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Welcome to today’s seminar, organised by the Australian Catholic Movement for Intellectual & Cultural Affairs (or ACMICA). I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of this land. I would also like to express a sincere appreciation to the Australian Catholic University, for sponsoring this event and providing this great venue for us tonight. My name is Minh Nguyen, Convenor of ACMICA. ACMICA is voluntary lay association revived two years ago from the ashes of the Tertiary Catholic Federation of Australia and the Newman Society. We promote participation and reform from both within and outside the Church. ACMICA is affiliated to Pax Romana, a global Catholic network of intellectuals and professionals recognised by the United Nations and the Holy See. This seminar is part of a series of events to commemorate the significance of Vatican II on its 40th anniversary. Since 2002 we have hosted international speakers from India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Tonight, we have lined up 3 outstanding Australian Catholics. Panel speakers will share with us their insights. There will be a short break following the panel and then time for questions. Question time will be after all three speakers have spoken. The seminar will conclude promptly at 9pm. The topic tonight is “A Catholic Social Conscience: Can it be reclaimed in Our Time?” Why is this topic relevant? According to the last sensus in 2001 Catholics make up around 27 per cent of the Australian population. The same sensus also puts the figure for Christians at 68 per cent, down from 96 per cent a century ago. While Christianity is apparently in stagnation or relative decline, other major faiths are enjoying impressive growth as high as 79 per cent. Globalisation, immigration, and the shifting realm of ideas have helped reshape our demographical profile. Australian society is becoming increasingly plural. The first issue for me is whether Catholics, for such a large group, are under-performing when it comes to presenting confidently a Catholic voice on questions of public morality. For example, while Prime Minister Tony Blair is faced with persistent heckling from the UK churches over their nation’s involvement in the Iraq war, the situation here in Australia is relatively serene, to the relief of the Howard Government. Cardinal Pell’s belated clarification of his position on last year’s US-led invasion and the muffling sound of church groups over the current occupation are possible signs of a unformed or fragile Catholic social conscience in Australia. In the certainties of a by-gone era it is perhaps easier to build and assert moral consensus within the Catholic community on a range of issues. Today’s challenges are different. As we grow increasingly plural as a society, a well-developed Catholic social conscience may be more elusive than that faced by our pre-Vatican II natural law forebears. Can we reclaim our Catholic social conscience in today’s complex and plural society? What are the obstacles to conscientisation of lay people and church leaders to social ills, and moral reflection and action? What new structures are required for the development of a social conscience in Australia that is respectful of diversity both outside and within our Catholic community? These are just some of the issues. I hope you enjoy tonight’s
seminar. »«
* Minh Nguyen is the Convener of ACMICA and a Sydney-based social justice researcher. |
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