Along with prayer and education, advocacy is an important way to contribute to building a better world for all. It recognises the Gospel value that every human is created in the image and likeness of God and aims to be a prophetic voice for those that otherwise are unheard.
Our work includes the initiation and ongoing participation in the End Child Detention Coalition, promotion and support for the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP) and support to ensure more humane refugee policy and practice. We are also members of the Catholic Alliance for People Seeking Asylum (CAPSA) and the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA).
A significant area of advocacy for Catholic Mission is centred around the Rights of the Child. We work in collaboration with various religious and community organisations to advocate for the protection and wellbeing of children and their families from refugee backgrounds. We have formed a coalition known as the End Child Detention Coalition (ECDC) which collectively possess a wealth of experience in policy and advocacy. Our work is twofold involving both political and community engagement.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is an important agreement to protect children’s rights and the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. Australia ratified the CRC in December 1990, which means that Australia has a duty to ensure that all children in Australia enjoy the rights set out in the treaty.
Catholic Mission and the End Child Detention Coalition are supporting Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA) and a new initiative known as the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP).
CRISP provides support for individuals and families who have been accepted as refugees to enter Australia and be supported by the average person in the community. CRISP offers parishes and community groups the opportunity to sponsor a newly arrived refugee family or individual and assist them in their first year of settlement in Australian society. It provides a crucial support network for people who have fled their home country and practical help and friendship as they settle in a new country.
For more information on the program or how your community can get involved contact Anne Nesbitt at anne.nesbitt@catholicmission.org.au.
Catholic Mission supports the work of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC).
NATSICC is the peak advisory body to the Australian Catholic Bishops on issues relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholics. NATSICC is represented by a member of the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministry from each state and territory.
Catholic Mission, in partnership with NATSICC, is continuing to expand the Indigenous Leadership/Catechist model with the Darwin Diocese and others. This program is all about training and supporting local Indigenous leaders to lead with spiritual and community support, and the aim is that this becomes an accepted part of the Catholic Church structure on an ongoing basis.
Truth: from the heart, a joint initiative of Catholic Mission and Aboriginal Catholic Ministry, is a response to the Uluru Statement’s invitation to walk together into the future. It is a resource to support adult and senior student groups to explore the truth of the shared histories of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and the historical and ongoing consequences of these histories, as our nation considers constitutional recognition of First Nations peoples.
Picture a big table with lots of people around it. Who are they all? Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people from different times in Australia’s modern history, who have come together to tell the truth of their own experience and look for a way forward together.
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Catholic Mission is committed to working hand-in-hand with Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander peoples, by creating pathways of understanding and collaboration.
This webpage is a collation of resources and statements that can help our supporters and community in their journey towards reconciliation.
