Sketch of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch NZ

I have finished my first sketch of the Christchurch Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. Check it out below!

Sunday Snippets: A Catholic Carnival #13

Sunday Snippets for the week of Sunday February 20 to Saturday February 26.

• Meditation method to quiet your mind and an article on the existence of God, both thanks to "The Voice for Love".
• The Vatican have launched a new campaign aimed at educating people on the truth of the Islam religion. Christian's, Muslim's and Jew's alike will be surprised, and it is quite interesting and well over-due!
• Finally, I have got back into some art after twelve-months of inactivity. In the recent Christchurch Earthquakes in New Zealand, the Catholic Cathedral was damaged. Given it was such a lovely building of Renaissance Italian style, I decided to start work on a piece. It's not finished, just a rough for now!

Go to "Sunday Snippets" blog.

Go to "This That and the Other Thing: Sunday Snippets" blog.

Artistic Inspiration from an Unlikely Place

I really want to get back into my artwork. I haven't really done any art for almost a year now. Sure, I have picked up a sketchpad, even a digital one to use on my computer - but there is just nothing flowing through me. No inspiration. I find it hard this past year to get inspired. I did start the TAFE course in February, 2010, but I gave that up after I had a bit of a breakdown.

Once I was over that, it had just been so long since I'd attended, I hadn't told my course-coordinator what was going on, so I guess there was just too much anxiety inside of me to "face the crowd", so to speak. Which is stupid. I wasn't "slacking off" or anything, I had a legitimate reason! I even spent two or three weeks in Nolan House, the psychiatric-wing of Albury Base Hospital!!

Besides, when I first started the course, I told myself that I was primarily there to interact with people, get back into the world and have something to occupy my time. I was NEVER doing it seriously thinking of what certificate I would receive at the end.

I have been throwing a few ideas around my head, however, thinking of what I like to draw, what inspires me... and I think I may have found my next subject! I enjoy drawing buildings - old buildings, predominantly Churches - so that is what I will do. Not any old church, however, but ones that may have a little more significance... and I have three in mind at the moment.

Christchurch Anglican Cathedral, NZ.

Image: Wikipedia

Given the recent events of the past twelve-hours - the 6.3 magnitude earthquake in our neighbouring country of New Zealand - I am thinking of drawing the Anglican Cathedral of Christchurch after seeing photos of the damage done to it. However, I have also read reports that the Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, or the Basilica, has been damaged in the earthquakes last year, which were still being repaired in early February, and has again been damaged by this most recent quake.

Christchurch Basilica, NZ.

Image: Wikipedia

The third idea is the Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, that was destroyed in January 2010, even killing Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot instantly, the Vicar General, Charles Benoit dying later.

Our Lady of the Assumption, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

mage: Wikipedia

Why these things though, all of which have been destroyed or heavily damaged? Is it some sick, sadistic idea of sorts? No, I see it more as a dedication, a remembrance, of the former glory of these buildings, which will never be the same. Sure, the Anglican Cathedral will put a new spire on, the Catholic Basilica will get fixed up again, hopefully, and perhaps in time when the governments of the world who pledged money to Haiti actually come through with their support, Port-au-Prince will find a new place to build a new Cathedral.

Vatican launches new tactic RE: Islam

The Vatican is working on a document for Christians, all about Islam, explaining away many misconceptions of Islam - from the dispute over the word "Allah" to admitting that we, the Christians, have been the instigators at times in history.

It is good so people can come to know that Islam and Muslims are not that different to us - the extremists are nothing like us, but they are just like Christian extremists, even mildly like bigotted-Christians who hurl abuse at people they don't approve of, from homosexuals to abortion-clinics. There is never a time that behaviour should be tolerated in this day and time, from anyone, be they Muslim, Jew, Christian or otherwise!

The images here are screenshots from the video I watched on FaceBook about the document. It goes for nine-minutes, click here to view it.

The Existence of God

I found this website after reading another link on meditation (my previous blog entry) and found this page on the existence of God - does He exist or not? It was quite an interesting read, making quite a few points - some may call it lateral thinking, but it is also literal thinking, of sorts.

"We've taught this process to Christians, Buddhists, agnostics, atheists, scientists, people who've been on a spiritual path for years, and people who have never done anything spiritual in their lives. It honestly doesn't matter who you are, what you believe, or anything else. Our five step process for hearing God's voice works for anybody."


It wasn't until I got the the end of the article that it asked for money, which I don't have enough of to fork out on these videos/CDs/or whatever! It does sound good, and offers a full-refund if you're unhappy. Still, this article makes some good points, showing a little bit of how to "think differently" in order to try prove to yourself whether God exists or not. Check it out!

