A clear voice
The Catholic Church in Australia has made its position clear on the Voice to Parliament and the presence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian Constitution.
Accepting there is a diversity of opinion amongst Catholics and indigenous people, the Plenary Council of the Catholic Church in Australia, the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) have articulated their views for a Yes vote.
At the Plenary Council of the Australian Catholic Church in July last year, three key motions addressing the Church’s relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were passed with an overwhelming majority.
They were acknowledging past injustices and moving forward with a commitment to justice, truth and reconciliation. The Uluru Statement from the Heart was one of the motions passed and the Voice is included in that statement.
The Statement invited Australians ‘to walk together to build a better Australia’ by establishing a ‘Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution’ to advise governments about concerns of Indigenous people, and to form a ‘Makarrata Commission for the purpose of treaty-making and truth telling’.
The Uluru Statement can be accessed at: ulurustatement.org/
In 2021, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference also endorsed the Uluru Statement from the Heart, expressing the bishops’ gratitude for NATSICC’s reflections in helping to shape their thinking on this subject.
The Plenary Council’s agenda called for the Church to “honour and acknowledge the continuing deep spiritual relationship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to this country, and commit ourselves to the ongoing journey of reconciliation.”
Among the key recommendations of the Uluru Statement is the establishment of a First Nations “Voice” to the Australian Parliament, and a commission to supervise a process of “truth-telling” between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued a statement in May regarding an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament. The statement can be found at: bit.ly/BishopsVoice
While acknowledging that people may in good faith, have differing concerns and perspectives, such is the importance of these issues the bishops encourage Catholic parishes, schools and agencies to ask people to read and discuss the documents.
Australians will vote on the Voice to Parliament later this year.
Feature image: Courtesy of Science www.science.org/news. Penny Tweedie/Alamy stock photo.
Second image: Atlas of indigenous Australia. Courtesy of Australian National University.
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