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What's inside. • • • Page 5 Fr Gerard Dickenson reviews the controversial film "Priest"
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Archbishop Hickey speaks on Refugee Week; Pope John Paul condemns violence against women
Page 11 Mother Teresa on pilgrimage in America Page 8 Page 7
Book reviews Letters to the Editor pour in
Consu erism 'a disease' By Peter Rosengren
The Australian Catholic Social Justice Council has attacked the vice of consumerism for warping Australians' perception of reality and distracting them from fundamentally important issues in their lives. The comdemnation comes in a study by Melbourne-based Redemptorist, Father Tony Kelly, released by the council last Friday. Consumerism combined with modern advertising techniques to damage true family values by manipulating children to force parents to buy unnecessary products, Fr Kelly warned. Fr Kelly said the conflict between following Christ and Mammon is nothing new, but analysis of the late 20th century shows an obsession with acquir-
ing wealth has become over- a culture of greed, selfishness whelming with dire conse- and isolation from others." quences for society, individuals, Fr Kelly said there is a differChristian faith and culture. ence between consumerism and "An obsession with possess- being needy, or having a decent ing and consuming is, practi- abundance of good things. cally speaking, part of the very But the danger lay in a world soul of our culture and society," where the advertising dollar he writes in "Consuming Pas- ruled all, a commercial value sions: Christianity and the Con- was put on all things and everysumer Society", putting the view thing became a commodity. that rather than being a sin, this This led to a situation where phenomenon was "more a dis- the worth of traditional values ease than a moral evil, more a dealing with sexual, family and cultural pathology than a per- community relationships were sonal choice." questioned. Despite its veneer "On the other hand, the o f tolerance, consumerism dimensions of such a vast, per- expressed itself as a massive vasive social alienation are the resentment against values that result of free decisions which were most needed, but outside have crystallised into a way of the marketable domain of life. immediate satisfaction - if it "However one may judge it, it can't be sold then it's worthless. makes a life of generous freeFr Kelly said the increasing dom more difficult, and favours impact of consumerism through
advertising was especially dam- thing possible into a marketable aging to the family. commodity, packaged for a par"Children, particularly vulner- ticular economic end. able to consumerist fantasies, * The use of the powers of are manipulated to make ever- suggestion and manipulation, growing demands on parents," especially against the young and he said. poorly educated so that groups "They are daily coached in the can be easily targeted and "masknowledge of what is good for saged" into a dependency on an them, and that parents are bad if ever increasing range of illuthey do not supply what whole- sions. sale consumerism decrees to be * The reduction of truth and essential to happiness." knowledge to "image-isolation". Fr Kelly's study explores in * The deep distortion of sexudetail the meaning of con- ality, family and community sumerism and brings out six relationships. dominant features that show * The constant barrage with how it has permeated society. the message that one can only These include: be happy in being a successful * A dislocation of reality in consumer. which people are encouraged to Fr Kelly said a "profound buy not only a product but, mutilation of human culture and effectively, an image of them- identity" was being brought selves too. about through the onslaught of * The tendency to turn every- consumerism.
Peace 'glimmer' in Who is this Tennis Terror? East Timor: bishop
WASHINGTON (CNS) - East Timor's rights of the East Timorese. outspoken Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes In Rome, Pope John Paul told the new Belo said he has a "gleam of hope" that Indonesian ambassador to the Vatican United Nations - sponsored talks involv- that he hoped the latest round of negotiaing representatives of opposite sides in tions could bring social peace to East the often-violent issue of Indonesia's Timor. occupation of his home island will lead He also praised the Indonesian Governtoward peace. ment's attempts to create a climate of reliThe 47-year-old bishop, who was in gious tolerance. Washington earlier this month to talk The Pope said last week a climate of with the United States bishops' confer- trust needs to be established in East ence international policy officials, called Timor, based on respect for human rights the UN discussions in Geneva early in and religious values. June "a good beginning." Church officials in East Timor have Pope John Paul II last week also encour- recently complained of continuing agedthe Indonesian Government to use human rights abuses, including civilians the talks to bring about peace and justice killed by security forces. The Pope said in East Timor. the Vatican was following the situation But Bishop Belo said the talks, which he there with interest and concern. attended, were also a reminder of "funda"Allow me to express the fervent hope mental differences" between those who that ever more appropriate measures will favour integration with Indonesia, and be adopted to ensure that human rights those who want an independent state. are respected, and that the cultural and "The key issue" is for the Timorese to religious values of the people are proreach agreement among themselves, said tected and promoted," he said. Bishop Belo, who is apostolic administraHe offered his "sincere encouragetor of the East Timor capital, Dili. ment" that the dialogue begun recently Among the issues raised during the would progress and lead eventually to "a meeting with the officials were: the form of social and political life which, in deaths of tens of thousands of East Timo- justice and peace, will respond to the rese from famine, disease and an on- aspirations of the inhabitants of East going war for independence since Timor." Indonesia invaded the former Portuguese Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 colony in 1975; the flooding into East and the following year annexed it, but its Timor of thousands of migrants from sovereignty over the territory has never other parts of Indonesia as part of a plan been recognized by the United Nations. to relieve population pressures and to In a talk welcoming the new ambasestablish Indonesia's claim to the terri- sador, Radin Suharjono, to the Vatican, tory; and a population control policy the pope had words of praise for Indoneimposed on the East Timorese in which sia's policies on religion. Catholics are military officials allegedly use persuasion one of several religious minorities in the and coercion to force the mostly Catholic predominantly Muslim country. East Timorese (84 percent of the populaThe pontiff said that thanks to Indonetion) to adopt artificial birth control. sia's principle of religious tolerance, Bishop Belo said that many people Catholics have been able to make signifiwere trying to turn him into the main cant contributions to the cultural, political opposition leader in East Timor, which is and economic life of the country, espethe opposite of what he sees as his role. cially in fields of education, health care This included continuing to speak for the and social development.
The tennis-playing priests of the Archdiocese breathed a sigh of relief last week when this 87-year-old Jesuit left town. Find out who he is on Page 2.