Meditation Method for Quieting Your Mind

Source: The Voice For Love

A quiet mind is a peaceful mind. A peaceful mind is a mind that is joined in awareness with its Source.

There are many ways to quiet your mind to become aware of your Source—to become aware of the Presence of Love within you. Some of the methods we typically hear about include: doing what we love, listening to music, being in nature, being present with another or with an activity we are engaged in, and consciously breathing. All of these examples, and any other example that helps us to quiet our minds, have something in common—they are all demonstrations of relating with love.

When we relate to anything with love, we are joined in awareness with Holy Spirit, the Voice for Love within each of us. When we relate in a loving way to any thought, feeling, sensation, person, circumstance or any other "thing" we can identify or "label" in any way, we are joined in awareness with the Love of God within us. The mere fact of relating with love immediately restores our awareness to its true nature.

In this moment, you can pick anything that you are aware of to practice this. You can pick something that you see with your eyes, something you hear with your ears, something you feel emotionally or physically, something you visualize within your mind, or any other thought or belief that you become aware of within you, take any one of those items and simply relate to it in a loving way. Relate to it with compassion, understanding, kindness, acceptance, a blessing, gratitude, or any other "flavor of love" you can imagine. When you do do, you are in fact joining with the Source of all Love within you, which is God.

When you join with God in this way—consciously, with intention, and an open heart—your mind will become quiet because you are thinking with the Holy Spirit. When you relate with love, you’re relating with the consciousness of Holy Spirit. When you are joined with that consciousness, the ego becomes quiet and you quickly find yourself in that quiet place within where God’s voice can be heard.

You can practice this process with your eyes closed in "meditation," or you can practice this with your eyes open while moving about the world, relating to whatever you notice in a loving way.

Practice relating to what you become aware of in the world in this loving way, and see what happens when you do. Notice if your mind quiets down when you relate with love. Notice what happens to your judgments, fears, and resistance the moment you open your heart and relate to anything with love. Love is the one element that heals all things. If you are looking to heal your mind and restore yourself to that quiet place within, relate to yourself, your mind, and everything you become aware of with Love, and watch the miracles unfold.

Sunday Snippets: A Catholic Carnival #12

Sunday Snippets for the weeks of Sunday February 13 to Saturday February 19.

• Continuing from last weeks theme, here is an article on well-known Melbourne Priest, Fr. Bob, and his thought on gay-marriage. Go Fr. Bob - good to see someone from our camp within the church!
• Theologians within the church are revolting, coming out with their own personal opinions on same-sex-marriage, not just "blindly" following the church!
• Some interesting bits revealed from the upcoming new edition of the missal!
• A plea for help from an Afghani Christian-convert who is to be executed... for becoming a Christian!
• I plan to start reading St. Faustina Kowalska's Diary - Divine Mercy in My Soul.
• This week I close with an interesting statement I copied/pasted from a friend on FaceBook... quite true! All to do with racism.

Go to "This That and the Other Thing: Sunday Snippets" blog.

Racist much?

Your car is German. Your vodka is Russian. Your pizza is Italian. Your kebab is Turkish. Your democracy is Greek. Your coffee is Brazilian. Your movies are American. Your tea is Tamil. Your shirt is Indian. Your oil is Saudi Arabian. Your electronics are Chinese. Your numbers Arabic, your letters Latin. And you complain that your neighbor is an immigrant? Pull yourself together. Copy if you're against racism.

Divine Mercy: A Book for Lent

Last year I bought the second book in the "Christ Our Lord" series by Anne Rice and read it during the Lenten period. I thought it was an appropriate title since it traced the life of Jesus as an adult. This year, I plan to buy "Divine Mercy: In My Soul" the "Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska".

The Feast of the Divine Mercy was declared by the late Pope John-Paul II in the year 2000, the same day that St. Faustina was canonized. Divine Mercy Sunday falls on the first Sunday after Easter Sunday, and this year, JP2 will be beatified on that day by Pope Benedict XVI, which is the first milestone on the way to Sainthood.

Divine Mercy is just that - mercy from the divine, and St. Faustina's diary records the messages she received from Jesus. It is closely tied in with the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and those who are devoted to the Divine Mercy will receive the mercy of Him at the End Times.

It will surely make an interesting edition to my already over-flowing-library of books!!!

