Port Moresby: The Catholic Bishops Conference (CBC) of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands has released an open letter to the Australian Parliament regarding their inability to resettle Manus/Nauru Asylum seekers and refugees.

The letter was presented by General Secretary of CBCPNGSI, Fr Giorgio Licini PIME, during a press conference held at 11am on Monday 19^th July 2021, at the CBC headquarters in Gordons. Panellists for the conference also included Migrants & Refugee Desk Director, Mr Jason Siwat, and Sr Mary McCarthy, Voluntary worker and Chaplain of POM General Hospital.

At the Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education we are passionate about reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, believing real action would be a liberating step for all Australians. This year’s theme for National Reconciliation Week from 27 May to 3 June 2021 is - “More than a word. Reconciliation takes action”.

To mark this special week, we invite you to take action by writing to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and asking him to support a referendum to enshrine a First Nations Voice to Parliament in the Australian Constitution.

A First Nations Voice to Parliament is one of 3 fundamental pillars of the First Nations-led ‘Uluru Statement from the Heart’.  A Voice to Parliament would deliver practical and meaningful constitutional recognition and would allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to have a say on policies and laws that impact on them.

Use our template email to reach out to Scott Morrison and ask him to support a First Nations Voice to Parliament. You can maximise your impact by using your own words and spreading the link to this page on your social media pages using #TimeForAVoice. Thank you very much for your support.

Seventeenth Sunday of the Year

We begin with the beautiful image in day’s psalm, ‘You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing’ to reflect God’s abundance and generosity. This gesture of welcome, open hands and sharing is in contrast to closed hands or fists suggesting individualism, negligence and violence.