Hardly has the ink dried on the right-wing Iemma administration’s attack on human rights, civil liberties, free speech and meaningful religious freedom in the name of Catholic-dominated “World Youth Day” when some dissident Catholics have announced that they don’t like the overkill involved either. Moreover, it has emerged that the institutional church negotiated with the Iemma administration for this prize. 

Catholic critics include Catholic lawyer Frank Brennan, who condemned the new police powers as ghastly interference with civil liberties and against church teachings on human rights. While the institutional church supports the actions of the Iemma ALP state government, Father Brennan cited Pope John XXIII’s encyclical Pacem in Terris (1963), which stated that human rights and civil liberties should be regarded as ‘inviolable.’  According to Dr John Sweeney at the Edmund Rice Centre, Christ himself  ’died for free speech,’ and Father Brennan added that the proposed legislation was out of all proportion when it came to Catholic pilgrims and their sensibilities.  

Even Sydney’s APEC forum meeting and the Olympics hadn’t generated this degree of curtailment of freedom of movement, freedom of expression and application to multiple venues. Meanwhile, it’s generated a cheeky t-shirt competition, some of which have appeared at the Sydney Morning Herald’s website. Far from generating a wave of euphoria amongst the faithful, this blue elephant has generated increasing controversy amongst Catholics and opponents of their institutional church’s sectarian public policies alike. 

Recommended:

Linda Morris, Joel and Jano Gibson: “Catholics split on right to annoy.” Sydney Morning Herald: 03.07.08: http://www.smh.com.au