Afghan Christian-converts plea for help

Source: National Catholic Register

An Afghanistan Christian and father of six, is imprisoned and scheduled to die. His crime? He believes Christ is his Savior. And he is scheduled to die because of it. No defense lawyer will take his case for fear of retribution. And he has been told that if he renounces Christ things would go easier. But he doesn’t. He won’t.

Said Musa, who lost his leg from a landmine in the 1990’s and has worked since then as a medical worker for the Red Cross fitting children with prosthetics, has been in jail for eight months. According to a public letter written by him and addressed to our President and the world community, he has been brutally tortured and abused in every way possible, both by guards and inmates.

As of yet the media and the world seem to have taken little notice of Said Musa. There are currently less than 100 mentions of Musa in the news and most of them are not considered part of the mainstream media, other than the Wall Street Journal.

Musa wrote a public letter which I will excerpt here, courtesy of The Barnabus Fund. The English is rough but I think you’ll understand what he’s saying:

“To the international church of world and to the President Brother Barak Obama President of the United States and to the head of ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] in Afghanistan!

“My name is Said Musa 45 years old. I have been working since 15 years as a Physiotherapist in I-C-R-C [International Committee of the Red Cross] orthopaedic centre in Kabul, Afghanistan. About four and a half months before by security force of Afghanistan I [was] captured, due to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world.

...Since that time I am in jail. The authority and prisoners in jail did many bad behaviour with me about my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. For example, they did sexual things with me, beat me by wood, by hands, by legs, put some things on my head, mocked me ‘He’s Jesus Christ’, spat on me, nobody let me for sleep night and day. Every person spat on me and beat me. Also the prosecutor wrote something wrong against me. He told from himself something wrong against me on my file.

“He is stimulating every day the prisoners against me, ‘He is also in jail due to spy for Iran country’, to reveal the church in Kabul. I’m in a very and very bad condition in the jail.

“I agree with long imprisonment about my faith even for long life. Because I’m the sinnest person in the world. Because sometimes they treated for died I refuse my faith due to died. Sometimes I tolerate the persecution but immediately I acknowledge my sin before Lord Jesus Christ: ‘Don’t refuse me before your holy angels and before your Father.’ Because I am very very weak and sinful man…

I am alone between 400 handlers of terrible values in the jail like a sheep. Please, please, for the sake of Lord Jesus Christ help me. Please send a person who should supervise my document and my file, what I said in it. My prosecutor has told something wrong to the judge because he asked [for] money but I refused his request. Please, please you should transfer me from this jail to a jail that supervises the believers. I also agree with died on cross of my pride. I also agree with the sacrifice [of] my life in public, I will tell the faith in Lord Jesus Christ son of God and other believers will take courage and be strong in their faith. Hundred percent I am stable to my word. I have family of seven - one wife, three daughters and three sons. My big son [is] about eight years old. One of my daughters can’t speak, she has some mental problems.

“This is a request from me to all over the world, people please help me. I could not have any person to help. For [the] sake [of] Lord Jesus Christ please pray and immediately help me and rescue me from this jail. Otherwise, they will kill me, because I know they’re very very very cruel and hard hearted!

“Your destitute brother in the world.

“Please my English writing is not enough good. If I did some mistake please forgive me! From Kabul Provincial jail.”

I have to wonder how this can be going on when American troops are in Afghanistan.

The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. embassy officials have said they’ve called for his release as and have expressed their “strong concern.”

But Afghani officials have insisted that “the sentence for a convert is death and there is no exception.”

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has urged the Canadian government to stand up for Said. Writing on the bishops’ behalf, Archbishop Brendan O’Brien of Kingston, chairman of the CCCB Human Rights Committee, wrote:

We urge the Government of Canada to express its condemnation of this religious persecution, and to intervene with the Government of Afghanistan for mercy and clemency for Mr. Sayed.

Pope Benedict XVI recently decried the persecution of Christians throughout the world as well, bringing attention to the issue.

I have always supported America’s mission in Afghanistan but if we do nothing while the country we’re fighting for puts a Christian to death simply for being a Christian, I can’t think of how we can continue to support the mission. This is not a fringe element imprisoning Musa. This is the government of Afghanistan which we are propping up with our military presence. Our young men and women are dying for this mission while the Afghani government may be set to kill a man for the crime of being Christian?

I pray to God that our President, his administration, and world leaders are working behind the scenes to ensure that Said Musa is not put to death for his Christianity. I pray that he is not forgotten. I pray for strength for Said Musa. I pray that I too would have the faith he has shown by recently saying, “My body is theirs to do what they want with. Only God can decide if my spirit goes to hell.”

