AUSTRALIA’S Catholic bishops have issued a wide-ranging statement ahead of the federal election, identifying challenges facing the nation.
The statement – ‘Having Faith in our Democracy: Building a Better Australia’ – urges Australians to consider their vote in light of the common good.
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president, Archbishop Francis Carroll of Canberra and Goulburn, said the bishops offered the statement as a contribution to the democratic process.
Issues raised include the protection of life, support for families, education, health and aged care, reconciliation, treatment of asylum seekers, environmental care, and poverty alleviationI.
The bishops speak out against human cloning and using human embryos for stem cell research, and against abortion, assisted suicide and euthanasia.
They highlight family breakdown as ‘a very grave problem’ and call for resolve to support marriage and family life.
On aged care, the bishops note ‘that the cost burden for caring for aged people has been steadily shifting to residents and their families’.
Highlighting ‘an increasing gap between rich and poor’, the bishops renew their call for a national forum on poverty aimed at developing a national strategy to tackle the problem.
On indigenous issues, the bishops say that ‘experience has taught that the delivery of services to indigenous peoples is least effective when the peoples themselves play no significant part in the process’.
The bishops repeat their opposition to mandatory detention of asylum seekers, ‘beyond the need for initial processing’, and to the detention of children.
For the full text of ‘Having Faith in our Democracy: Building a Better Australia’ go to Features.
