19/08/2003

The Catholic Justice and Peace Commission will begin a series of social justice gatherings around the Archdiocese with a gathering at Capalaba on Monday 1 September.

The gatherings will use Blessed Pope John XXIII’s encyclical Pacem in Terris as a focus.

The Commission is keen to work with Catholics in their local parish and deanery communities and is testing such a format to replace its annual social justice gathering in Brisbane.

The Commission’s Executive Officer, Peter Arndt, said that the Commission wants to respond positively and effectively to the outcomes of the recent Synod.

“The Synod gave priority to a commitment to social justice and the Archbishop affirmed this in his promulgation on 27 July,” Mr Arndt said.

“The Archbishop has been stressing for over a decade that a commitment to social justice is characteristic of being a Catholic and working with Catholics in their local communities is one way in which the Commission can be in touch with Catholics where they live out their faith,” he said.

“These local social justice gatherings will attempt to link the Gospel’s call for justice to the experience of Catholics where they live,” he added.

Pacem in Terris deals with the establishment of universal peace and identifies truth, justice, charity and freedom as the pillars on which peace is established.

“Forty years ago, Pope John XXIII gave us a wonderful teaching on what the Gospel is about in the modern world,” Mr Arndt said.

“We’ll be working with Catholics across the Archdiocese to find ways to bring the Gospel message to bear on what is happening in local communities across the Archdiocese,” he said.

The first social justice gathering will be held on Monday 1 September from 7.30 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. at St Luke’s Church, Capalaba. Parishioners from surrounding parishes are being encouraged to attend.

For more information please call Peter Arndt on (07) 3891 5911.


Released by the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Brisbane