PERTH, WA: September 6, 1990
Number 2704
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Death in the family THE ADVOCATE
See Pages 2, 3 for an autopsy on why this Catholic Weekly had to close
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President's statement
IT IS an unhappy tees Agree .nh 'an ptth tor me to WOG.* Our t atom
Pray for peace, says pope CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS): Pope John Paul II has asked for a negotiated solution to the "truly worrying" crisis in the Persian Gulf and criticised Iraq for "grave violations of international law". WorW stability "is gravely threatened", and the crisis has "negative repercussions in the social and economic order", especially on the
"poorest nations", the pope said during his midday Angelus talk at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, 24km south of Rome.
The 300-word speech was his most explicit talk about the gathering war clouds in the Gulf region since Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on August 2. The pope also asked prayers
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for Western hostages being held in Iraq and for solutions to other Mideastern problems, such as those of the the and Palestinians Lebanese.
"Mary, Queen of Peace, interceded for us and above all for those who suffer because they are unjustly held far from their homeland," the pope said of the
thousands of citizens of Western nations refused permission to leave Iraq. The pope launched an appeal to world leaders for "a constructive dia'ogue in search of a just solution for the current difficulty." Prayers are needed so that "the star of peace may shine brightly on the troubled
populations of the Persian Gulf and all the people of the Middle East, above all those tested populations of Lebanon and Palestine," he said. In the Gulf region, "we are witnesses of grave violations of international law and of the UN Charter, as well as the ethical principles which must rule the living together of people," said the pope.
Welcome with a warning The Australian Catholic Bishops welcomed the signing of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child by the Australian Government but said that much work must be done within Australia itself to ensure that the signing is not an empty gesture.
Speaking on behalf of the Bishops. Cardinal Clancy said: "The Convention sets out basic rights of children throughout the world and must be welcomed by all people who care for
the welfare of every single child, but within Australia itself many children still live in poverty. "Laws which separate children from their parents must be c ont inual ly reassessed.
development of children. "Unless the signing of the Convention is accompanied by serious work in these fields, it could become an empty gesture on the international stage."
"Our refugee policy is too restrictive and lacks sufficient compassion for children. "Our laws fail to protect the rights of children even one minute before birth and social and economic policy does not adequately protect the primary role of the family in the
Referring to the primary role of the Cardinal family. Clancy said that the Convention recognises that the child should grow up in a family environment and that the family should be protected and assisted to carry out its responsibilities, but contrasted
this with some of the laws and policies in Australia. "Any Government policy which in any way undermines the status of marriage directly harms the security of children. "Economic policies on interest rates and taxation place a disproportionate burden on families, who have also had to bear the brunt of several years of wage restraint. These policies are having serious effects on family life and on the consequent care of children," Cardinal Clancy said.
"Public education strategies which encourage children to have an exploitative view of the human body and which presume promiscuity in every single young person undermine the good work and example of the parents and teachers. "The current AIDS advertisements, for example, do not respect the values expressed in the UN Convention in relation to the family and the primary responsibility of parents to give their children direction and guidance."
Cardinal Clancy referred to the statement in the UN Convention about the needs of the child for special protection, including legal protection, before as well as after birth, and listed practices in Australia in which such legal protection is virtually nonexistent: abortion on demand for social reasons, foetal testing followed by abortion, human embryo experimentation, surrogate mother arrangements, the development of p harmaceutical agents for the purpose
of procuring abortions, and fatal neglect of newborn infants with major disabilities. "The Convention is to be welcomed for the good that it can do for all the children of the world, but Australia itself has much work to do if it is to live up to the Convention. "Every care must be
taken to ensure that, in securing the rights of children, the rights of parents are not trampled on," Cardinal Clancy said.
• What the bishops said in early July on Page 6