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Senator Brian
Harradine
We asked prominent Australian Catholics for their thoughts on Australia on the first Australia Day of 2001 – the second century of
Australia as a united federation of states.
We asked three questions:
• What is your birthday wish for Australia on Australia Day?
• What challenges face us as a nation in the 21st century?
• What role do you see the Catholic Church playing in addressing these challenges?
Their answers to these three questions were both interesting
and varied. Read on…
Senator Brian Harradine
has represented Tasmania in the Federal Upper House since 1975, and has served on a broad range of
senate committees.
“(I wish for Australia) to become internally reconciled, and to live in peace and positive harmony with our neighbours.
“To uphold the inherent dignity of each human
being: the unborn; those with disabilities; the unemployed; the addicts; the destitute wherever they may be.
“To uphold and support marriage and family friendly policies and the dignity of human work.
“(We are challenged) to resist attempts by non elected elites to determine policies at the core of society. Examples are the cloning of humans by certain science technologists and the undermining of the family and
the rights of children by the administrative misuse of broadly drawn anti-discrimination legislation.
“(The Church must lead by) prayer, fearless proclamation of the truth and evangelisation especially among
young Catholics, giving them fresh hope and challenging us all to joyful, selfless service.”
Professor Peter Sheehan
is Vice Chancellor at the Australian Catholic Uni- versity.
“My birthday wish for Australia is that it find maturity in its sense of nationhood. That maturity must rest not on satisfaction
with our past but through facing (and working through) issues that Australians will face necessarily in the future. There is too much to distract Australians that cement our feelings of comfort about the past. Past
achievements are terrific, but there are many things about which we should feel no pride and deserve better solutions in the future. Reconciliation is one example. National pride can only rest on a firm sense of
what is important in Australian society, what values really matter, and how best to define our responsibility to one another.
“The major challenge is to rescue a loss of faith in ourselves. Australians have
survived for too long on the myth of mateship and the seeming obviousness of equality for all. Most are happy about Australia becoming a republic; however, we still need to find a way forward that provides a shared
consensus. Reconciliation has met formidable obstacles that need overcoming; most think it is important, but lip service is starting to look more important than real action. We also need to resurrect our confidence
in the political process. Values concerning social justice and the rights of others are now beginning to influence electorate outcomes; the political process needs to recognise this fact and show that it is more
concerned about the distribution of economic gain than about its acquisition.
“Religion should teach and uphold moral values more effectively by illustrating tolerance of what others think. It is an unpopular
position to argue, but there is a restless search for meaning (some call it “spirituality”) among Australians that can benefit greatly from religious communication, understanding and education. Youth poses a special
problem in the pursuit of this goal. Our challenge is to re-engage youth and fill the void in many young people’s lives with a truer sense of purpose and meaning. The Church may need special strategies to do that,
because the lack of commitment and cynicism of youth is now well reinforced by many alienating features in our own society.”
Pat O’Flynn
is NSW/ACT president of the St Vincent de Paul Society.
“My birthday wish for Australia is to see a proud country united together, where Australians are living Christian values based on
love, respect and tolerance for each other. An Australia where there is no bigotry, poverty or any form of injustice; a nation where we are all responsible for the well being of each other.
“I believe that the challenges that face us are:
“A true and meaningful reconciliation with our indigenous brothers and sisters;
“To provide services that help break the cycle of poverty, loneliness
and homelessness;
“To improve our care for those suffering mental illness;
“To ensure leaders at government, civil and Church levels know what is fair and right and for them to do what is fair and
right for our country.
“I believe that the Church must be seen as being proactive and genuine in its role of advocacy for the many forms of people who are disadvantaged. It must be prepared to lead by
example, irrespective of political pressures, and be involved at the ‘grass roots’ level.
“I also believe that the Church must develop a stronger and more meaningful relationship with the youth today. These
include not only youth programs for school pupils and post-school years adults but also liturgies that allow youth to discover Christ and worship him in their ways.
Sr Sonia Wagner
is the Congregational Leader of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St Benedict. She was a co-author of the Woman and Man: One in Jesus
Christ Report, and is a member of the newly–appointed Commission for Australian Catholic Women.
“May we see an Australia where hospitality is open-hearted, compassion is authentic, and vision and
imagination flourish. May the spirit of the Olympics endure in our land and in our relationships. Let us continue on the road to reconciliation. In the words of St Augustine, ‘Let us sing alleluia but keep on
walking!’
(Our challenge is) to continue the journey to reconciliation between all peoples in this country so that we can see differences as gift and richness rather than as problem and obstacle; as a call to
action to build bridges rather than walls.
