The time has come for people of faith to hear the cries of the people of Palestine Gaza and Lebanon and to do everything in our power towards the ending of the death and destruction they are suffering.
We condemn the brutal invasion of Israel, the death and destruction and the taking of hostages by Hamas on 7 October 2023. We remind you that this is the latest episode in the very long war waged by the state of Israel on the Palestinian people. They have taken land for settlements, demolished homes, restricted movements of people and goods, and imprisoned children, women and men, often without trial, and killed Palestinians on the flimsiest of pretexts.
Successive Governments of Israel remain fiercely hostile to the idea of Palestinian self-determination and are intent on maintaining the unjustifiable and inhumane occupation of Palestinian lands. While these are the actions of Israeli governments and their supporters, we acknowledge the many citizens of Israel who long for and are working for a just and lasting peace.
Since 7 October 2023, Israeli military actions have killed over 43,000 Palestinians and more than 2,000 people in Lebanon including close to 17,000 children. Thousands more children have lost at least one parent. Some 100,000 Gazans have sustained injuries, a quarter of which are life altering.
Israeli forces have issued displacement orders covering over 84% of Gaza’s territory and now 25% of Lebanon’s territory. These orders, combined with Israel’s bombardment, have forcibly displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population and over 800,000 people in Lebanon.
An estimated 400,000 Palestinians are under siege and relentless bombardment in northern Gaza without access to food, water, fuel, or medical care (UNRWA).
Over 300 Palestinian and international aid workers, and over 1000 health care workers in Gaza and 95 in Lebanon have been killed.
UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon a have come under attack by Israeli forces (UNIFIL).
Israeli military attacks on hospitals, clinics, and ambulances have decimated the health care system in Gaza, and are destroying it in Lebanon.
Countless children and adults are dying of malnutrition and facing the risk of starvation because of systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid and essential services.
Nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed during the Hamas led attacks on October 7, 2023 including 815 civilians. 7,500 were wounded.
101 hostages remain held by Palestinian armed groups.
We cannot accept the claim that Israel has the right to defend itself regardless of the harm caused by its military assault. The right to defence can never be the right to revenge, let alone the right to commit war crimes, or crimes against humanity. The right to defence cannot mean actions which the International Court of Justice described in its January 2024 ruling as plausibly amounting to genocide.
We cannot ignore the harm inflicted on the people of Israel. The Israeli government’s refusal to negotiate a ceasefire has already led to the deaths of many hostages, the appalling suffering of those still in captivity, and unimaginable pain for the families involved. The refusal to cease hostilities has also exposed communities in northern and central Israel to an endless barrage of rocket attacks. Whether intercepted or not, such attacks deepen the sense of insecurity, and inevitably fuel the spiral of violence.
We therefore call on Christian people and Churches in this country to raise their voices in support of a simple demand: STOP THE KILLING.
We call on the Government of Israel and the leaders of HAMAS, Hezbollah and their supporters to enact an IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE, supervised by United Nations peacekeepers
We believe that this conflict will continue as long as the United States and its allies, including Australia, continue to supply Israel with weapons and bombs. There will be no movement towards a ceasefire, much less a permanent peace as long as this continues.
We therefore call on the Australian churches and Christian people to bring all possible pressure on the Australian Government and on our public representatives to:
Cease all forms of military cooperation with the State of Israel.
Use whatever diplomatic channels we may have to advocate for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
Do everything possible to urge the United States to cease supplying weapons and armaments to the State of Israel.
Make it clear that our military alliances with the United States are suspended so long as they continue to supply weapons to the State of Israel.
Take a clear stand against anti Semitism and anti Islam movements in Australia.
Reach out to and support the churches in the West bank, Gaza and Lebanon and Palestinian and Lebanese churches in Australia in whatever ways we can.
Impose selective commercial, financial and political sanctions, targeting specifically those in public and corporate leadership positions who are driving the use of military force.
The silencing of guns can only be a prelude to a settlement of the conflict. We suggest five key principles towards a just, peaceful and durable outcome:
Self-determination The Palestinian people have the right to determine their own future, which means ending Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, and addressing the Palestinian refugees’ right of return.
Human Rights All parties must commit to the observance of civil and political as well as economic, social and cultural rights, including the rights of their respective minorities.
Economic Justice All parties to act responsibility to ensure equitable access of resources, including land and water.
Human Security Both parties can only feel secure, if they cease to rely on military force and develop processes and practices conducive to truth telling and reconciliation based on mutual respect, trust and acknowledgement of each other’s humanity.
The Status of Jerusalem Ideally, Jerusalem should be united and be seen by both Israelis and Palestinians as a place of special significance to both, a place which has a unique status for Jews, Muslims and Christians. The international community can play a constructive role in facilitating such an agreement and materially supporting its implementation.
All of this will take much time, energy and good will. It will also require of government, media, universities faith communities and other influential institutions a more thoughtful, energetic, and where necessary courageous contribution to the cause a just peace than has so far been the case.
The three Abrahamic Faiths, Jews Christians and Muslims have a key role to play in facilitating communication and reconciliation. It is time for people of faith in Australia to speak truth to power and challenge the wanton disregard for human life that we are witnessing in the Middle East.
We commit to doing all we can to advance a just peace.
Pax Christi Victoria, which is part of Pax Christi International, a worldwide Christian peace movement, has initiated this call. It invites other Christians to associate themselves with this call, as part of an ongoing commitment to work for a just and lasting peace.
