The Jubilee of Governments is an opportunity to recognise the role that governments can play in fostering a peaceful, harmonious society.
PRAYER
God of this land and of every people, who shape all things according to your own design and write your law in every human heart: we thank you for this country we call home, from the First Nations people to others born here and those who have come here from across the world.
We pray for the citizens of our land in these troubled times, that we may be committed to justice, to the dignity of each human life, and to solidarity with all Australians and with the world.
Guide all our elected representatives who serve the nation; may the Holy Spirit inspire them to pursue a better politics, that governs for the good of all and never neglects those who are considered to be the least or who have the least.
May all of us see and hear you in the most vulnerable, that responding to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, we may respond to you.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Adapted from the Australian Catholic Bishops Statement for the 2022 Federal Election)
TEACHING
From Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter, Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship (2020):
“177. Here I would once more observe that “politics must not be subject to the economy, nor should the economy be subject to the dictates of an efficiency-driven paradigm of technocracy”. Although misuse of power, corruption, disregard for law and inefficiency must clearly be rejected, “economics without politics cannot be justified, since this would make it impossible to favour other ways of handling the various aspects of the present crisis”. Instead, “what is needed is a politics which is far-sighted and capable of a new, integral and interdisciplinary approach to handling the different aspects of the crisis”. In other words, a “healthy politics… capable of reforming and coordinating institutions, promoting best practices and
overcoming undue pressure and bureaucratic inertia”. We cannot expect economics to do this, nor can we allow economics to take over the real power of the state.”
From the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes (1965):
“74. Men, families and the various groups which make up the civil community are aware that they cannot achieve a truly human life by their own unaided efforts. They see the need for a wider community, within which each one makes his specific contribution every day toward an ever broader realization of the common good. For this purpose they set up a political community according to various forms. The political community exists, consequently, for the sake of the common good, in which it finds its full justification and significance, and the source of its inherent legitimacy. Indeed, the common good embraces the sum of those conditions of the social life whereby men, families and associations more adequately and readily may attain their own perfection.
“Yet the people who come together in the political community are many and diverse, and they have every right to prefer divergent solutions. If the political community is not to be torn apart while everyone follows his own opinion, there must be an authority to direct the energies of all citizens toward the common good, not in a mechanical or despotic fashion, but by acting above all as a moral force which appeals to each one’s freedom and sense of responsibility.
“It is clear, therefore, that the political community and public authority are founded on human nature and hence belong to the order designed by God, even though the choice of a political regime and the appointment of rulers are left to the free will of citizens.
“It follows also that political authority, both in the community as such and in the representative bodies of the state, must always be exercised within the limits of the moral order and directed toward the common good—with a dynamic concept of that good—according to the juridical order legitimately established or due to be established. When authority is so exercised, citizens are bound in conscience to obey.
“But where citizens are oppressed by a public authority overstepping its competence, they should not protest against those things which are objectively required for the common good; but it is legitimate for them to defend their own rights and the rights of their fellow citizens against the abuse of this authority, while keeping within those limits drawn by the natural law and the Gospels.”
TESTIMONY
“The funny thing is in public life, I’ve become more assertive and confident about expressing my religious views in this role than when I was before.
“Because my professional career was an economist, my faith didn’t really manifest itself in a professional environment – it was something personal, it was my family, God and I.
“Whereas in this role, I obviously am sometimes brought into debates in the public forum that touch on faith-based issues or go to your fundamental beliefs about the world which for me are inherently mixed up with the faith I have.
“I agree that yes our society is becoming more secular – it’s a challenge for those of us who share a faith but it doesn’t cancel my confidence at all. I’m still willing to stand up for what I believe in.”
– Senator Matthew Canavan (Image and text from The Catholic Leader)
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
For all our elected representatives who serve in local, state and territory, and national governments, that they may be guided by wisdom, justice, and a sincere desire to serve the common good.
We pray to the Lord.
For our nation, that it may always be a land of peace, safety and security for all its peoples.
We pray to the Lord.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Encyclical Letter, Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship (Pope Francis, 2020).
Towards a Better Kind of Politics – Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Election Statement 2022.
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