NSW Premier Chris Minns has spoken candidly about his Catholic faith and the importance of the public celebration of Christianity in NSW.
Addressing the launch of the Christian Alliance Council of NSW at Parliament House on 8 August, Minns reflected on the contribution of Christianity to public life in NSW.
“It’s an important thing to celebrate and as a missionary faith, and I include myself as a member of this missionary faith, it’s our duty in many respects to stand up and celebrate Christianity, its importance to Australian life, the fact that so many people that serve in this parliament got their drive and their determination and their bearing and their forbearance from their faith, from their Christian faith,” he said.
He also commented on the importance of his Catholic faith in the raising of his own family, and to families more broadly.
“I think that there’s many families like my own who in a complex world where, when your children jump on their iPads and their mobile phones and draw into consumerism and ad after ad and are effectively told, nearly 24 hours a day, to live for themselves and think about their own interests before anything else, many, many families are looking to religion to introduce a sense of life in Australia that isn’t about self-aggrandisement but for other people.
“For the Catholic faith, for me and my family, that is the role it plays,” he said.
It was a rare glimpse into the personal faith of the state’s leader and welcome recognition of the impact faith makes to public and private life in this state.
Minister for Multiculturalism, Minister for Sport and Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Stephen Kamper spoke about the key role faith communities play in the state.
“NSW has long prided itself on its diverse collection of faiths, including our Christian denominations, our state is made stronger by all of you and as Minister for Multiculturalism, I see first-hand the power of faith and the importance of its leaders.
“Each and every day, the guidance of our faith leaders helps us to reflect and improve.”
Using the example of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Bishop Anthony Randazzo, Bishop of Broken Bay, spoke about the importance of Christian unity, saying that the saint’s focus on unity “stemmed from a deep belief in God’s love, and the importance of working together to serve those in need, especially those on the edge, the peripheries, the margins.”
He also issued a challenge to take Christian unity seriously.
“From dialogue flows cooperation and recognising one another as Christians, not by pretending differences do not exist, that would be dishonest, but by respecting each other and therefore respecting our differences and then still choosing to work together in service of the poor, in care for our earth, in defending human dignity, and in witnessing, most importantly, through all of this, to the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
“If all we do in the opposite direction from one another, or choose competition over communion, we will always remain apart and our ability to proclaim the Gospel with authenticity will be compromised and people will read us as frauds,” he said.
Also addressing the gathering was former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Opposition Leader Mark Speakman, Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel, Andrew Harper from Baycity Care and Church, Ben Irawan, CEO of Kingdom Culture Christian School, and Paul Sedrak from the Christian Alliance Council.
Prayers were offered by Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, Bishop of the Maronite Eparchy of Australia, New Zealand and Oceania, Salvation Army Divisional Commander NSW/ACT Robyn Black, Moderator of the Uniting Church, Synod of NSW/ACT Faaimata Havea Hiliau, and Mark and Darlene Zschech from Australian Christian Churches.
The Christian Alliance Council of NSW is a newly-formed organisation seeking to foster unity and fellowship across all Christian denominations and to renew the relevance of Christianity through faith, community, and culture.
Monica Doumit is the Director, Public Affairs and Engagement for the Archdiocese of Sydney and a columnist with The Catholic Weekly.
Reproduced with permission from The Catholic Weekly, the news publication of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.
