It is a typical Sunday morning at a sleepy, nondescript Catholic Church nestled beside a primary school. Families, couples and friends filter into the building adorned with manicured gardens and religious artifacts. The 8:30am service started a little late this morning, but the quiet reverence has calmed the anxieties of the congregants. Hymns are soulfully played out on the keyboard, readings are read by young and old; finally it is time for the homily. The priest, after a short internal prayer, stands up and addresses the congregation. He reflects on what is being taught and how people can incorporate it into their daily lives, reminding the congregants that their faith should be shared to all who they meet. Finally he calls everyone to action, encouraging them to spread the word of God and to live His teachings. The Mass continues, with more prayers, hymns, the breaking and blessing of bread as everyone prepares to receive the Holy Eucharist. The service draws to a close and people quietly file out of the Church, saying hello to each other and thanking the priest for his words.
There is no yelling, no ostracising, no hatred.
Only just down the road, the state parliament’s halls are still ringing from the sharp quips, harsh words and hatred being hurled from politician’s mouths. They all try their best to one up each other, proving that they are right and that their opponents do not deserve to govern.
Australia's politics and political system have become a spectacle to behold both domestically and internationally. Arguments, backlash and upheavals of leadership have become commonplace. Recently, Dominic Perrottet became the new leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party who are in government in the state. He was elected to this position after Gladys Berejiklian dramatically stepped down from her position and politics due to an investigation of allegations of corruption against her.
The new premier has been characterized with some key defining terms; family man, conservative and even draconian. However, his Catholic faith has caught the media’s attention.
Some worry that he will reverse laws around gender rights and abortion as well as making it harder for euthanasia bills to be passed. Others are concerned that his early relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions will allow for cases and hospitalisations to surge. At the centre of these arguments, his faith and position in politics have become so intertwined that many assume that they are one and the same; he is Catholic so he has right-wing views and all Catholics have the same views.
It is not uncommon for politicians to align themselves with a particular belief system; for example, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is a devout Pentecostal Christian. These can often help constituents understand why, how and where these decisions are coming from. However, when Dominic Perrottet was elected as New South Wales Premier, there was significant backlash amongst people because of his Catholic faith. His faith has informed his decision making before and will into the future but now people are characterising him because of his faith and his faith because of his politics. How does religion become a significant issue in politics? And why does the Catholic Church have such a troubled history and storied past with politics in Australia?
Catholics have always had a challenging time in Protestant nations. While England was colonising Australia, the official religion was the Church of England. However Ireland – a territory of the British empire – was profusely Catholic. Dr Frank Mols, a Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Queensland, explains that the “rich history in most Australian cities to do with the discrimination of Catholics” resulted from this colonial divide in the British Isles. This dislike and distrust of Catholics, while not as cruel or explicit as in colonial times, has permeated much of Australia’s political and social history.
With recent scandals in the Catholic Church, trust of this once unstoppable institution and its leaders are at an all-time low. According to the National Church Life Survey, 48 percent of Catholics who actively practice their faith agreed or strongly agreed that the sexual abuse scandals by clergy had diminished their confidence in “church authorities,” while 34 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed.
Dr Mols explained that the Westminster system of government does not usually have religious parties, unlike the governments of Italy and the Netherlands. “It is…terms of convention that religion shouldn’t be part of party politics,” he said.
Instead, Catholicism has been loosely associated with right wing politics. The traditional views that Catholics have about family, gender, and those around them, have made it so that their views, align with those on the right wing. However, this doesn't stop Catholics from being on the left wing of politics.
Deputy General Secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Jeremy Stuparich said that the Catholic Church does not have any official affiliation with any particular party in Australian politics. “The assumption [that Catholics are only on the right wing of politics] falls over when you consider that the NSW Leader of the Opposition is also Catholic. There are… Catholic politicians in the Labor Party and the Liberal National Party.” However, upon investigating deeper, there is a divide among Catholics.
Bart Dickman, the president of the University of Queensland Newman Catholic Society, explained that it is his view that Catholics should not pick and choose teachings. “If you reject any article of the Faith, you reject the whole thing.” He explained that, instead of cherry-picking, you must try your best to follow all the teachings of the Catholic Church. “If [cultural Catholics] are rejecting certain things … you wouldn’t even call them Catholics.” This is emblematic of a divide in Catholicism and how people define who is and is not Catholic.
“In countries where religion plays a big role in politics; you see typical issues where [decisions around controversial topics] flares up,” says Dr Mols. “That’s typically European countries where there’s parties representing soft or hard-line religious movements typically become very vocal. That’s very much their terrain when it comes about to playing God.”
