Monday 15 December 2008

Brisbane’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission has called on Catholics to turn their backs on consumerist values and to open their eyes to the plight of the poor and oppressed of the world at Christmas.

The Commission’s Executive Officer, Peter Arndt, said that the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference’s Social Justice Sunday Statement this year provides Catholics with a good framework within which they could make decisions about how they celebrate Christmas.

“The Bishops told us that the consumerist mentality which is so dominant in our society contributes to on-going unhappiness and dissatisfaction,” Mr Arndt said.

“The Bishops remind us that the Gospel calls us to be aware of the plight of those who are poor and to be active in addressing their situation,” he said.

“They also remind us that our over-consumption of the Earth’s resources will have dreadful consequences for the Earth which God has entrusted to us to care,” he added.

“The birth of Jesus is something which we should celebrate with great joy, but the way we celebrate it should reflect the values of the Reign of God which Jesus proclaimed,” he said.

“As the Bishops told us, the message of Jesus is about being more rather than having more,” he said.

“So, let’s try to focus more on acts of love and justice rather than spending lots on presents and lavish Christmas lunches,” he said.

“Let’s try to remember the poor and oppressed in our own community and around the world, not only with acts of charity, but with a commitment to act for justice,” he said.

“Taking action for justice is an essential part of the proclamation of the Gospel,” he said.

“If we keep it simple in our lives, we may be able to give more generously to those who have little,” he said.

“Our generous support of Church agencies such as the Society of St Vincent de Paul, Caritas Australia and Catholic Mission is an act of love which reflects the love of God which Jesus lived and preached,” he said.

“Living simply may also give us the time to focus on action to address the injustice and oppression faced by many in Australia and around the world,” he said.

“Our advocacy of Government action to address the poverty of those mentioned in the Bishops’ Social Justice Sunday Statement like Indigenous Australians, single parent families, refugees and asylum seekers and homeless people is also a very important expression of God’s love,” he said.

“Our thoughts, prayers and action can also extend to those around the world who live in great poverty and who suffer great oppression in countries like Zimbabwe and Burma,” he said.

Monday 20 October 2008

CJPC Logo

Brisbane’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission has produced a colourful card to help Catholics to become more aware of the principles of Catholic social teaching.

The Commission’s Executive Officer, Peter Arndt, said that it was important that Catholics understood principles of the Church’s social teaching so that they could be used as a guide in assessing important social issues.

“The Church’s social teaching is sometimes described as the Church’s ‘best kept secret’ because so few Catholics know much about it,” Mr Arndt said.

“The Commission has highlighted these principles whenever it issues resources or speaks publicly on important issues,” he said.

“However, the Commission has put some of the major principles on a card so Catholics can see them together and, perhaps, be motivated to find out more,” he said.

“These principles and criteria have been developed and repeatedly espoused by all the Popes since Pope Leo XIII,” he said.

“While the Popes may use the principles in talking about a particular issue of the time, many of them have a lasting value and can be applied to many situations in every age,” he said.

“That is why the Vatican speaks of the dignity of the human person, the common good, subsidiarity and solidarity as universal principles of Catholic social doctrine,” he said.

The colourful cards list seven key principles of Catholic social teaching and provide a brief explanation of each.

The cards also include some relevant prayers taken from the Church’s liturgy.

All parishes in the Archdiocese are being sent a number of copies free of charge with the hope that they will be used to raise awareness of Catholic social teaching among parishioners.

Further copies can be purchased from the Commission at a very reasonable price.

“The Commission hopes to provide Catholics in the Archdiocese with more resources and opportunities to find out more about the key ideas of the Church’s social doctrine,” Mr Arndt added.

Monday 21 April 2008

Staff of the Cathedral of St Stephen precinct will join with others from around the Archdiocese of Brisbane in a National Close the Gap Day event in the grounds of the Cathedral at noon tomorrow, Tuesday 22 April

National Close the Gap Day 2008 is promoted by over forty Indigenous and non-Indigenous community organisations as an opportunity for citizens to express their public support for long term, meaningful Government action to close the 17 year life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

This event will be one of over five hundred which will take place around the country on 22 April.

One of the organizers of the event, Peter Arndt, who is a Mission Development Officer in the Faith and Life Vicariate and Executive Officer of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of Brisbane, said that the Federal, State and Territory Governments need to be reminded of public support for effective action to address the poor health standards of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

“While the Council of Australian Governments has agreed to close the life expectancy gap within a generation, we need to make sure that they actually back up their words with adequate funds to make their commitment a reality,” Mr Arndt said.

“Even though they have pledged to halve Indigenous infant mortality rates within ten years, we need to ensure that they are working closely with Indigenous communities and organisations so that programmes have a real chance of working,” he said.

“Although Mr Rudd and Dr Nelson have made a bipartisan commitment to close the gap, we need to make sure that they develop partnerships with Indigenous people and build on the success stories of many Indigenous-controlled health projects,” he said.

“Holding such events keeps the focus on the issue of poor Indigenous health,” he said.

“We do not want a flourish of words and activity now which disappears in a month or two and leaves the life expectancy gap unchanged,” he said.

“This gap is an immense scandal and closing the gap should be a matter of the highest priority,” he said.

“It is a disgrace that Indigenous health in Australia is getting no better while other countries like the USA, Canada and New Zealand have made tremendous improvements in Indigenous health and significantly reduced the life expectancy gap,” he added.

Commission Welcomes Middle East Ceasefire
Brisbane’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission today welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire in the Lebanon. The Commission’s Executive Officer, Peter Arndt, said that the ceasefire, which comes into effect at 3.00 p.m. Brisbane time today, offers a respite from the tragic violence of the last few weeks for all the people of Lebanon and Israel. (Full Text)
Brisbane’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission has urged Catholics to support Pope Benedict’s call for action on the current Middle East conflict which respects the rights of the people of Lebanon, Israel and Palestine in a balanced and just way…read more

Commission Welcomes Government’s Back down on Migration Law
Brisbane’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to withdraw legislation which would have meant offshore processing of claims for asylum by people arriving by boat.