Dr Samah Sabawi’s 2024 Edward Said Memorial Lecture: The Ethnocentric State and Our Fragile Australian Democracy: How Support for Israel Erodes Democratic Values and Practices in Australia and the West
4 November 2024: Statement of Apology for the Dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima At the World Peace Memorial Cathedral, Hiroshima March 10, 2024
Dear hibakusha communities and the citizens of Hiroshima,
We are citizens of the United States, a representative of Ribbons International, and members of Pax Christi USA, a national chapter of the international Catholic peace movement that continues to call for the elimination of nuclear weapons from the face of this earth. We have come to the bombed site of Hiroshima to express our sincere apologies in person to all hibakusha, including A-bomb hibakusha from the Korean Peninsula, as so indicated in a letter sent August 8, 2023 by several U.S. peace organizations to the Japanese people.
To this day, 78 years after the bombings, the U.S. government has yet to issue a formal apology for the terrible crime of dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. As citizens of the United States, we regret these actions. We have come to Hiroshima to learn about the horrific facts that happened here and, with deep remorse, we ask you, your descendants, and the people of your bombed city for forgiveness and for the beginning of a dialogue toward reconciliation.
We are saddened by the loss of hundreds of thousands of innocent lives by the atomic bombings. Our hearts go out to the hibakusha and their descendants who endured physical and psychological pain with great sorrow and perseverance for the last 78 years. For the sake of the healing of the human family, we need to hear the testimonies of all hibakusha and citizens of Hiroshima. Your voices can challenge the violence within ourselves.
Through open dialogue with you, your hibakusha communities and citizens of Hiroshima, we will strive to build a personal and just relationship so that this mistake will never be repeated. We also vow to pray, speak out, and act together as good partners in the journey toward the total abolition of nuclear weapons.
In the Peace of Christ,
Peace Pilgrims from the United States:
Setsuko Amann, Union City, CA
Regis Amann, Union City, CA
Bob Cushing, Macon, GA
Donna Laney-Cushing, Macon, GA
Judith Kelly, Arlington, VA
Peter Metz, Needham, MA
Rosemarie Pace, Middle Village, NY
Michele Marie Peppers, Huntington, NY
Ann Suellentrop, Kansas City, KS
Carolyn Zablotny, Mill River, MA
George Horton, Mill River, MA
10 October 2024:
Pax Christi International has issued the following declaration. today:
What we are witnessing in the Holy Land, with ramifications across the Middle East, has its roots in over a century of conflict.
Each escalation serves as clear evidence that war only breeds further hatred, division, and tension, providing no real solutions.
The rising death toll, attacks on hospitals and schools, rampant hate speech and discrimination are undeniable proof that suffering only begets more suffering.
As Pierbattista Cardinal Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, stated: “We can only call once again on those in authority ….. to a commitment to justice and respect for every person’s right to freedom, dignity, and peace.”
Enough of decision-makers turning a blind eye! Enough of the complicity!
Decades of blatant violations of International and Humanitarian Law, as well as UN resolutions, escalated on October 7th, with a sharp rise in war crimes and persistent disregard for human rights. These violations, primarily targeting the Palestinian people, have become routine and are now spreading across the Middle East.
The international community continues to apply temporary fixes, hoping to protect economic interests, particularly those tied to Israel, while delaying meaningful dialogue and decisive legal action. To support peace efforts, we must ban the sale and delivery of arms to both Israel and armed groups, cease military cooperation that fuels the conflict, ensure an immediate, continuous ceasefire, and restore humanitarian aid to those in desperate need.
Enough of the occupation!
We must safeguard the people of Palestine, who continue to endure systemic oppression through ongoing human rights violations linked to the occupation, including collective punishment, property confiscation, excessive use of force, unlawful killings, restrictions on freedom of movement, and relentless settlement expansion. These violations deprive them of essential services such as healthcare, disrupt access to water and electricity, and hinder the delivery of humanitarian aid, leading to famine and deepening inequality while undermining their fundamental human rights.
Pax Christi International calls on all parties to return to negotiations and establish a peace agreement that recognises and protects the dignity and rights of both Palestinians and Israelis, treating them as equals. Any revived peace process must be grounded in a firm commitment to international law and UN resolutions, particularly those affirming the rights of the Palestinian people and promoting stability across the region.
Pax Christi International prays for a just peace.
Humanity has had enough of this needless suffering! We owe it not only to future generations, but to all those in the Holy Land and the wider Middle East, whose lives are constantly at risk, living in fear, displaced, and forced to flee their homes amidst ongoing conflict.
Today, we pray for a just peace, in which we firmly believe. We also pray for decision-makers, faith leaders, and citizens to take a bold stand in favour of peace.
18 September 2024: RAISING PEACE FESTIVAL 8 _ 22 SEPTEMBER 2024
18 September 2024 3 30pm Nuclear War: Stepping Back from the Brink Register Here
18 September 2024 7.00pm Living More With Less – A Nonviolent Alternative To Empire Register Here
19 September 2024 Voices for Peacebuilding: Women and Youth Shaping the future Register Here
21 September 2024 National Day of Compassion more information here
In 2024 Raising Peace is celebrating the International Day of Peace with discussions on peace activism, standing against AUKUS, faith and peace and more.
This year we are also hosting the Australian segment of World Beyond War’s “#NoWar2024 Conference: Resisting the USA’s Military Empire.” This exciting event starts in Australia in person and streamed from the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts on the morning of 21 September, with later sessions in Germany, Colombia and the USA.
Tickets must be purchased for the #NoWar conference through their website. These give participants access to the livestream for all 4 international segments of the event. The rest of the Raising Peace festival is free to attend online. Registrations will be open closer to the festival date.
