The 2023 Bishops’ Justice Statement calls on Australian Catholics and people of goodwill to commit to “fostering a civilisation of love” by taking “every opportunity to join with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in dialogue about their hopes and dreams for the future. The Bishops urge us to “listen and learn” and “let love guide” us to make decisions which will support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to find justice, irrespective of the outcome of the upcoming referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

“Let’s come together in friendship and love to show all that love can not only change individual lives, but that it can change society for the better,” write the Bishops.
Starting with three verbs, this year’s Social Justice Statement is a call to action, as Bishop Long OFM, Chair of the Bishops Commission for Social Justice explained at the launch of the statement on 17 August: -

“We want Catholics to understand that Catholic social teaching and Catholic social action are not simply theoretical and academic exercises … We hear what God is saying to us about justice by being with our sisters and brothers on the peripheries of society.”

While the Social Justice Statement is a teaching document of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, a large part of this year’s statement was written by members of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council. It is part of the message’s exhortation to “listen”.

“Listening is hard. Hearing about young people taking their lives; about so many people ending up in jail; of children still being taken away from their parents and grandparents; and about the ongoing racism is tough,” Bishop Long said.

“It must be so much more difficult for these people to tell us about their painful experiences. We are deeply grateful to those who shared their stories of pain with us.”

The theme for this year’s statement was chosen in May 2022, well before the Voice to Parliament referendum was mooted and before the timing of a vote was proposed. While the bishops don’t suggest how people should vote, Bishop Long said “Whatever the outcome of this year’s referendum, we ask the Church in Australia to make efforts to lead the way for our fellow Australians” in pursuing reconciliation.

“Our attitudes and actions towards First Nations Peoples need to be grounded in justice, love and humility,” he said.

“We need to listen with deep respect and learn from them about what needs to be done to improve their situations. We need to walk with them, day by day, and work with them to bring about change for the better – for their people and for all of us. “Strengthening our relationship with our First Peoples is integral and indeed critical to the strengthening of the whole nation.”

Watch the launch.

Access the statement.

Since the 1940s, the bishops have published annual statements that urge the Catholic community to reflect and act on social, economic and ecological issues. The statements are published as a focal point for Social Justice Sunday, which will be marked on August 27 this year.