Australian Catholic Social Justice Council September Briefing

The Australian Catholic Social Justice Council’s (ACSJC) Briefing for September is now up on the website. The Briefing covers issues of Catholic social teaching in September 2018, highlighting resources, media items and diary events. It can be read here (ACSJC_Monthly Briefing_No 204)

Featuring:

Social Justice Statement looks at impact of all types of homelessness

Report points to rise in older women’s housing insecurity

Pope changes Church stance on death penalty

Orders open for Social Justice Statement

Social Justice Events

1-5 October- NATSICC National Assembly

From the Secretariat, John Ferguson:

Social Justice Statement looks at impact of all types of homelessness

‘Over the past several months, we have been promoting the Australian Catholic Bishops’ forthcoming Social Justice Statement for 2018–19, titled ‘A Place to Call Home: Making a home for everyone in our land’. The Statement will be launched on 6 September, and will be available on the websites of the ACSJC and the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.’

‘The classic image of a homeless person is the ‘rough sleeper’ – a man or woman dossing in a doorway or a park, with a few belongings in a bag beside them. But homelessness includes others in precarious or dangerous situations – those in desperately overcrowded accommodation, those sleeping on someone’s couch or floor, or those in temporary accommodation like boarding houses or hostels. All these situations disrupt and erode personal and family life, making it difficult or impossible to maintain relationships, to study or to find and keep a job.’

In his introductory message, Bishop Long writes:

‘We are reminded that we have the same experience as the Samaritan: we see people in the street who are in need of help, wounded by violence, misfortune or poverty. We face the same choice: do we walk past or do we stop and help?’

The 2018–19 Social Justice Statement, A Place to Call Home, will be launched on 6 September. Social Justice Sunday falls on 30 September. The Statement will be accompanied by prayer cards, a ‘ten steps’ leaflet, and a PowerPoint presentation that can be downloaded from the ACSJC website.