9 September 2024: A video produced by Tony Ilott one of our Pax Christi Aust NSW Members who has been attending the protests to demand a ceasfire in Gaza.
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8 August 2024:
APAN welcomes Australian sanctions against extremist settlers
The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) welcomes the Australian Government’s imposition of Magnitsky sanctions and travel bans on seven extremist Israeli settlers and one entity for their involvement in settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
This action is the first such sanction Australia has applied to Israel since it began its genocidal attacks on Gaza in October, and follows Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s condemnation of Israel’s killing of Palestinians near schools last week.
These sanctions are a critical but overdue and insufficient first move towards ensuring Australia meets its international obligations to compel Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories.
They come in the wake of last week’s International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion that found such occupation illegal, and that Israel is in violation of international prohibitions on “racial segregation and apartheid.”
The court ordered that Israel halt the expansion of its illegal settlements and reverse the annexation of Palestinian territory, dismantle its system of apartheid against Palestinians and offer full reparations to Palestinians who have lost land and property.
The ruling has implications for all states, which now have a positive obligation not to “render aid or assistance to illegal settlement activities” and not to recognise or assist in any way with any measures Israel undertakes to exploit the resources, or change the demographic composition of the occupied territories.
APAN urges the Australian Government to immediately:
expand its sanctions to include other Israeli individuals and entities involved in Israel’s illegal occupation, its genocide in Gaza and its apartheid across Palestine;
Cancel the DGR status of any Australian charities that contribute to, support or benefit from Israel’s illegal settlements;
impose an arms embargo and put an end to the transfer of all arms, parts and dual-use items;
urgently review with a view to suspending any Australian trade, military and other relationships or agreements with Israel;
Investigate and prosecute dual citizens who have travelled to serve with Israel’s Occupying Forces.
Quotes attributed to APAN President Nasser Mashni:
We appreciate this announcement and urge the government to ensure it’s followed by a robust Australian response to Israel’s brazen and unchecked violations of international law.
The Israeli Government shows no signs of halting its illegal occupation, genocide, or apartheid in Palestine without significant and immediate international pressure.
The recent ICJ ruling found that Israel is an apartheid regime, hellbent on wiping Palestinians from their homeland, and Australia has an obligation to take strong actions not only against individuals, but against the Israeli Government itself, to ensure Palestinian collective rights and lives are protected and self-determination realised.
5 August 2024:
Poem byBr Jude Butcher cfc AM PhD _ Member Pax Christi Aust NSW
31 July 2024: Pax Christi International Calls 28 governments for Immediate Re-evaluation of RIMPAC 2024 Participation
Friends, after two weeks the RIMPAC 2024 military exercises in the Pacific are about to conclude.
From June 27th until August 1st, 2024, twenty-nine countries are gathering for Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) in and around the Hawaiian Islands. Pax Christi International is deeply concerned about the significant allocation of public funds for these military exercises. We believe these resources could be far more effectively used to promote disarmament education and initiatives that genuinely contribute to global peace and security. This allocation represents a grievous missed opportunity to invest in long-term peacebuilding measures that address the root causes of conflict.
We are particularly outraged by the participation of Israel in these exercises, which raises profound ethical and moral questions given its documented human rights violations. We urge the 28 other governments participating in RIMPAC to refrain from actions that imply military collaboration with a state accused of severe human rights abuses. Withdrawing from RIMPAC would be a decisive statement against associating with policies and actions that violate human dignity and undermine the values of humanity and disarmament.
Join us in calling on all participating countries to immediately realign their priorities towards true peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and globally. True peace can only be achieved through nonviolent means, respect for human rights, and a steadfast commitment to disarmament.
28 July 2024: THOSE WISHING TO ATTEND PAX CHRISTI NATIONAL CONFERENCE NEED TO REGISTER BEFORE 24 AUGUST 2024 FOR ACCURATE CATERING INFORMATION.
8 July 2024: Pax Christi Australia National Conference being held on 31 August 2024
Link to Register for Conference HERE
17 May 2024: Pax Christi Australia NSW members with Fr Claude Mostowik at a Palestinian Rally on 28 April 2024
A pictorial display of Pax Christi NSW members concern for Peace in our world and particularly for Palestinian people who are taking the brunt of death destruction and displacement caused by war at this time.
7 May 2024:
Together for Peace –
Jude Butcher 5 May 2024 Reflecting upon shared
commitment of hope for the people of Gaza.
Sydney Gaza Rally _ Photo taken by Fr Claude Mostowik 5 May 2024
Together as one walking for, walking with the people of Gaza.
Their pain, loss of life felt even more deeply amidst silence of many world powers.
Deep, true commitment, hope for the people of Gaza affirming all in long journey to peace.
United vision focuses people of different ages, cultures, faiths in calls for a new tomorrow.
Movements, changes oft slow. Yet deep joys, hopes emerge in a new journeying together.
Pilgrims together inviting, challenging all to shared tomorrow of true hope and life.
Br Jude Butcher cfc AM PhD
1 April 2024: It’s time to shift the national narrative from militarised security to human security
For many years now we have laboured under governments and policies that take us to the
darker side of Australia’s colonial past.
It is time to refocus, to attend to the needs and rights of people rather than the whims of
security establishments. We need a new vision for Australia that places the dignity of the
human person and respect for life in all its diversity at the core of security policy.
With this in mind, Pax Christi in Victoria is proposing an ambitious, wide-ranging project to
shift the focus of the national conversation. A four-page leaflet has been prepared that lays
out the key principles and initial steps that can guide such a project.