Dr Mols also explained that there are religious Catholics who follow all the teachings of the Church and cultural Catholics who may not follow all the rules but still align with the charismatic works and values of love and care. The charismatic works of the Catholic Church include practices such as looking out for those less fortunate than you, advocating for the rights of all people and spreading joy and peace around the world. Oftentimes, cultural Catholics do not attend regular Sunday masses and may not even turn up for large holidays such as Easter and Christmas.
Mr Dickman doesn’t consider cultural Catholics to be true Catholics as they reject the teachings of the Church, especially when it comes to attending mass and core teachings on controversial topics. For example, cultural Catholics consider certain policies of high importance such as the environment and taxation. Mr Dickman argues, “You have to look after people first because the Church’s whole point is for the salvation for the souls of everyone on earth … so you have to be looking after people.”
Catholics are taught that every life is sacred and should be protected. Understandably, practices that actively end human life such as abortion or euthanasia are highly discouraged. Some cultural Catholics ideologically oppose this, arguing that women should have autonomy over their bodies and that those in pain should have the choice to end their lives. This creates a clear divide, where cultural Catholics typically politically align with the Labor party and religious Catholics with the Liberal or National parties.
While Mr Stuparich’s statement may be correct where he says Catholics are on all sides of politics, his definition of Catholicism is fundamentally different from Mr Dickman’s. In Mr Dickman’s opinion, Catholics must vote on the right wing of politics to maintain the core teachings of the Catholic faith. “I think we need out Bishops and our leaders of the Catholic Church to be more vocal about all of these [issues] to political leaders. A lot of our leaders are quite quiet and quite reserved and shy … [they] shy away from the opportunity to do these things.” he explains.
But Catholicism is not right wing politics and neither is right wing politics Catholicism. Often these are conflated together, along with various other religious groups, communities and even clubs.
There is a key difference between Catholicism and right wing politics, love. Politics relies on arguments, divisions and controversies, while Catholics promote unity and love, both through their actions and words.
The local parish church is approached with hushed voices, song and prayer, permeated with the priest gently reminding everyone to love one another as Jesus loved them. It is not as if they do not care, instead Catholics are taught to spread peace and love, having these difficult conversations in a respectful and dignified manner. Bart Dickman reflects, “my faith has dramatically changed my view on politics purely because your faith provides you with a real fundamental set of rules and guidelines which are based in reality and justice.”
This is where the plenary council steps in. A plenary council is a way for the Catholic Church to discern how to live the Gospel in a particular time and place. The plenary council in Australia is currently ongoing, with the first session having ended on the 10th of October and the second one slated for July of 2022. It is the first time in over 80 years that Australia has had a plenary council, and it will cover a wide variety of topics. It will aim to bring the practices and attitudes of the Catholic Church in Australia into the 21st century as well as how it can continue to do God’s work into the future. Importantly, the Plenary Council cannot change the teachings of the Catholic Church, only the Vatican has the authority to do that.
Mr Dickman, along with other fellow university Catholic societies around the country (collectively known as the Australian Catholic Students Association), worries that some of the submissions to the council will allow for the Australian Catholic Church to directly contradict the teachings from the Vatican.
In an open letter to the delegates to the council, the Australian Catholic Students Association warned that “many submissions sought to change teachings of the Faith solemnly defined by the Magisterium relating to issues of sexuality, life, or other moral issues and show a lack of faith in the Church and her Divine Founder. These submissions only confirm the crisis in faith and faith formation; that is, many Catholics lack basic catechesis and are unjustly deprived of the truths of the Church. We call upon the Plenary Council to show its unity with the successor of Peter and the perennial teaching of the Church by condemning these submissions as its first action.”
Like politics, Catholicism has a split between traditionalists, who want the Catholic Church to resist external pressures and focus inwardly on how best to follow the faith in troubling times, and progressives, who want to change things to better represent the views of society. “You don’t judge the Church based on those who are living in the house, but you can judge the house based on its foundation,” Mr Dickman reflects. In many aspects, the political views of religious Catholics align with those in right-wing politics, creating a bond that many associate when reflecting on religion and politics. The future is uncertain, will cultural Catholics change the way we view this relationship, or will religious Catholics hold on to the traditions that have established and sustained this institution for so long? The fast-paced world of politics means that ideologies change quickly and this association between Catholics and conservatism will most likely be short lived. Bart Dickman reflects: “Politics ... and men always change – we see how much things have changed in politics in the past 50 years … but the teachings of Christ will never change.”
Comments