NEWS: 20/5/03

Fr. Bruce Duncan to speak in Sydney on the need for a new social engagement

By Fr Peter Maher

We are immersed in times of war and the aftermath of war, in times when our social fabric and social services are being eroded or attacked to the disadvantage of the most vulnerable, in times when profit is clearly winning over people and the ordinary person is experiencing fear and insecurity and hardly knows why.

In these times the role of lay Catholics has traditionally been to critique these trends and apply faith to the current cultural milieu. This process tries to bring about more hopeful and just outcomes for all and especially for the marginalised.
This tradition has been at the heart of Catholic Action for over 100 years in what Pope John XXIII called the three steps: observe, judge and act (Mater et Magistra, 236). He described the process as examining the situation, evaluating the problem carefully in the light of faith and deciding what can and should be done in order that traditional norms may be adapted to the circumstances of the time and place. This requires ongoing exploration and careful analysis in order to act with justice and compassion.

The Australian Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ACMICA) is a newly formed movement of Catholic graduates that is affiliated with the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs, one of the two autonomous organisations of Pax Romana, which is a lay apostolate movement recognised by the Holy See. It is engaged in this process of reflection and action. While it is in the tradition of the Newman graduate societies, ACMICA is forging strong links with the Asia Pacific and the International Movement so that it can advocate for just action as a result of careful analysis and reflection as an International Catholic Non-Government Organisation. It also has strategies for members to reflect and act.

ACMICA will be formerly constituted at its first General Meeting in Sydney at the University of Technology, Sydney on June 7 at 2pm with a talk by Fr Bruce Duncan CSsR. Fr Duncan co-ordinates the program of social justice studies at Yarra Theological Union in Melbourne. He is a regular contributor to the Catholic Weekly and is the author of War on Iraq: Is it Just? (ACSJC, March 2003). He will speak on the theme of "engagement and participation: the struggle for social transformation."

Fr Duncan has recently been assisting Catholics to apply Pope John XXIII's principles to the war in Iraq by looking at how to interpret our faith. He recently noted that Pope John Paul told military chaplains that the "vast contemporary movement in favour of peace" gave evidence that "war as an instrument for resolving conflicts" had been repudiated by the "conscience of the majority of humanity". ("Iraq: Church Must Speak Firmly, Clearly," Catholic Weekly, 20 April 2003, p.11)

It is with this kind of analysis that Catholics can better contribute to just social change in our world. How do we have an ongoing conversation that allows Catholic intellectuals, along with all of good will, to put into action their talents and gifts? It is this that Fr Duncan will address at the ACMICA meeting. Catholic graduates have been charged with this task by their faith and their education, so that the gospel can be put at the service of the poor, the dispossessed, the voiceless and the disempowered.

For full details of ACMICA membership and the AGM see the website: www.acmica.org or call 0403 181 586.