Military Security or Human Security? A vision for Australia today
Pax Christi Victoria invites you to join us in a new project.
To investigate and begin to build Human Security which does not rely in weapons of destruction, military alliances and the threat of war.
How can we create a world of
Food security
Shelter security
Climate security
Land security
Culture security
Health security
Environmental security
Employment and income security
Security for refugees
Freedom from addiction and gambling
Cooperation, not confrontation.
We hope to invite peace groups, faith communities aid agencies.
Human Rights movements, First Nations, Refugee Rights group
and all interested people to journey with us.
We will initiate the project at a Webinar on Thursday 29 February
7 pm – 8 45 pm Eastern summer time
To register go to https://www.trybooking.com/COUXD
16 January 2024:
The barbaric conduct of the Israeli state must be stopped. The dignity and freedom of the Palestinian people must be upheld
Flags of Palestine and Israel painted on cracked wall. Palestinian conflict concept. 3D illustration
The genocidal violence unleashed by Israel in Occupied Palestine since October 7 has produced unspeakable tragedy and suffering for the Palestinian people. Such barbaric behaviour places the State of Israel outside the bounds of a civilized world. Israel has become a pariah state, and must be treated as such by the international community.
Sadly, the response of many governments, especially in the global West, has been less than exemplary. The active support for Israel’s misdeeds extended by the United States and a good many of its allies can only be described as criminal complicity. Those governments and their leaders must also be brought to account.
The second front has to do with creating the conditions for a just and sustainable peace, respectful of Palestinian rights under international law.
To this end we call on civil society everywhere – NGOs, religious and cultural organisations, labor unions, professional bodies, corporations and banks – to:
Implement policies within their spheres of concern and influence supportive of Palestinian rights
Consider the formation of an independent, non-governmental Commission of Peace, Justice, and economic reconstruction that brings together an eminent international panel of thought leaders and practitioners. Its brief would be to consult widely with Palestinian groups and intellectuals and propose a detailed transition to a new Palestine/Israel reality that fully respects the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and remedies the wrongs of the past, notably Israel’s illegitimate and brutal occupation of Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
Establish a separate panel, comprised of eminent jurists, other experts and representatives of civil society organisations to consider ways in which the United Nations system can effectively exercise its authority in the resolution of the Palestinian question. Every avenue within the UN system should be considered: the UN Security Council, but also the General Assembly, including the possibility of using a Uniting for Peace mechanism (modelled on Resolution 377A), UN
agencies, and importantly the office of the UN Secretary-General, with greater space given within the UN system for a prominent, concerted and sustained civil society intervention.
Issued by
Richard Falk, Chandra Muzaffar, Joseph Camilleri
SHAPE Co-Conveners 14 January 2024
Website: www.theshapeproject.com
13 January 2024:
All the Invasion Day events you can attend this January 26
INVASION DAY 2024 EVENTS
GADIGAL COUNTRY (SYDNEY): Invasion Day March
Meet at 9.30am at Belmore Park, before a march around the Sydney CBD. Yabun Festival
The largest one-day gathering and recognition of First Nations people in Australia, at Victoria Park in Broadway. Also streamed on the Yabun Festival website and Koori Radio 93.7FM from 12pm. Come and say hi to our Indigenous Rights team at the Amnesty stall, and learn more about the work we’ve been doing.
WURUNDJERI AND BOON WURRUNG COUNTRY (MELBOURNE): Invasion Day Protest
A dawn Service will be held at 5am at Kings Domain Resting Place, Linlithgow Avenue, followed by the Invasion Day Rally at 11am from Victorian Parliament to Flinders St Station. Balit Nurran, Share the Spirit Festival
Free Performances from 1:00 PM – 9:00 PM, presented by Songlines Aboriginal Music at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
KAURNA COUNTRY (ADELAIDE): Survival Day March
Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga from 12pm.
WHADJUK NOONGAR COUNTRY (PERTH): Invasion Day Protest
Forrest Chase, on Wellington Street in Boorloo from 12pm. Birak Concert
The City of Perth is holding its annual Birak Concert at the Supreme Court Gardens with free First Nations entertainment, from 3pm to 7:30pm.
NGUNNAWAL COUNTRY (CANBERRA): Sovereignty Day Rally
Starting at 9.30am at Garema Place, Canberra, and hosted by the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.
YUGGERA/JAGERA AND TURRBAL COUNTRY (BRISBANE): Invasion Day Rally
Kicking off at 8am at Queens Gardens for sign making, the march begins at around 10am and will finish at Musgrave Park.
LARRAKIA COUNTRY (DARWIN): Smoking Ceremony
Starting at 7:45am the Larrakia People will hold a Smoking Ceremony at Darwin Waterfront lagoon, with storytelling and performances by local Indigenous performers.
NIPALUNA COUNTRY (HOBART) Putiya Kanaplila Invasion Day Rally
Meet at 10:45am at Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, before a 10:50am street march.
To watch this video click on on the title of this post.
Mr. President, ambassadors, Secretary General NDB, president, distinguished Diplomats, ladies and gentlemen. Today’s meeting takes place at a time of several major wars. In my testimony I will refer to four.
The Ukraine war which started in 2014 with the violent overthrow of Ukraine’s president Victor Yanukovych, the Israel Palestine war which has flared repeatedly since 1967, the Syrian war which began in 2011, and the Sahel Wars which began in 2012 in Mali and have now spread throughout the Sahel.
