Homilies & Addresses
“In short, Australia’s pursuit of unity and prosperity and willingness to subordinate human rights to achieve those ends raises serious questions about who we are and what we value,” said Prof Renee Jeffery in her 2023 Human Rights Day address on the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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“The Anglican Church was part of a very broad coalition in Australia that called for the introduction of modern slavery laws, so the Public Affairs Commission of our Church put in submissions, as did the Social Responsibilities Committee. Those laws now require us to examine the products that we buy, making sure we understand where they come from, ensure that we are not complicit in the practice of modern slavery; we can ensure that things that are hidden in darkness can be brought into the light,” says The Very Rev’d Dr Peter Catt
“Few subject to the modern slave trade are able to liberate themselves in the way the Haitians did in 1791. Most will only taste freedom if we intervene to change the system that binds them. They need people of good will to emulate the sugar-refusing activists of the 18th century,” says The Very Rev’d Dr Peter Catt
“Fairtrade makes sense. If you’re struggling to feed your family, then planting trees and farming sustainably won’t be your top priorities. By supporting farmers and their communities by buying Fairtrade, your purchasing choices help to fix the problem of poverty so that everything else, including a more sustainable environment, follows,” says John Martin from Resource Church The Parish of Robina
“…whilst certain verses taken out of context can appear to justify slavery, the overall witness of the Bible points in the opposite direction. Far from endorsing slavery, the Bible, as a whole, makes the practice untenable. It is little wonder that plantation owners went to such lengths to prevent slaves from reading the full canon of scripture and drawing their own conclusions,” says The Rev’d Charlie Lacey from St Andrew’s, Springfield
“Gift-giving is a popular Christmas tradition around the world, dating back to the three wise men who followed a star to the site of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem…As a keen supporter of Fair Trade products, I especially enjoy giving Fair Trade gifts to loved ones at Christmas because these gifts give twice,” says John Martin from The Parish of Robina
A new exhibition was launched at Bristol Cathedral recently, as part of the cathedral’s effort to understand its links with the transatlantic slave trade. The intention is to “inform a wide-ranging conversation” about the past and to help “repair and restore damaged relationships”
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