Ahead of this year’s Federal Election, Catholic Religious Australia (CRA) has released a new extended edition of their Justice publication Just Now, with a focus on voting for justice. Rising above people-politics, its intention is to shine a spotlight on current hot button issues, in addition to longstanding areas of injustice, to guide readers to consider how their vote might help to advocate for the most vulnerable.
“We are called by our faith to be informed of the issues of injustice occurring in our society, and to vote accordingly. We are blessed to live in a democracy, where we can vote freely and without fear of coercion or retribution. It’s therefore our responsibility to make our vote count, and to use that vote in service of the Common Good,” said CRA President Peter Carroll FMS.
Reminding readers of the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, Just Now calls readers to think about how such principles might be restored for issues of injustice in Australia relating to the environment, First Nations People, refugees and asylum-seekers, aged care and disability.
“This election is taking place at a significant time for Australia, as the country navigates the disproportionate impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic; faces the effects of an ever-warming planet; and watches on as refugees flee conflicts around the globe. This edition of Just Now therefore considers where we, as Catholics, are called by our faith to act and to vote,” said Anne Walker, CRA National Executive Director.
“On his December 2021 visit to Athens, the birthplace of democracy, Pope Francis urged us, as political contributors, to pass from partisanship to participation; from supporting our political party alone to engaging ourselves actively for the promotion of all. This can be achieved by putting common needs ahead of private interests,” he added.
You can find this edition of Just Now on the CRA website, under CRA Justice News.
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MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Sylvia MacRitchie-Hook | M: 0410 644 356 | E: comms@catholicreligious.org.au