These wars may seem intractable but they are not indeed. I would suggest that all four Wars could be ended quickly by agreement within the UN security Council. One reason is that major Wars must be fed from the outside both with external finances and armaments. The UN Security Council could agree to choke off these awful Wars by withholding external finance and armaments. This would require an agreement among the major powers. The other reason why these wars can end quickly is that they result from economic and political factors that can be addressed through diplomacy rather than through war. By addressing the underlying political and economic factors the security Council can establish conditions for peace and sustainable development. Let me consider each of the four wars in turn briefly
Public Statement on the current escalation of violence in Palestine/Israel
31 October 2023
The Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network, Friends of Sabeel Australia and Palestinian Christians in Australia are three networks of predominantly Australian Christians who seek to raise awareness and to advocate for peace grounded in justice for all who live in the Holy Land. Each organisation has extensive knowledge of and connection to the Palestinian Christian community in the Holy Land.
Hear the voices of Christians in Palestine:
“Time and again, we are reminded that western attitudes towards Palestine-Israel suffer from a glaring double standard that humanizes Israeli Jews while insisting on dehumanizing Palestinians and whitewashing their suffering. This is evident in general attitudes towards the recent Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip that killed thousands of Palestinians, the apathy towards the murder of the Palestinian-American Christian journalist
Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022, and the killing of more than 300 Palestinians including 38 children in the West Bank this year before this recent escalation.”
The terrifying violence that currently is occurring, in not only Gaza, but also throughout the West Bank, is of grave concern. We express deep horror and sadness at the human tragedy in Palestine and in Israel and believe that all the violence is abhorrent: the deaths of Israelis, the abduction of civilians, the merciless denial of access to basic human needs to Gazans, and the deplorable bombing in Gaza of medical facilities, places of worship, schools and other essential services, leaving in the wake thousands dead, including over 3500 children and rendering over one million people homeless.
9 November 2023: An Interview Tom Tanuki _ Fahad Ali
Tom Tanuki speaks with Palestinian organiser Fahad Ali about undertaking activist action in Australia for Palestinian life & liberation. We discuss the goals of this action – both tangible and intangible, ways we can take action, and who we do (and DON’T) need in the movement. Brilliant chat!
Edmund Rice Centre Memorial Mass held for Katherine McInerney October 27, 2023 Fr Claude Mostowik msc.
The world feels very heavy. Life hurts. We are living with unprecedented grief — pandemic, climate crisis, natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes, racial violence, economic pain, and war. And if you dare to love, be prepared to grieve. Nothing prepares us for those painful losses that tear our world apart: the death of a loved ones and confreres; the loss of health and independence through illness or injury; the loss of an intimate relationship for whatever reason; and the loss of employment. Sometimes we experience several losses at once, especially when we experience life-shattering events such as violent crime, freak accidents, unexpected death, and so on. We all fear such losses and try to avoid them, but sooner or later, if we live long enough, we all have them.
The challenge is to carry grief in one hand and gratitude in the other and to be stretched large by them. If we carry only grief, we bend towards cynicism and despair. If we have only gratitude, we become saccharine without developing much compassion for other people’s suffering. Grief keeps the heart fluid and soft, which helps make compassion possible.
Message of Support sent from Fr Claude Mostowik President Pax Christi Australia in response to Secretary General speech at the United Nations
Link to Secretary General Antonio Guterres speach HERE
Mr António Guterres
Secretary-General
United Nations
405 East, 42nd Street
New York, NY, 10017
United States of America – USA
Via email: sgcentral@un.org
Your excellency,
I am writing to you as President of Pax Christi Australia, which is part of the International Peace Movement, Pax Christi International, based in Brussels. On behalf of Pax Christi Australia I wish to applaud your strong and mconuch needed statements about the present war of Israel with Hamas. We never condone violence and there can be no balanced views when condemning atrocities wherever they occur. Clearly there has been a powerful propaganda network that has painted the Palestinian people in a very negative light. We agree that, though we do not condone the violence perpetrated by Hamas, with the view that this did not occur in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been oppressed for many decades and understand that there will be resistance to this – even though we do not endorse what has happened.
Thank you again, Mr Guterres. We appreciate your ongoing and difficult efforts to bring peace and work for the common good in some many parts of the world.
Peace and good wishes
Claude Mostowik msc
President, Pax Christi Australia.
15 October 2023:
Statement on Palestine and Israel_ Pax Christi Australia _ International Christian Peace Movement
Pax Christi Australia is part of the international peace movement Pax Christi International, based in Brussels, working to promote peace with justice and nonviolence.
Pax Christi Australia joins with many around the world mourning the suffering endured in Israel and Palestine and calls on peace groups to continue to stridently promote active nonviolence in the struggle for peace with justice. We have witnessed for many years the demonisation and dehumanisation of people. This dehumanisation can lead only to violence and eventually crimes against humanity and war crimes. Palestinians and Israelis have dehumanised each other to such an extent that each side is considered less than human, and now Palestinians are termed as ‘human animals’ who must be eradicated. The alarming statements by Israeli military officers must be condemned as they escalate their attacks on Gaza as well as depriving a whole people of water, electricity, food, and medicines to the people. This is collective punishment.
‘The Middle East does not need war but peace, a peace built on justice, dialogue, and the courage of fraternity’
Pope Francis
See the full statement HERE
8 October 2023: Pax Christi Australia is a member of APAN See Press Release issued today in light of recent day events.
APAN stands by the Palestinian people in Gaza, calling for an immediate end to Israeli attacks and 16 year old illegal and inhumane blockade:
Yesterday, on the 7th of October, Palestinians held captive for the past 16 years in Gaza, in what former British Prime Minister David Cameron described as “the world’s largest open air prison” have broken through the walls that have kept them isolated from the rest of the world for a generation.
