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Bishops condemns result of Australian detention policies: mental illness
Imprisoned by indifference By Sarah Motherwell AUSTRALIA’S Catholic bishops have called on the Federal Government to implement a threemonth limit on the time asylum seekers are held in detention. The C at holic Bishops’ Commission for Justice, Ecology and Development made the appeal in a recent statement. Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders, who signed the statement, said detention should only apply while the identity and security status of asylum seekers were being assessed. These checks, Bishop Saunders
said, should take no longer than three months. The bishop is a regular visitor to the remote Curtin Immigration Detention Centre, 40km south-east of Derby. “The mass protests, self-harm and suicide we have witnessed over the years show that the harsh conditions in detention centres do not ensure a safe and secure environment and, in fact, add to the trauma already experienced by people fleeing war, violence and persecution,” he said. “One young man, who is at Curtin Detention Centre, told me that he has come to Australia to
avoid the violence that characterises his country and his life’s experience to date. He believes that Australia can offer him the peace
“His greatest crime is that he has dared to seek to enjoy all that Australians take for granted.“ and security that is impossible for him in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But, instead of liberty in Australia,
he has experienced only isolation and incarceration. “His greatest crime is that he has dared to seek to enjoy all that Australians take for granted – freedom, safety and a peaceful future.” At the end of November last year, more than 70 per cent of the 5,733 people in immigration detention had been detained for longer than three months with 2,182 people detained for more than a year. Last year, a number of Australian health organisations called an immediate and independent investigation into the standard of mental healthcare in immigration detention centres.
In 2010, psychiatrist and former Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry said detention facilities were like “factories for producing mental illness”. Three other bishops who signed the statement also minister directly to asylum seekers in immigration detention centres located in their dioceses. A spokeswoman for Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Chris Bowen said the government had implemented “a range of measures” to speed up the assessment of claims, including “increasing operational capacity and recruiting and Continued - Page 3
Guild loves to serve the Lord By Robert Hiini FR DANAI Penollar was happy to return the favour last month, visiting West Australians who attended a national conference for altar servers in Sydney last month. Twelve West Australians from Pinjarra, Albany and Spearwood attended the Guild of St Stephen’s January 3-6 conference. It was the first conference under Fr Penollar’s directorship since he took up the mantle from the late Mgr John Murphy in 2010. Perth attendees were led to Sydney by the guild’s West Australian convenor, Chris De Sousa, himself the focus of recent news. Mr De Sousa recently began exploring a vocation with the Somascan priests who administer his local parish (St Jerome’s, Spearwood). Mr De Sousa was impressed by the conference’s content but even more so, by its effects on young participants. The spiritual practice of Adoration, he said, left a big impression: “It surprised me. Some of the kids who in the formal sessions maybe weren’t so attentive, when it came to adoration, were really in deep prayer,” Mr De Sousa said. Mr De Sousa is considering a statewide conference. Guild ply their trade - page 4
Fr Penollar preparing to visit altar severs in Albany who attended the Guild of St Stephen conference last month.
PHOTO: ROBERT HIINI
Obama cites faith as reason to care for poorest By Patricia Zapor WASHINGTON (CNS) - In remarks at the US National Prayer Breakfast, President Obama linked his actions as president to influences of faith, particularly Jesus’ call to care for “the least of these.” Obama said, “when I decide to stand up for foreign aid, or prevent atrocities in places like Uganda, or take on issues like human trafficking, it’s not just about strengthening alliances or promoting democratic
values or projecting American leadership around the world, although it does those things and will make us safer and more secure. It’s also about the biblical call to care for the least of these - for the poor; for those at the margins of our society.” Obama’s speech came amid criticism of his administration for policies being described as hostile to religious freedom, notably a new federal mandate that all health plans, including those at Churchrun hospitals, colleges and service
agencies, cover contraceptives and sterilisations at no cost. The administration has put in place a religious exemption to the mandate, but leaders of various Catholic and other faith-based organisations say it is too narrow and they will be forced to provide coverage they oppose. Other critics said his address avoided recommendations made by his advisory council for ensuring that faith-based organisations receiving government funding do
not use the money inappropriately. Rev Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance, criticised Obama for praising work done by faith-based groups in providing social services but remaining “silent about essential safeguards on faithbased funding to ensure that when religious organisations receive government funds, this money is not used for sectarian purposes or to discriminate in hiring.” Obama focused on the idea of shared responsibility to care for
one another as a call that extends across religions. “When I talk about our financial institutions playing by the same rules as folks on Main Street, when I talk about making sure insurance companies aren’t discriminating against those who are already sick, or making sure that unscrupulous lenders aren’t taking advantage of the most vulnerable among us, I do so because I genuinely believe it will make the economy stronger for everybody,” he said.