I am in awe of such faith. And all I can do is pray for him and ask others to pray that President Obama and other world leaders will do all they can possibly do to cease the killing of Said Musa and persecuted Christians all around the world.

Theologians Revolt

Source: Star Observor
One third of the Catholic theology professors in Switzerland, Germany and Austria have called on the Vatican to allow the ordination of women, for priests to be allowed to marry, for congregations to have greater input into the selection of bishops and to not exclude same-sex couples or people who have remarried.

The theologians said they could no longer stay silent in the wake of a wave of sex abuse scandals involving Catholic priests that erupted last year.

Close to 100 priests and lay members of the church were suspected of having abused children and adults in Germany alone, and a German hotline to report sex abuse set up by the church received more than 2500 calls in its first three days.

The 144 professors signed a document outlining the reforms they are calling for. They hope to begin a dialogue with the church.

“We have the responsibility to contribute to a new start,” the document states.

Third Edition Roman Missal

In this, the year 2011, a new missal will come out which aims to restore the mass closer to its true Latin meanings. This will be the first major change in liturgy since Vatican II. Many people in the Church are for, many against it, but here are some of the most notable changes thus far, thanks to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Many are for it because the wording has more meaning, whilst others are opposed, believing it is going back on the progression of Vatican II. I think while it will get some getting used to, it will be a welcome change in my eyes! What do you think?

PART OF MASS	PRESENT TEXT	NEW TEXT
Greeting	Priest: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you.	Priest: The Lord be with you. People: And with your spirit.
Penitential Act, Form A (Confiteor)	I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord, our God.	I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Penitential Act, Form B	Priest: Lord, we have sinned against you: Lord, have mercy. People: Lord, have mercy. Priest: Lord, show us your mercy and love. People: And grant us your salvation.	Priest: Have mercy on us, O Lord. People: For we have sinned against you. Priest: Show us, O Lord, your mercy. People: And grant us your salvation.
Gloria	Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.	Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Nicene Creed	We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.	I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. And one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Apostles' Creed	I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.	I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Suscipiat Dominus	May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good, and the good of all his Church.	May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.
Preface Dialogue	Priest: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Priest: Lift up your hearts. People: We lift them up to the Lord. Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. People: It is right to give him thanks and praise.	Priest: The Lord be with you. People: And with your spirit. Priest: Lift up your hearts. People: We lift them up to the Lord. Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. People: It is right and just.
Sanctus	Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.	Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Mystery of Faith (formerly the Memorial Acclamation)	Priest: Let us proclaim the mystery of faith: People: A – Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. or B – Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory. or C – When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus, until you come in glory. or D – Lord, by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free. You are the Savior of the World.	Priest: The mystery of faith. [People: Christ has died… a U.S. adaptation yet to be decided by Holy See] A – We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again. or B – When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again. or C – Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection, you have set us free.
Sign of Peace	Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always. People: And also with you.	Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always. People: And with your spirit.
Ecce Agnus Dei	Priest: This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper. All: Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.	Priest: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb. All: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
Concluding Rite	Priest: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you.	Priest: The Lord be with you. People: And with your spirit.

I'd marry gay couples, just not in a church - Fr Bob Maguire

Source: News.com.au

Feb 15 2011

• Priest happy to wed same sex couples
• Admits it's his duty, despite church opposition
• Civil ceremonies allowed in UK churches

PROMINENT Melbourne priest Bob Maguire has revealed he is open to performing civil union ceremonies for gays.

Father Maguire said he would perform a civil ceremony for a homosexual couple - but not in a church. It follows moves in the UK to change laws so gay civil ceremonies can be carried out in churches. Other Melbourne churches rejected the idea yesterday, despite opinion polls showing a majority of Australians support gay marriage.

Pope Benedict last year labelled gay marriage as "among some of the most insidious and dangerous challenges facing the common good today". Fr Maguire said he does not have a personal view on gay civil unions. The 75-year-old said he understood Catholic leaders would not want a gay ceremony in a Catholic church so he would arrange a private event.

"I'd probably consult the bosses and then I'd go back to the clients and tell them we can't do it in here - it's not personal, it's institutional," he said. Fr Maguire said it was "his duty" to help people in need, including gay couples.

"Not only do I have an administrative responsibility but I have also pastoral responsibility and pastoral care would be taking care of the two people involved and their friends and their associates," he said. In Victoria, gay couples can register their relationships with the State Government. The Catholic church yesterday reiterated its opposition to gay civil unions.

The Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Bishop Les Tomlinson, said civil union ceremonies involving homosexual couples were not allowed in any of its Melbourne's churches. The church believed "marriage is a union between a man and a woman".