Despite Israeli state and settler attacks against Palestinians escalating since the election of the current Israeli government, Israeli colonial violence has been a constant to Palestinians since the Nakba and the creation of the state of Israel.
“Occupation is violence. Israel hasn’t been defending itself, it’s been waging war on Palestinians, each and every day for decades” said Nasser Mashni, President of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network.
Recently, Netanyahu arrogantly delivered a delusional speech at the UN, showing a new map of the Middle East centered around Israel, absent any mention of Palestine. The response from the Palestinians came yesterday crushing Netanyahu’s and Israel’s expansionist aspirations.
“The events of this week are a clear result of Israeli escalation – Israeli forces, including rampaging settlers, have killed Palestinians each and every day this year, just this week Israelis have invaded the most holy sites in Jerusalem; mobs of settlers have attacked Palestinian towns killing Palestinians while Israeli soldiers watch on. And this is on top of a 16 year illegal and inhumane siege on Gaza and 75 years of denial of Palestinian freedom, right of return and self determination” added Nasser Mashni.
One of Australia’s premier pop groups GANGgajang has just released this new song .You know their iconic Aussie song. ( written in Bundaberg in 1985)
“…Out on the patio we’d sit,
And the humidity we’d breathe,
We’d watch the lightning crack over cane-fields
Laugh and think, this is Australia.!”
Their new song encourages us to listen to what the Voice of the Heart is saying to us all.
13 August 2023:
Pax Christi Asia-Pacific’s Solidarity Statement on the Visit of US Bishops to Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Pax Christi Asia-Pacific stands in solidarity with Archbishop John C. Wester and Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne as they undertake their “Pilgrimage of Peace” to Japan to promote nuclear disarmament. The urgency of their mission reflects our anxiety that nuclear arms are still part of military planning. They are calling upon all people to engage in an “urgent conversation” about the continued risks posed by the stockpiling and development of nuclear weapons.
The events of August 6 and August 9, 1945, forever altered the course of human history with
the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As we commemorate these
anniversaries, we must reflect on the devastating consequences of nuclear conflict and
recommit ourselves to preventing such a tragedy from ever happening again. Read the full statement HERE
6 August 2023:
Hiroshima Rally Sydney 6 August 2023 _Speech Fr Claude Mostowik msc
For 78 years, the earth and its inhabitants have lived under the threat of nuclear destruction. Trillions of dollars have gone into their development and maintenance, while actual human needs of shelter, health care, food, and education are deeply underfunded.
Since its founding in 1945, Pax Christi has prioritised the work of nuclear disarmament and is member of the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons. Many Christian churches celebrate The Feast of the Transfiguration. The mountain top experience gave them a glimpse of Jesus that stretched their imaginations where they saw themselves as part of something bigger – to be courageous instruments of justice and compassion. On that mountain, they hear a voice that calls, ‘Listen to him (Jesus)!’ But the one who is transfigured on the mountain will soon be disfigured on the cross and points to the disfigured in the world. This feast also commemorates a disfiguration. As Jesus climbed the mountain, on this day pilots climbed into cockpits to kill 100’s of 1000’s of people. As we remember the mushroom-shaped cloud that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we keep killing our siblings and disfiguring the Earth. The disfiguration continues….. Read the complete speech HERE
31 July 2023:
Prayers for Hiroshima day/ feast of the transfiguration 2023
Introduction
In 1945, the United States detonated a nuclear weapon over the Japanese city of
Hiroshima on August 6. It is also the Feast of the Transfiguration, and I have used my
reflection which follows repeatedly here to connect the two.
Hiroshima Peace Day aims is to remember the between 90,000 and 146,000 people
who died after the first ever use of a nuclear weapon. It also aims to bring about world peace and ban nuclear weapons. One might look into how many nuclear weapons we
have on earth; and how many, we know, would be sufficient even for those who argue
for a nuclear deterrent. This leads to reflection on military expenditure…
Each year, on this day, the Mayor of Hiroshima reads a special Peace Declaration. His
message is sent to every country in the world pleading leaders to abolish nuclear
weapons. At 8:15 a.m., the time the atomic bomb was dropped, the Peace Bell is rung
and all in Hiroshima observe silence for one minute. Read the full Prayer and Reflection HERE
14 June 2023: Mapping Militarism
Welcome to World BEYOND War’s database of information about current wars, military spending, military “aid,” and peace treaties around the world. Maps, screenshots, and lists created with this research tool may be freely shared with attribution.
There are seven sections linked across the top, most of which contain multiple maps listed down the lefthand side. Each map’s data can be seen in map view or list view.
14 April 2023:Neither Their War Nor Their Peace _ Professor Clinton Fernandes The Unreported Truth
A pressentation by Professor Clinton Fernandes at Pax Christi Australia NSW Annual General Meeting held online on 3 April 2023
19 March 2023: Submarine deal ‘part of a powerful propaganda campaign to foster fear of China’
Image by Vedang Tandel on Unsplash
The new security pact between Australia, Britain and the US – which includes supplying nuclear powered submarines to the Royal Australian Navy – has been described by an Australian missionary, active with Pax Christi Australia, as “part of a powerful propaganda campaign to foster fear of China.”
“AUKUS is nothing new except that it is a revitalisation of three countries that colonised this region in the 1880’s and is doing it again,” said Fr Claude Mostowik of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. He added: “AUKUS is a continuation of Australia abdicating its sovereignty. After being on the coattails of Britain until the Second World War we are now joined at the hip with the USA which is a greater threat to our security and our capacity to say ‘no’ to US interventions in the regions.”
