Letters: Greedy and needy

Sydney
15 December 2002

‘Hay Day’ for Kellyville kids

Human life for sale, say bishops

More women turn to Vinnies for help

Don’t throw It away

3 choirs in evening of carols

Catholic Weekly takes a holiday

Emotional day for ‘Dame’ Jan

$60,000 in medical aid to Iraq

Education Office attacked over exemption bid

Terror threat? Too far from centre of world, says Coptic Patriarch

Bomb threats against two seminaries

Candice, 15, lost dad, mum and aunt

Softer stance on asylum seeker kids

Capuchin Franciscan named as Brisbane auxiliary bishop

Saddling up for Melanie’s day at the races

Editorial: Trading in flesh

Greedy and needy

Conversation: John Ferguson, social justice champion - how do we respond to the challenges?

There’s something about Mary ...

Pudding a town on the map – Fr Mac’s heavenly legacy

Priest cooked up a winner

City schoolkids give ‘country cousins’ a helping hand

Saving street kids: Fr Chris honoured

Letters: Greedy and needy

Thank you for the story on Caritas Australia’s rehabilitation program in Bougainville (‘Greedy people’ let the needy go without, CW 1/12).

However, I would like to take this opportunity to clarify some points.

In the years after Papua New Guinea (PNG) became independent, the Australian Government delivered an “untied” aid program.

This was, in effect, a blank cheque that allowed the PNG Government to determine how the money would be spent.

Over the years reports by various government and non-government agencies suggest that some of these funds were misspent by irresponsible and/or corrupt individuals in PNG.

As a result, ordinary people in PNG were disadvantaged and basic services and infrastructure have been run down.

For some years now the Australian Government has endeavoured to correct this by “tying” its aid to specific programs and projects that would more easily reach the people. While there is still some way to go, anti-corruption and transparency steps have been put in place to overcome this.

This practice underpins the necessity of aid rather than the sole dependence on trade. Targeted and well designed aid that is monitored and evaluated for impact has made a huge difference to vulnerable communities in PNG.

It is a practice we have embraced and see as a crucial reason for increased aid to PNG. Reliance on trade aloneill leave the most disadvantaged, who have no access to markets, facing greater impoverishment.

On two occasions, Caritas has been forced to suspend its program on Bougainville, not in PNG, due to violence or safety concerns.

Thanks to the courage and commitment of the staff on Bougainville and the good will of the vast majority of the people, Caritas continues to work there, helping them rebuild their lives and their communities.

It is important to note that Bougainville is still a part of PNG. While it is working towards autonomy, independence – if it comes at all – is still many years off.

Fortunately, there is no sign of drought in Bougainville at this time. However, significant sections of the Highlands are suffering from its effects. Caritas will continue to monitor the situation and provide assistance where necessary.

Finally, I would like to thank The Catholic Weekly and its readers for your continued support. Without you we would not be able to work with people in places like PNG.

Jack de Groot
National director
Caritas Australia

SASSENACH PLOT?

“… a Mass in honour of Scotland’s patron saint, St Anthony” (Bagpipes in cathedral, CW 24/11)! St Anthony?

Caledonians will be pronouncing St Andrew’s anathema upon you!

Stephen Brown
Forrest, ACT

Editor’s note: We’d like to say it was done deliberately to see how observant our readers are, but that would be untrue. It was a typing error that slipped through our checking system; or maybe it was a Sassenach plot?

TABERNACLE

Bravo! to Maria D’Urso for her onderfully inspired letter (Greater glory, Letters CW 24/11) regarding he correct situation for the tabernacle.

Not only is there no document from Vatican II for the removal of he tabernacle from the sanctuary but the encyclical from Pope Paul VI (Mysterium Fidei) spells out clearly that the Blessed Sacrament be kept in churches with the greatest honour and the most distinguished position. How many most distinguished positions are there? As still seen in some churches, in the centre of the sanctuary, behind and elevated above the altar.

When referring to the altar and tabernacle, Pope Pius XII said “one cannot have two separate parts of one whole”.

Pope John Paul II says Mass on an “old fashioned” altar-tabernacle in his private chapel. The Israelites built a mighty temple to house the “things of God” (the Ark of the Covenant) while we in our churches give the living presence of God a place so far back it is often at the rear.

There seems to be a mindset on the part of many priests and liturgy groups to explain this situation, i.e. “all attention must focus on the altar”, “a special chapel to house the tabernacle” etc.

But I have met none who could onvince me that the above moving is not simply a dethroning of the Almighty God, Creator of the whole world, and filling the resulting space with a vast emptiness.

I suspect that this is ecumenism gone mad in the “spirit of Vatican II”, which term can be used to justify anything, leaving us not with churches in the true sense, but community halls with a chapel attached.

I pray that Almighty God will forgive us and that we can still return to the veneration of former years.

Brian Toby
Ingleburn, NSW

IMAGINARY DISTINCTION

Some MPs who voted for the Research Involving Embryos Bill 2002 didn’t understand what it involves.

Like Senator Meg Lees, who said the Bill “does not propose experimentations on human embryos per se. It involves the isolation and removal of stem cells from embryonic clusters ...”

This distinction is imaginary. Removing stem cells from embryos

is experimentation – destructive experimentation. After their removal, no viable embryo exists. The little human life has been destroyed.

Every human being was once an “embryonic cluster”.

If we’d all had the stem cells removed from our embryonic cluster there would be no human race left.

Arnold Jago
Mildura, VIC