pathways, NOVEMBER 2007
Politics for Religious is about an old idea that is always fresh: the common good.
To test whether a policy serves the common good we ask what impact it will have on those who are poor and vulnerable. The story of every religious congregation is about our experience in serving the poor. Our religious communities renew themselves by returning with vigour to these original stories which carry our first inspiration, and by seeking to live out that mission in today's society with today's needs.
This means we must seek to look with fresh eyes at our society.
Contemplation changes our way of perceiving God and God's creation. If we can allow God to be a God of love and compassion for us, and through us, towards all people and all creation, then we may approach today's people, and thus politics, with new vigour.
While many politicians offer individual satisfaction, people of faith long for leaders who consider the needs of all. There is waste in society and rampant destruction of our earth's resources. If we do not learn to see things differently, then we could now be cooperating in doing great damage to human life on earth.
Politics and faith need one another for the good of all.
These words were written by Catholic Religious Australia President, Fr Mark Raper SJ, for the September edition of pathways, before the federal election was called.
As Australia prepares to go to the polls on Saturday, November 24, pathways lists here some resources and comments that have been made available by various Church authorities to help people decide how best to cast their vote to benefit the future of Australia.
A Vote for Us All -
Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference has issued a statement urging Catholics to consider the common good when casting their vote this year.
A Vote for Social Justice - The Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference mandates the
Australian Catholic Social Justice Council to promote research, education, advocacy and action on social justice, peace and human rights, integrating them deeply into the life of the whole Catholic community in Australia, and providing a credible Catholic voice on these matters in Australian society.
includes links for
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Chapter Eight The Compendium of the Social - doctrine of the Catholic Church devotes the whole of chapter eight to the political community.
The Participation of Catholics in Political Life - the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued this Doctrinal Note in 2002 to assist the Bishops, Catholic politicians, and all lay people to fulfill their civic duties.
We are called to sharpen our engagement with church and world - a
word from Sr Christine Burke IBVM, Provincial Leader,
Loreto Sisters Australia.
Open letter to our elected officials from
JRS Australia
Just Work leaflet - The
Australian Political Ministry Network Ltd (PolMin) is a national membership organisation committed to bringing about systemic change in Australian society through the influencing of public policy for the common good in accordance with the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.
The
Refresh Australia! Campaign of Queensland's
Social Action Office will extend well beyond the federal election 2007 as we believe that the social/sustainability justice values must be incorporated into ongoing policy development for the future prosperity of this country.
Voting for our Values The
NetAct (Sisters of Charity Advocacy Network)
Federal Election Kit says: "As we prepare for the Federal Election we call to mind the values, which we hope will guide us at this time - human dignity, the common good, solidarity with, and preference for those 'made' poor, and ecological responsibility."
Building a More Just and Compassionate Australia - The objective of the
Centre for an Ethical Society is to promote Christian Social Justice within Australia's democratic traditions and co-operate in the development of a more just and compassionate community.
The Catholic Church and social justic: Stephen Crittenden asksTony Abbott about his grasp of Catholic social teaching on
The Religion Report ...
transcript ...
audio
Giving voters what they want: What policies do Australian voters really want and how much do the major parties meet their needs? Luckily, we now have a tremendous resource to help answer these questions. Professor Ian McAllister of the Australian National University (with the assistance of Juliet Clark of Deakin University) has just published
Trends in Australian Political Opinion: Results from the Australian Election Study, 1987-2004. This handbook reports on the results of surveys conducted at the time of the past seven elections, together with earlier surveys. In presenting the key themes to a seminar at the ANU (recently) McAllister was able to link these trends to the present election campaign ...
John Warhurst writes in
On Line Opinion, first published in
The Canberra Times.
The material provided through the links in this article is not necessarily endorsed by Catholic Religious Australia. It is offered in good faith in a bid to help people of good will consider some of the big-picture issues not generally presented by other media.
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