Fr Mostowik felt that China is not seen as a threat by many in the peace movement or by many enlightened academics. He said, “much of the rhetoric is about increased need for protection by armaments, including nuclear, rather than focusing on engagement, dialogue, diplomacy and negotiation that leads to understanding.” He takes the view, “we must talk down the possibility of conflict and talk up the need for collaboration and understanding as a way to peace and stability.” He felt very few leaders are taking the latter position, with notable exceptions being Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, and Pope Francis. “Will we listen to them rather than those who have much to profit from military conflict?”
Article in ICN independent Catholic News: Ellen Teague
On the weekend encompassing Friday 14 February to Sunday 16 February 2003 in Australia, coordinated mass protests against the impending Iraq War occurred around the world in over 600 cities. This global mass protest was described as the largest protest event in human history. According to the BBC 6-10 million people protested in a total of about 60 countries. In Italy the Rome protest involved about 3 million people, and in Spain the protest in Madrid involved 1.5 million people.
On Friday 14 February the protesters totalled 150,000 people in my city Melbourne (I and family were there with highly visible black on white STOP WAR placards). On 16 February 250,000 people protested in Sydney, and 100,000 in Brisbane. About 600,000 demonstrated against the impending Iraq War in cities around Australia [1-5]. Between January 3 and April 12, 2003, 36 million people across the world globe participated in some 3,000 protests against the Iraq War [5].
6 February 2023: The Uluru Statement from the Heart
Credit Unsplash
The Uluru Statement from the Heart asks Australians to walk together to build a better future for establishing a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution, and establishment of a Makarrata Commission for the purpose and truth telling
Do you need a better understanding of what is being asked?
Please see links below for two resources prepared by Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education.
Christmas 2022 Reflection _ Fr Claude Mostowik msc
As people entered Adelaide’s Cathedral for Christmas some years ago, they found the Christmas crib smashed. Statues of Mary and Joseph were urinated over, and the Jesus statue smashed. The archbishop instructed that the broken pieces of Jesus be gathered in a basket and places before the altar. The desecrated image and vandalised crib gave people much to think about as the broken bits produced a powerful image of Jesus’ rejection by the world; how people are treated; and, how we treat God’s gift of creation. The broken statue was also an invitation to refashion Christ, to rebuild his body in the world.
How we hear and interpret the Christmas story matters. Some details provide a basis for social justice work today – that Jesus was born into immense poverty, announcements were made to social outcasts, the politically, economically, socially, and religiously privileged bypassed, and fleeing violence as refugees. We are challenged more and more to seriously reflect on the broadly inclusive meaning of Christmas. Merely singing carols about ‘Emmanuel’ (God with us) can miss the profound depth of these words: that God has joined our struggle here on Earth. God so loved the world that God chose to enter it, and the very fabric of creation of which we too are a part.
Just after COP 27 in Egypt (in November) and COP 15 in Canada (in December) we must recognise the wider – indeed, the cosmic significance of the Word becoming flesh, as we realise that we are not at the centre of creation, as we work to respect, preserve, and protect our creaturely sisters and brothers in Christ. The good works for people on society’s edges can be circumscribed when the truth to is not spoken to Herods of today; when we do not risk confronting the immoral behaviour of political powers that create widows and orphans and destitute asylum seekers as well as impoverishing people around the world and our Common Home – the Earth. God’s entrance into creation as Emmanuel — ‘God with us’ — signifies God’s love for all creation, all creatures, humans included. All are interconnected and interdependent. Everything in the created world is implicated in God’s decision to become flesh. All of God’s creatures are touched by and benefit from God’s gift of love and life in the Incarnation. However, what happened in Bethlehem is just part of the story. That baby grew up to be a man who faced evil and spoke out against it. We must do no less. See full Reflection Here
22 November 2022: Tribute to Fr Peter Maher by Fr Claude Mostowik msc
Father Peter Desmond Maher OAM
June 17, 1950 – November 8, 2022
Father Peter Maher died peacefully on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Peter left family and friends who loved him deeply. The priest who delivered the homily at Peter’s funeral invited all in the congregation to just spend a short time to look into the eyes of Peter’s photo on the cover of the Mass booklet. It was a very moving moment.
We could easily list the many organisations that Peter was part of but that would not adequately cover his presence in them because they were always about people – God’s beloved people. The people he ministered to became special in his world. His ministry took him among women and men who were discriminated against, shunned, and excluded by the church and society. His humble, always welcoming, and gentle presence touched people and showed them, whoever they were, that their lives can be filled with compassion and meaning that also inspired them to also pass on that compassion to others. His nonviolent advocacy for all in the various communities he came among also left him on the edges from some sections of the official church.
Peter was a long-time member of Pax Christi and when parish priest at Newtown hosted Pax Christi meetings in the presbytery for several years. He was a man of peace and courage in welcoming Catholic Acceptance (for Gay Catholics) to use the church every week for many years to have their Eucharist. He made Acceptance a ministry of his parish in which many parishioners shared. It is important to note that he had a wonderful relationship with the Indonesian Catholic community who also used the premises for their weekly Eucharist. It was not long after he retired, this community was moved on.
Until recently, Peter was editor of The Swag, the National Council of Priests quarterly magazine. He Co-chaired Rainbow Catholics InterAgency for Ministry, Australia. He chaired Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat Ministries, Sydney. He had been a chaplain at the University of Technology (UTS) where he was able to host a number of forums for Pax Christi New South Wales on treatment of refugees and asylum seekers after the 2001 Tampa saga. He was recipient of a UTS Human Rights Award in 2008 and the Ally Award Celebrating and Supporting Sexual Diversity and Identity and the Alumni Community Award in 2015. In 2015 he was awarded an OAM.
