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Pope John Paul supports Austrian Cardinal accused of homosexual acts many years ago - Page 13 French Cardinal Etchegaray outlines the Church's position on nuclear testing and disarmament - Page 3
IRe * de -.., PERTH, WA: September 21, 1995
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The remarkable Vincentian scientist, Fr Joseph Slattery, is commemorated by Australia Post - Page 5
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Full report on the ending of the Fourth World Conference on Women - Page 12
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Political ethics inquiry By Peter Rosengren
The need for Catholics to enter or become more involved in Australian political life and to bring their Christian values into play in the political arena will be a subject of a paper to be released early next year by the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council.
Bishop Kevin Manning, chairman of the ACSJC, said the council would release a paper on the role of politicians in contemporary Australian society designed to promote the positive aspects and importance of altruistic involvement in politics. It will primarily examine the role of politicians in Australia today. The 16-member Council, a body set up by the bishops of Australia and overseen by the Bishops' Committee for Justice Development and Peace, has been charged with the task of producing statements on social justice issues in light of the Church's teaching. "It's still very much in draft form, we're still working on it," Bishop Manning said, "but we've used as a starting point the current disillusionment with our political leaders and the allegations that they're out of touch, they're arrogant, they don't listen, they don't always tell the truth." He said that while the paper would hold contemporary political values up to careful scrutiny it would also be mindful of the difficult job that politicians had. "We pay respect to the task which they have, there's no question about that," he said. But the document would also examine the task of representation and look at the responsibilities that politicians have when they do get into office. In Western Australia the list of ex-premiers and the one deputy who have either gone to jail and/or faced royal commissions is embarrassing.
"We're going to look at the task they have of representation. For example, listening and being responsible to community opinion, acting ethically, displaying leadership, balancing expert advice from the bureaucracy and special interest groups against the grass-roots opinions." Bishop Manning listed issues the paper would look at, including: the majority versus the rights of the minority; the place of public opinion surveys; the rights of groups such as aborigines, ethnic communities, rural communities and women, and how they are represented in parliament. However, he also said the paper would look at the desirability of Catholics participating in all legitimate forms of political activity. "(We'll be) urging Catholics to take a keen interest in elections which general opinion says that they haven't always done," he said. "And we'll be looking at the responsibilities that parliamentarians have when they get into office. We're certain to be saying that a politician has got an honourable vocation and there needs to be better respect between the citizen and the leader. We'd also be looking at how the politician works for the common good," he said. "There's a feeling around that they don't always represent the views of the majority of people. Lobby groups and so on have an inordinate effect on politicians, then there's the matter of promises made before an election and not always adhered to after the election." Bishop Manning said the paper would be calling for a return to the traditional ideal of the honourable vocation of the politician. "We have had sterling men in politics, its that type of person that we want to project. Really, there's no place in politics for selfadvancement and so on. And this is the question that's been raised. Do they serve themselves or serve their voters?" he
asked. He also criticised the ability of some politicians to avoid being influenced by reality. "So often we find them not fronting up to the real issues. It's become an art form, that we get all these superficial issues, sidetracks, while important legislation just lies on the table in parliament waiting to be processed," he said. Asked if the document could be applied with benefit in Western Australia, he said it could be applied in any of the States. He also criticised the confusion of legislated law with moral correctness. "Another little sidelight there is that people have a concept that because something is politically correct it's therefore morally correct, and this is not always the case," he said. Bishop Manning's remarks came at the same time as Victorian Premier, Jeff Kennett's, strong reaction to Catholic, Uniting Church and Salvation Army criticism of key aspects of his government. The churches recently criticised the Victorian Liberal government's promotion of gambling as a means of revenue raising for Victoria, and it's privatisation of State assets, including the electricity and water agencies. In an interview with the Melbournebased Herald Sun newspaper, Mr Kennett said churches were no longer looking after the souls of the community and that their involvement in the field of politics was an indication of acknowledgment of failure on their part. Churches, he said, had lost followers at an alarming rate leaving them in danger of becoming irrelevant. "You go to church now," he said in the interview, "and most of them have lost their audience." However, the spokesman for the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, Father Mark Coleridge, on ABC radio, rejected Mr Kennett's criticisms "Mr Kennett may see it like that," he
Bishop Kevin Manning said, "but I think it is a very partial and misleading perception, because the churches have been as critical of the Labor Government in Canberra on some issues as they are of the Liberal Government here in Victoria." "In other words, its not a partisan question, its a question of issues and decisions which affect the lives of millions of people." He said there was no question that the Kennett government had done many things which would work for the long term good of Victorians. "But there are other decisions, other styles of government in this present government, which leave many people uneasy. "It's at that point that the churches have intervened . . . it's a question of what works best for the good of all Victorian people," he said.
Bunbury's beautiful ability ... Australians urge landmine abolition
Nicole Brennan of St Joseph's Catholic Primary in Bunbury, right, who is mildly intellectually handicapped appreciatively watches Cameron Spence who is showing her "some pretty terrific drawing" he's Just completed. Cameron Is one of a number of Bunbury students who are not disabled who are helping disabled students In their classes. Full report, Pages 8-9
More than 210,000 Australians tened by the response. "I have have urged the Australian difficulty remembering a camGovernment to support an inter- paign which gained so much national ban on anti-personnel support in such a short period landmines in a petition present- just under 200,000 signatures for ed to the Senate on Tuesday. a petition in just six weeks. The On the same day, a senior dele- Church's ability to take up a gation of Australian church lead- humanitarian issue such as this ers and aid officials called on with such enthusiasm is really both the Minister for Defence quite staggering," he said. Science and Personnel, Gary The secretary of the Australian Punch, and NSW Labor Senator Catholic Bishops' Committee for Michael Foreshaw to present the Justice, Development and Peace, petitions to the Government. Bishop Kevin Manning, said the The presentation took place petitions clearly showed that just one day before Mr Punch left Australians wanted their GovernAustralia to travel to Vienna to ment to take the landmines crisis attend the review of the United much more seriously. Nations Convention on In"Australians clearly are humane Weapons. repulsed by the terrible loss of The petitions were coordinated life and shocking injuries curby Australian Catholic Relief, rently being caused by anti-perAustcare, Force Ten and the sonnel landmines in many counUniting Church's Social tries," Bishop Manning said. Responsibility and Justice "These weapons are being Committee throughout Australia. used so widely and in such an Australian Catholic Relief irresponsible manner that govdirector Michael Whiteley said ernments and armies can no his agency was particularly hear- longer justify their use."