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therecord.com.au
DOWN TO THE RIVER TO PRAY
Benedict XVI warns on faith’s future - Page 6
Pilgrims flock to the Jordan - Pages 14-15
Chief Rabbi says side-by-side discussions are the way forward,
Solving problems together By Ben Sacks RELIGIOUS difference is no barrier to shared action when it comes to defeating common problems, Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks told a forum in Perth recently, echoing words he spoke in Rome last year at the invitation of Pope Benedict XVI. The Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth spoke to a room full of Jewish community youth and then to a broader communal forum at the Perth Hebrew Congregation
(PHC) synagogue in Menora. When asked about the importance of interfaith dialogue, Rabbi Sacks distinguished between ‘face-to-face’ and ‘side-by-side’ discussions. Face-to-face dialogue was “standard dialogue between religious leaders about religious issues”, while side-by-side action meant identifying common problems – such as youth gangs and drugs – and saying, “let’s get together and solve these problems”. Rabbi Sacks said he was more concerned with side-by-side dia-
logue because many issues can only be addressed at the street level. “We should recognise that we all face the same big problems, and not be too worried about why, or too concerned with the small things,” he said. During the evening talk on 23 January, Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks covered a range of issues including the relationship between science and religion, fighting religious intolerance and the importance of faith in a secular and materialistic society.
The leader of Orthodox Judaism in the 16 nations of the Commonwealth also spent an hour taking questions from the audience. Rabbi Sacks was invited by Pope Benedict XVI to give a lecture at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome on 12 December 2011. Speaking of his recent visit to the Vatican, Rabbi Sacks said the visit was prompted by problems associated with banking, the ethics of finance and inordinate salaries for executives. “I thought ‘this is a problem that
faces us all equally’, and that there was an opportunity to work together to face these challenges,” he said. These community forums were Rabbi Sack’s final engagements during his brief stay in Perth. Earlier, he had been keynote speaker at a function commemorating the 120th anniversary of the founding of the PHC, which was also attended by Archbishop Barry Hickey and local political and religious dignitaries. Has Europe Lost its Soul? - Rabbi Sacks on the current crisis Pages 9-12
Lumen girls are leading lights By Robert Hiini LAUREN White is excited at the prospect of following in her father’s science-bound footsteps while Eleanor Moog hopes to gain experience in Melbourne or Sydney before landing an advertising career in New York. The two girls are among Lumen Christi College’s highest achievers with 10 students receiving ATAR scores over 95 and are now preparing for the future. Lauren was named the college’s highest academic performer, attaining an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank score of 98.30. She has been awarded a Science Excellence scholarship which she will use to study chemistry and biochemistry at Curtin University this year. Eleanor said she was “beyond excited for university to start” having picked up two scholarships; the Curtin Principal’s Recommendation Award and the Business School Excellence Scholarships, which are worth $1,000 and more than $9,000 respectively.
Lauren White, front left, with other high achievers Adele D’Lima, Emily Craig-Wadham, Sherrilynn Wakefield and Emily Bell.
PHOTO: COURTESY LUMEN CHRISTI
‘It’s almost as if authorities don’t want to know’ By Mark Reidy THERE is reluctance in today’s culture to admit children need something better than “unstable relationships and unmarried and uncommitted cohabiting parents”, Archbishop Barry Hickey said in an online video last week. The archbishop was speaking about the findings of the report, tabled in federal parliament by Kevin Andrews, Shadow Minister
for Families, Housing and Human Services last September. The report links what the archbishop called “the dramatic deterioration of the welfare of children” over the past ten years to “the rise of de facto couples, violent and unstable relationships and divorce.” “One would expect some action to help stabilise families and provide better conditions for children,” Archbishop Hickey said. “Instead, we have silence. It is
almost as if authorities do not want to know what is happening because if they did they would have to challenge the present culture of co-habitation and take measures to help families cope”. The prevalence of non-marital family arrangements was justified as “some sort of freedom of choice,” the archbishop said. Since 1998, the number of reported cases of abuse and neglect of children had tripled, the arch-
bishop said, with double the number of children in care and a 66 per cent increase in the rate of hospitalisation for self-harm. The archbishop warned the situation would deteriorate further if voices advocating true and lasting marriage were not heard above those pushing for damaging alternatives such as same-sex marriage and in-vitro babies for singles. “Please do not be seduced by the lie that any form of relationship is
suitable for children,” he said. “Only marriage is the most stable, safe and nurturing environment for bringing up children.” The archbishop made the comments in the second of a series of videos, entitled The Archbishop Speaks, released on the website of the archdiocesan evangelisation initiative, The Faith Centre, each Friday. Episode three of the series will be released on 3 February at www.thefaith.org.au