OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - Peace with Indigenous Australians, peace in families, peace among religions: all Australians must cultivate a culture of peace. Australian Bishops issue statement for national Social Justice Sunday 26 September

Thursday, 23 September 2004

Sydney (Fides Service) - “Peace be with you: Cultivating a Culture of Peace is the title of an 11 page state issued by the Catholic Bishops of Australia in view of the national Social Justice Sunday on 26 September. Australians, still under shock after the recent Jakarta bomb blast which destroyed the Australian embassy, are preparing to vote in elections next month.
The statement, prepared by the Catholic Social Justice Council of the Bishops’ Conference, addresses a wide range of areas where peace can be cultivated, social and political life, families, dialogue among believers of different religions, education to peace in schools.
The statement is signed and presented by Bishop Christopher Saunders, Bishop of Broome and chairman of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council who begins by recalling Australia’s terrible grief and shock after the terrorist bombings in Bali last year and more recently in Jakarta, and asks what can Australians do to cultivate a culture of peace in which “such crimes never deface our common humanity”.
The statement recalls that the family is primary agent for peace and the place to educate to non-violence and mutual respect: “It is in the complexities and joys and difficulties and wonderful moments of living together that a culture of peace begins. Families, with the interaction of the generations, play a crucial role. When working well, the family is not simply the natural and fundamental nucleus of society, but becomes a model for the whole human family of the lived experience of peace.”
Australian society claims it is “tolerant and multicultural”, despite the recent appearance of xenophobic movements the Bishops recall and add that for this claim to be true there must be an authentic process of reconciliation with Indigenous Australians and they encourage initiatives to build bridges between the culture of the majority and that of the minority groups, which means initiating programmes for economic and social development for minorities often in situations of poverty and illiteracy. It is important to restore a sense of justice and equity also with regard to the traditional lands of Indigenous Australians.
The Bishops also underline the need for peace between religions: “There can be no peace among nations without peace among religions” and they add, “it is also unfair to identify terrorism with Islam, many of whose leaders have been proponents of peace. That many terrorists invoke Islam to justify their violence should not discredit the religion”. They urge Christians to work ever harder to promote interreligious dialogue and prayers for peace following the example of the Holy Father. “In 1986, and again in 2002, Pope John Paul II invited leaders within Christianity and the major world religions to Assisi, the home of St Francis, where he joined them in a special meeting of prayer for peace”. The whole nation must cultivate a culture of peace at the social and political level, which means eliminating violence, building healthy and participated democracy in which no one is excluded or marginalised. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 23/9/2004 lines 45 words 465)


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