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Keywords: Option For The Poor

  • INTERNATIONAL

    The perils of being a civilian

    • Tony Smith
    • 22 February 2024
    1 Comment

      The illusion of warfare as a contest between professionals should have disappeared forever as the twentieth century brought numerous examples of barbarous armies butchering civilians. And unfortunately, the pattern now is that some 90 per cent war casualties are civilians. 

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  • EDUCATION

    Widening the Catholic educational tent

    • Michael Furtado
    • 28 September 2023
    38 Comments

    As Australia grapples with educational inequality, those in the Catholic education system must ask: how do we test for a clear commitment to Catholic Social Teaching and the seminal role it plays in enunciating the guiding principles of Catholic education, particularly in regard to it being offered, ‘first and foremost … to the poor’?

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  • FAITH DOING JUSTICE

    May this new engagement not be broken off

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 21 August 2023
    10 Comments

    The Catholic Bishops Justice Statement, timed with an impending Referendum on the Voice to Parliament, scrutinizes the ties between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians. Crafted alongside the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council, it underscores the urgency of deepened engagement through listening, learning, and love, advocating for Indigenous justice and healing.

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  • RELIGION

    Culture and conspiracy: In conversation with Fr Gerald Arbuckle

    • Michael McVeigh
    • 09 June 2023
    5 Comments

    Known for incisive insights into societal issues like fundamentalism, loneliness, and abuse, theologian and cultural anthropologist Fr Gerald Arbuckle is now examining the rise of conspiracy theories. In conversation with Michael McVeigh, Arbuckle discusses his work, cultural anthropology, and the impact of 'cultural trauma'.

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  • RELIGION

    Best of 2022: Distinctive Catholic voices in the election campaign

    • John Warhurst
    • 12 January 2023

    The Church must speak up to be relevant, but those who seek to ‘speak for the church’ must be brave. They risk exposing themselves to claims of bias unless they stick to a very narrow agenda and speak in extremely measured terms. Yet if they are too bland they risk being irrelevant to the sharp end of political debate and their intervention becomes little more than a symbolic ritual.   

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  • RELIGION

    Distinctive Catholic voices in the election campaign

    • John Warhurst
    • 26 April 2022
    22 Comments

    The Church must speak up to be relevant, but those who seek to ‘speak for the church’ must be brave. They risk exposing themselves to claims of bias unless they stick to a very narrow agenda and speak in extremely measured terms. Yet if they are too bland they risk being irrelevant to the sharp end of political debate and their intervention becomes little more than a symbolic ritual.   

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  • AUSTRALIA

    New Home Affairs Minister has opportunities for compassion

    • Claire Victory
    • 08 April 2021
    8 Comments

    The treatment of refugees and people seeking asylum calls for a determined response on the back of years of poor public policy that has led to the misery of thousands and cost Australian taxpayers billions. I stand to support the Minister in the early days of her new role to make compassionate and sensible decisions, to find a different path for the resolution of the challenges she faces.

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  • ECONOMICS

    The flawed ideology of healthcare as business

    • David James
    • 28 May 2020
    5 Comments

    Calling healthcare a business was always logically flawed. Money is involved, but it is unlike any consumer product businesses. For one thing, the ‘customer’ in health does not decide what represents value, the provider (the doctor or equivalent) does. Patients may have a say, but usually only on the margin.

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  • RELIGION

    Woe to those who punish the poor

    • Barry Gittins
    • 11 October 2019
    16 Comments

    If our PM's theological name dropping rings true, his life is guided by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. That unemployed Jewish tradie turned rabble rouser made this apocalyptic observation: 'Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.' Yet it remains a vote winner, this business of punishing poor people for being poor.

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  • FAITH DOING JUSTICE

    Economy v environment is no zero-sum game

    • Daniel Nour
    • 15 April 2019

    We've witnessed this confluence of economic opportunity with aid and development in Indonesia, where our support of local eco-tourism has revived communities with self-sustaining employment opportunities while preserving local rainforests from being felled for wood.

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  • MEDIA

    When quitting Twitter isn't an option

    • Neve Mahoney
    • 10 April 2019
    2 Comments

    Social media can cause poor mental health outcomes, and there is evidence that it is designed to be addictive. But given my line of work, deleting my accounts is not something I can realistically do. With many choosing to walk away, what can those of us who stay do to ensure a healthy relationship with these platforms?

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  • FAITH DOING JUSTICE

    Care for common home in mining disasters

    • Julie Edwards
    • 03 March 2019
    5 Comments

    In January, the tailings dam of a deactivated iron ore mine in Brumadinho, Brazil failed, releasing toxic mud that caused devastation, 117 deaths and intergenerational ecological and economic consequences. It should, and could, have been prevente by the company, Vale, who was also responsible for past tailings dam destruction.

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