I agree with the proposition that the Catholic Church is neither legally nor (arguably) morally obliged to “gift” the Redfern building to the health service (“Catholic Church’s morals queried over Redfern property”, October 16), but it could have at least behaved with somewhat more sensitivity and compassion as it wove its way towards a blanket refusal.
uncertain
it → agree → refusal
Certainly, as lessor, it should maintain the building in a habitable and fit for purpose condition.
asserted
it → maintain → condition
Also, perhaps engaging with more empathy, understanding and even offering to lease the premises for a peppercorn rent in conditional perpetuity may have gone a long way in salving the open wound of its troubled relations with the Indigenous community.
uncertain
engaging → engage → community
Given the good work performed over many decades by the Aboriginal Medical Service at Redfern and their proven track record, it would seem there is only one way for Archbishop Anthony Fisher to get out of this unseemly mess.
asserted
Fisher → give → mess
Sometimes, I’m inclined to think that actual Christianity is stronger outside the Catholic Church than in it
asserted
Christianity → ’m → it
I see that the Catholic education sector is in some financial strife.
asserted
sector → see → strife
The church, globally, owns more than 40 Caravaggio paintings.
asserted
church → own → paintings
The last known sale of such a piece made about $140 million in 2014.
asserted
sale → know → 2014
Selling some of the family jewels perhaps could ease this funding crisis and help the more pressing needs of supporting the education of its children.
uncertain
Selling → sell → children
Paul Johnson, Avalon Beach
No, the church “has not lost sight of a blessed vision”, but irrespective of ownership, it is saving the government from its responsibilities to support Aboriginal health.
asserted
it → lose → health
The same goes for Catholic schools saving governments millions of dollars.
asserted
same → go → dollars
Predictably the church’s ownership of valuable real estate is attacked – but it is we who go to Mass and send our kids to Catholic schools who have built and paid for these properties.
asserted
who → attack → properties
Should the people of God simply hand them over to anyone who thinks they know what Jesus would do?
asserted
Jesus → hand → what
Perhaps we should address the issue of the charitable status of religious institutions.
asserted
we → address → institutions
Churches do some amazing work in supporting many charitable causes, but I find it unacceptable that their tax exemptions extend beyond those ventures.
asserted
exemptions → do → ventures
The obscene wealth of many of these churches has been gained at the expense of the wider community.
asserted
wealth → gain → community
The power of religious lobby groups would be turbocharged to fight against such a proposition.
asserted
power → turbocharge → proposition
However, it is high time that the business side of these massive money-making organisations paid their way.
asserted
side → make → way
Come on, Labor – fair is fair.
asserted
fair → come → ?
Does Anthony Fisher see himself just as an archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church or as a follower of Jesus Christ?
asserted
Fisher → see → Christ
As he continues to heap up riches on Earth for the church, it would appear, in his mind, the two are mutually exclusive.
asserted
two → continue → mind
Pat Dodson has obviously forgotten a lot of the theology he learnt when he was studying for the priesthood.
asserted
he → forget → priesthood
To say that the Catholic Church’s decision not to simply give away its assets is “bordering on the immoral” shows a lack of understanding of morality.
asserted
decision → say → morality
I think that the church should be commended for charging, over a period of many years, only a peppercorn rent for a valuable property so that care can be given to those in need.
asserted
care → think → need
To argue, as some have done recently, that the church should give away this property because it has other properties is lacking in any kind of logic and one suspects, just an opportunity for more Catholic bashing.
asserted
one → argue → bashing
Maybe the reading for this Sunday (Letters, October 16) will be taken from the good news as recorded in Matthew 6: 19-21 (19: Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon Earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.
asserted
thieves → take → Earth
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
asserted
thieves → lay → heaven
Turn down the hate
The rising threat level of political violence highlighted by Waleed Aly is frightening (“More Australians think political violence is OK than go to church”, October 16).
asserted
violence → turn → church
Politicians must take the lead by dialling down their level of outrage and invective against each other and set the standards that they expect from others.
asserted
they → take → others
Overblown, theatrical recent examples, are: the Liberal MP who called for Labor Minister Anne Aly and Prime Minister Albanese to be “stoned” over nothing more than a credit card fee issue; the Liberals and Nationals referring to Labor MPs as “communists” (they’re quite obviously not); and constantly referring to the government as the “the worst”, “lousy” or “hopeless”, when it has outperformed the previous decade of Coalition governments.
asserted
it → call → governments
This language won’t convince voters to change their allegiances anyway.
asserted
language → convince → allegiances
No matter what one’s political beliefs, most politicians seek election intending to make Australia a better place, despite believing that they have a different way of achieving that aim.
asserted
they → seek → aim
Respectful discourse and lowering the temperature of those conversations between opposing sides is imperative.
asserted
discourse → lower → sides
It wouldn’t hurt either
asserted
It → hurt → ?
if politicians in opposition could look at and support legislation on its merits or propose amendments that would improve parts they disagree with, instead of opposing everything for cheap political mileage.
uncertain
they → look → mileage
If 2 million people are receptive to using political violence, imagine the task faced by ASIO and the AFP.
asserted
people → use → ASIO
Trying to anticipate and stop the one in a thousand who takes it further than words is impossible.
asserted
who → try → words
Yet when an attack does take place, will we accept it was inevitable, or go on a witch-hunt to find someone to blame for not preventing it?
asserted
it → take → it
Neville Turbit, Russell Lea
Waleed Aly highlights the alarming reality of both spoken violence as well as those angry nutters who would perpetrate physical violence.
asserted
who → highlight → violence
At the centre of this are the likes of Hanson, the hard right media and other politicians whose angry words wind up the mob.
asserted
words → wind → mob
…and 72 more, not listed.
The Aporia