“This challenges us all to grow in respect and reverence that sees the transcendent – the beyond, the more – in the other person and in all creation; that draw us
out of a prevailing climate of cynicism; that lead to relationship with God, with the land, the cosmos, with one another; that can focus on the values and objectives that unite us; that show to one another and teach
the next generation respect and reverence – real respect and reverence for differences; that open us to listen to and learn from one another. St Benedict in the Prologue of his Rule urges us to listen – ‘listen with
the ear of the heart’.
“We will be challenged to be a people of reflective and deep listening, aware of the call to depth our understandings, and to follow through on our commitments and projects. Casting
aside the fears that cramp us, and living into a better understanding of our chosen directions, takes time and prayerful reflection so that we might be able to ‘give reasons for the hope in our hearts’. (1 Peter
3:15)
“The Catholic Church has access to a rich reservoir of faith, tradition, experience, wisdom. The Church has the capacity to converse with diverse groups of people and to listen to and draw upon the
spiritual wisdom of all people. The Church has the opportunity to enter into purposeful dialogue within the Church, among Christians, with other religions and with the wider society. As a Church of pilgrim listeners
we can take courage from history – despite human weakness and failure, the Spirit has continued to breathe fresh life. This listening will flow through into action in solidarity for the good of all, especially for
those who are on the margins of our society.
“A spirituality of the gospel of Jesus Christ that is truly ‘catholic’ draws on the spirit of our ancient land; is authentic for us all in this time and place;
reads the signs of the times; enters into respectful dialogue and flows into action in solidarity for the good of all.
“There are many signs of hope in our Catholic Church today that encourage us to act out
of faith rather than out of fear. One is the groundbreaking and thorough research project on the participation of women in the Catholic Church in Australia, launched by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference in
1996 and completed and published in 1999. One key action that has ensued is the establishment of a national structure – the Commission for Australian Catholic Women. With its twofold aim – to assist in the
implementation of the bishops’ responses and to act as a focal point for ongoing dialogue and integration of ideas on the participation of women in the Catholic Church in Australia – this commission holds out strong
hope that it will be able to tackle one of the serious questions of our day – how to access the spiritual wisdom and experience of women for the good of the whole society.”
Michael Egan MLC
is NSW Treasurer, Minister for State Development and the vice-president of the Executive Council of the Labor Party. He has been a member of the
NSW upper house since 1986.
“To preserve and enhance the successes we’ve already chalked up (over the past 100 years), these things can never be taken for granted, but we’ve often overlooked our
successes as a nation and we’ve achieved things only a handful of countries in the world have achieved. Tolerance, fair play, a sense of community – these things are critically important and we have to hang on to
them.
“We have to address our shortcomings. I think our three major failings are an inattention to the natural environment, the White Australia policy and the treatment of our indigenous people. All of these
can be mended – the White Australia policy already has been with our successful post-war migration program – but we’ve still got a lot to do to protect our natural environment, and we’ve got a long way to go on
reconciliation.
“The Church has a very important role – it can be summed up with the phrase “keep on keeping on”. It’s important to educate people with basic Christian values, such as caring for your
neighbour. It’s a basic Australian value but it can’t be taken for granted.”
Closing the Holy Year and into a new millennium
From Cardinal Edward Clancy
With his Apostolic Letter, Novo Millennio Ineunte, Pope John Paul, while bringing the Holy Year to a close, at the same time makes it the wellspring for renewal as we begin the new millennium.
He brings
what has been a rich, diverse and complex series of events to a single focus in the person of Christ. He invites us to contemplate the face of Christ while making our own those words of St Peter at Caesarea
Philippi: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This fixing of our gaze on our Saviour must precede and accompany whatever we undertake of an active and practical nature lest Jesus should have cause to
rebuke us as he did Martha, “... you are anxious and troubled about many things”.
We must above all make personal holiness of life a primary goal. That means, among other things, prayer in its different
forms, the ‘rediscovery’ of Sunday and its implications and regular recourse to the sacrament of Reconciliation. In addition, we must have an eager ear for the Word of God, and proclaim it in the “new
evangelisation” to which we have been insistently called.
In terms of pastoral planning, we must promote fraternity and communion in the Church, and closer ties with our “separated brethren”, and an
expression of God’s concrete love for the poor, the sick and the disadvantaged. We must as Christians give courageous witness in every area of social and cultural life.
The program outlined by Pope John Paul
may be familiar enough, but it takes on new meaning and finds new energy in the grace of the Holy Year. We must respond as did Peter to Jesus’ invitation to him to cast the net yet again where hitherto his efforts
had gone unrewarded.
“The Holy Door closes, but the living door, Christ Jesus whom it symbolises, remains open more than ever. It is not a dull routine that the Church returns to after the zest of the
Jubilee. On the contrary, what awaits her is a new apostolic outreach, inspired and sustained by confidence in the presence of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.”
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