Australia's Catholic bishops have issued a
statement saying that Catholics must take their democratic freedoms
seriously and calling on them to become involved in the political
process, The Australian reports.'The principles of social teaching cross party political boundaries and Catholics might, in good conscience, form different opinions on the candidates and parties standing for election,' the bishops point out.
'We encourage Catholics to look beyond their own individual needs to apply a different test at the ballot box – the test of what we call the common good. The good of the individual and the good of society as a whole must be brought together in harmony. When they are, we have the common good.
'As Catholics, we need to take our democratic freedoms seriously and become involved in the political process. This might mean joining a political party or even standing for election. We should all take the opportunity to meet with local candidates and make our concerns known.
'We offer strong encouragement to the many Catholic people who are already engaged in political life at various levels', the bishops say.
The bishops also called for a defence of traditional marriage
between a man and a woman, opposition to abortion and euthanasia, and
"fair, equitable and transparent" funding for all schools, The
Australian says.
They touch on core election issues such as the expected toughening
stance on boat arrivals, the Gonski school education funding changes,
the national DisabilityCare system and health and aged care.
They endorse the bipartisan approach to the disability insurance
scheme, oppose any harsher measures for asylum-seekers and call for the
end of mandatory detention.
They specifically criticise the policy of
not allowing asylum-seekers to work or get full social welfare,
especially children and families; and they raise concerns about the
Gonski school funding model and delays and high costs in health and aged
care.
But the bishops' appeal, in a statement to be published in the
Catholic press and released in churches on Sunday, does not endorse any
political party.
'Most importantly, we must pray for our political leaders as they
prepare for the upcoming election, that they will always serve the good
of the whole nation,' the bishops conclude.