Peter was always concerned that the Church in Australia engage in a deep listening, a competent dialogue, and a compassionate and just course of action where the experience of people normally excluded or silenced are listened to. As with the Syrophoenician woman who became Jesus’ teacher, these outsiders, irrespective of age diversity, gender, spirituality, training, sexuality, marital status, and different abilities, informed the journey of the Church. His concern was that each one of us can fulfil our God-given giftedness without prejudice. His belief was that we need people alive and awake to the forgotten, silenced, hurt, alone, discriminated against and afraid. He felt that we need people who can articulate the joy and pain of human vulnerability and be more awake to the reality of those around us and less blind to the injustice and inequality.
Having known Peter for nearly 30 years, there is a deep sense of loss but also a deep sense of gratitude to God for his presence through Peter. Those present at his funeral, members of Acceptance, LGBTIQ+ people, Indigenous people and women who had found themselves in various forms of distress – who were touched and cared for by him – will miss him but know that they have been ’touched by an angel.’
11 November 2022:
Honour the War Dead by Ending War
We join the traditional Armistice Day ceremony with a message of peace. All who lose their lives in war should be remembered and honoured, as victims of the horror that is war, rather than as heroes.
Meeting at 10.30am Martin Place SYDNEY Please come and join our gathering to spread the message.
6 November 2022: Martha Inés Romero has been appointed secretary general as of 1 January 2023.
Pax Christi International, the global Catholic movement for peace and nonviolence, is pleased to announce that Martha Inés Romero has been appointed secretary general as of 1 January 2023.
Based in Colombia, Martha Inés has served Pax Christi International for over 15 years, including a term in the international board. She is currently the regional coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean. She will continue in this role as she also takes up her duties as Secretary General.
Martha Inés describes herself as a “humble life-long learner,” and brings a rich depth of experience working throughout the Americas and with global partners. She studied conflict transformation at the Kroc Institute for Peace (USA) and was a member of the Catholic Peacebuilding Network. She has contributed to the transformation of Catholic teaching through promoting a culture of peace, nonviolence, and reconciliation, first with Catholic Relief Services, contributing to the Caritas Internationalis network, and then with Pax Christi International, through participation in synodal processes and the Laudato Si’ Action Platform.
She is both ecumenically and interfaith minded and works with partners across the civil society for dialogue and cooperation within communities across Latin America and the Caribbean. Her previous experience is in the aid sector, where she held international roles at OXFAM Great Britain and CRS.
“I am humbled by the opportunity to lead Pax Christi International in this challenging time,” said Romero. “I look forward to listening and learning from our dedicated members and partners worldwide. The diversity in our movement is our main strength, one that we can draw on as we transform communities through justice, peace, and nonviolence.”
Pax Christi International co-presidents Bishop (Em) Marc Stenger and Sr Wamuyu Wachira also expressed their appreciation for Martha Inés as she takes up her new role within our movement.
“I admire the great ability of Martha Inés to mobilize and unite for the sake of human rights, justice, peace, and the preservation of Creation. She’s a tireless worker, seizing every opportunity for dialogue and connection throughout Latin America and now around the world,” said Stenger.
“We thank Martha Inés for generously accepting this call to serve, and the willingness to be open to the will of God in this new role and respond to the needs of this movement at this time of our history and beyond,” remarked Wachira. She continued, recalling the words of Psalm 18, “May the Lord continue to be your rock, your fortress, in whom you will continue to find joy and hope, take refuge in situations of challenges, the Lord who will always be your shield and stronghold.”
Martha Inés Romero will replace outgoing Secretary General Greet Vanaerschot, who retires after 40 years of service to Pax Christi International in a variety of roles. There will be opportunities for the movement to welcome Martha Inés and express gratitude to Greet in the new year.
16 October 2022: Faiths 4 Climate Justice Multi-faith Services:
What a huge team effort yesterday! Organising groups in 13 different locations across Australia and the Pacific designed beautiful Faiths 4 Climate Justice Multi-faith Services which were attended by many hundreds of people of faith. We were in our element! People from the Pacific shared their experiences and people chanted, prayed, sang and meditated in ways that were always rich and varied, and sometimes really quite moving.
Some supporters showed their deep spiritual commitment to the cause by praying and meditating all through the night before the services in the morning.
As well as being meaningful in their own right, the Services created local interest for a wide range of media outlets leading to much more extensive media coverage than the open letter would have received on its own. Local radio stations took a keen interest. Our passionate and articulate spokespersons shared their wisdom in dozens of radio interviews, many of them on the ABC.
The amazing Fahimah Badrulhisham has quickly put together this draft 2-minute video clip (more photos will be added) summing up some of the achievements of the day. Please share it and any relevant photos and coverage on Facebook and Twitter, tag Anthony Albanese (write @AnthonyAlbanese and choose the relevant image that pops up) and add #Faiths4Climate.
Thank you also to all the First Nations and faith leader signatories, who have lent the weight of their authority to the open letter itself. We were reliably informed that this sometimes involved careful discussion amongst their community leaders, so support wasn’t given lightly.
A HUGE THANK YOU to all who made the day a success!
Uncle John Lochowiak leads a smoking ceremony in Adelaide. Photo credit: Nadav Kaminsky.
Outdoor service in Bunbury. Photo credit: Charo Chacon.
Participants at Parramatta. Photo credit: Michael O’Farrell.
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