evil tri- umphed, so to speak, as euthanasia was legalised by the NSW Parliament last week.They triumphed because of a political fail- ure that was disgraceful. They triumphed because the two indi- viduals with the most political capital and authority to bring to bear in opposing such a victory looked very much as if they lost their nerve and didn’t have the stomach for the fight. But these were not all. Perhaps as much as either of these, euthanasia was also a victory for fundamental ignorance of the worst kind and a victory for the lie that a diagnosis of terminal illness necessarily means to die in unbearable suffering. Euthanasia could not have been legalised if any of those prepared to legalise it knew the truth or were prepared to open their minds to the facts rather than the lies they so gullibly con- sumed. Its victory has begun the freezing of the seas of compas- sion and pity in the human hearts of our society. Like children too bored to pay attention to a teacher prepar- ing them for an exam, it is now clear an overwhelming majori- ty of representatives in the state’s Parliament had no idea what they were actually doing. And so they failed the exam of life. Mr Perrottet and Mr Minns both failed the most elementary test of leadership. Leadership, after all, is not about revelling in glory and popularity, but speaking the truth when the truth is not popular - even if it means paying the price. Evils such as euthanasia certainly depend on the superior numbers of ignorance - but they also depend on the failure of good individuals to resist with total commitment, those who as- sume the situation is too difficult to do anything about. Those who stood for life are fully entitled to ask where Dom- inic Perrottet and Chris Minns were in the lobbying, the cam- paign to communicate the reality of euthanasia, the parlia- mentary cut and thrust necessary to opposing it? Neither can realistically expect that their minimal commitment could be construed as decisive leadership. And so it is that we can ask what chance did the advocates for the sanctity of life in NSW ever have when both ‘leaders’ - both Catholics - basically went missing in action in a crisis? The sick, the elderly, the vulnerable and - as we now know - an ev- er-growing category of many others must now pay the price for their mediocrity. n I n this edition News Movies, books Archbishop’s homily Editorial & Letters 1-13 8-9 25 28-29 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Kenny (02) 9390 5348 EDITOR Peter Rosengren (02) 9390 5400 REPORTERS Marilyn Rodrigues (02) 9390 5410 Debbie Cramsie (02) 9390 5396 Adam Wesselinoff (02) 9390 5400 SUBSCRIPTIONS Rita Ng (02) 9390 5411 ADVERTISING AND MARKETING Steve Richards (02) 9390 5404 Katie Clarke (02) 9390 5402 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 5236 The Catholic Weekly is published by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney ABN 60 471 267 587 and is printed by Spotpress Pty Ltd, 24-26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204. In Apulia lives a large community of Arbëresh. It is believed that about 100,000 Arbëresh live there and that the father of the Australian politician also comes from this community. A strong sign of Ar- bëresh origin is the surname ‘Albanese,’ which in Italian means ‘Albanian.’” Albanian website Politiko claims victory for our first Albanian-Australian PM, Anthony Albanese QUOTABLE DOWNLOAD THE OUR FAITH OUR WORKS APP Your one-stop location for Mass and Confession times, spiritual reflections and meditations, podcasts, local Catholic news, the Go Make Disciples mission plan, and much more. To download the app visit ourfaithourworks.org/app or scan the QR Code. 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