4 October 2019 - Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi
One human family on planet earth and the PM’s "negative globalism"
A defining insight of those who went to the moon 50 years ago was that there are no lines on our earth, dividing one nation from another. They saw one human family on this beautiful blue and white ball, spinning in the vastness of a universe, the end of which is still to be found.
In the period since World War 2, responding to the catastrophic suffering caused by nationalist ideologies, like fascism, the League of Nations has evolved into the United Nations.
Flawed maybe, with all the familiar frailties of humankind, but it is essential to the kind of cooperation we know is needed for today’s children.
We plead with our PM not to create some unhelpful negativity towards the United Nations. There are plenty of vested interests who will amplify any negativity to mount a case for more military spending and for the demise of the Paris Agreement on containing a rise in global temperatures.
There is a saying of Theodore Zeldin: “Humanity is a family that has barely met”.
We need more international cooperation, not less.
Already we do not do enough listening to each other.
Today, the international Church recalls St Francis of Assisi.
Francis sang of the Creator's love for all creatures as he sang to the birds and prayed for peace, amidst spring flowers.
His prayer must be our prayer - “Make me a Channel of Your Peace”.
In touch with the utter wonder of the gift of life, we must be saying so clearly now, for the sake of all God’s children, as regards violence and climate change:
“You want to do what! WHAT?”!
“You want to kill people you have never met, with your massive weapons, FOR WHAT?”
“You want to continue doing exactly what you know is causing global temperatures to rise, endangering many lives and destroying many species, FOR WHAT?!”
We need more international cooperation, not less.
We need our leaders to speak this clearly, unambiguously.
Bishop Philip Huggins
President, National Council of Churches in Australia.
MEDIA CONTACT: BISHOP PHILIP HUGGINS, 0418 799 515
