I am thinking now that I have to speak very gently. I need to tread warily and allow you the chance to absorb what I want to say. There are things that can tear us apart. There are people who are more interested in turning us on each other. It is so easy to distort Read more
An Australian bishop has warned that if same-sex marriage is legalised, children of gay couples will eventually see themselves as another Stolen Generation. Port Pirie diocese’s Bishop Greg O’Kelly, SJ, issued a letter in which he stated that same-sex and traditional marriage were like comparing apples and pears. “The nature of marriage between two same-sex Read more
We reach the rock art caves and everyone falls silent. Later that night, the giant Northern Territory moon up and the mosquitoes and flies of all worlds swarming through the dark camp, the boys and the young men will talk of magic from up this hill and along the ridge where the rock art is. Read more
I recently travelled to Darwin and was surrounded by the living and remnant artefacts of the indigenous faiths by which the first Australians ordered their lives. It was another example, if ever I needed one, of the power of spirituality and its necessity for many, or indeed most, communities. The doyens of New Atheism taunt Read more
Some say if the Bowraville children had been white their killer would have been brought to justice by now. But 20 years later, after two investigations, two trials, a coronial inquest, a change to the law, two appeals to attorneys-general and a petition to Parliament, no one has been convicted. One reason for this could Read more
Mick Gooda, Aboriginal and Social Justice Commissioner leader, addressed the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference this week in Sidney. Mick Gooda is a descendent of the Gangulu people of central Queensland.
Gooda said that since 1972, the Catholic Church had said that Aboriginal people’s rights to land, employment, housing, education, and are all paramount rights.
Commissioner Gooda spoke about the apology expressed by the national Parliament, which acknowledged past mistakes, (such as taking Aboriginal children from their families and putting them with white families) and promised to make steps toward a reconciled Australian future.
“This is a journey that moves us along the road to freedom and human dignity which Australia owes her people. It is about looking forward and moving forward as a nation. It is a journey that can help build healthy relationships, necessary for an agenda of hope”, said Gooda.
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