"Priests are authorised to officiate at weddings according to the Catholic rite and therefore any marriage performed by a Catholic priest must be conducted in accordance with Catholic teaching," he said.

An Anglican Church spokesman said none of its priests are allowed to perform gay civil ceremonies. Uniting Church general secretary Reverend Rob Brown said it had no policy on gay civil unions being performed in its churches.

Sunday Snippets: A Catholic Carnival #11

Sunday Snippets for the weeks of Sunday February 6 to Saturday February 12.


The articles in this week may not be everyones cup of tea, but there are quite a number of gay people out there who do believe in God, many just don't know which denomination to turn to.

• In a three-part series from "Gay Christian Fellowship" I have "The Clobber Passages" which explores the references in the Bible dealing with homosexual-sex. Read part one, part two and part three!
• I have the full speech of the Marriage Equality Bill from the South Australian Greens Member, Tammy Franks.
• On to more mainstream-religious topics, there is a new iPhone App out that acts as a preperation for the Sacrament of Confession - complete with an imprimatur.

Go to "This That and the Other Thing: Sunday Snippets" blog.

iPhone Confessional

Applications for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch aimed at Catholics is no new concept. I own several different applications, from eBook-style apps showing a history of The Church and the Popes from the time of Saint Peter up to Pope Benedict XVI; another app is the Catholic Missal, the book used for daily mass with the readings and prayers to be recited. There are many, many more, some good, others not so brights. Some fun, others serious.

In late December, 2010, a new app, "Penance", was created, but it is more of an anti-Catholic app, basically making a joke of the Sacrament of Penance. In this app, users can confess their sins to everyone else using the app, but they can also absolve others since. You gain points - halos - as you move up in the world of "Penance", gaining differnt titles, such as "Cardinal" and so forth. Read about "Penance" here!

Another new confession app has hit the iTunes Store now, but this one sounds much, much better. When I get my iPod back in a couple of weeks, I will be downloading this new app, along with several other new apps I've found.

Basically, it is an app designed to help you prepare for the confessional. It is also the first app to receive an imprimatur - Latin for "let it be printed" - which is granted by a Bishop, declaring the work contains nothing damaging to faith and/or morals.

Read about the new app here!

Marriage Equality Bill Speech

Marriage Equality Bill Speech
byTammy Franks (SA Greens)

 This is my second reading speech on the Marriage Equality Bill, delivered yesterday in the Legislative Council:

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (16:05):  Obtained leave and introduced a bill for an act to provide for marriage between adults of the same sex. Read a first time.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (16:07):  I move:
                That this bill be now read a second time.

I rise today to put before this place a bill for marriage equality for South Australian adult consenting couples of the same sex. As we would be aware, the Marriage Act is a federal act in Australia, and it is not typical that we discuss matters related to marriage in this place in terms of the legislation and protections and rights to our citizens in South Australia specifically. However, we do so because of the situation that has presented itself before us at a federal level.

            I am proud to stand here as a Greens member moving this bill. I am just as proud to be fully in support of the federal bill that Greens senator, Sarah Hanson-Young, has moved for marriage equality in the federal parliament to beat us to the punch, should that occur. Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has worked on this issue tirelessly for many years, but she is certainly not alone in that. Of course we saw in the federal parliament the issue of same-sex marriage first canvassed under prime minister John Howard.

            We saw rushed moves through that federal parliament to ban same-sex marriages as couples began to marry overseas and come back to Australia and sought to have that status recognised here in this country. At the time, then Senator Natasha Stott-Despoja of the Democrats first moved a bill to establish marriage equality for same-sex couples in this country. That bill was never debated before the federal parliament, but I am pleased to see that Sarah Hanson-Young has continued that work.

            We have also seen thousands of people in the streets supporting the concept of marriage equality in legislation in South Australia. In fact, last year was earmarked as the Year for Marriage Equality. We saw many thousands of people on the streets in Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Adelaide, and we certainly saw them in force at the ALP state conference late last year. I am pleased to note that at that ALP state conference we also saw a motion from the Labor Party, with its internal party structures in support of same-sex marriage, so I hope that that would see some sea change within that party.

            We also know that those rallies and that that particular motion of the state ALP party here in South Australia reflect community attitudes.

Community attitudes on this issue have been changing. Increasingly, they have been changing in support of acceptance of same-sex marriage. That is in Australia, of course, and we see that over 60 per cent of Australians in fact do believe that same-sex consenting adults should be able to marry each other if that is what they wish, but also around the world we have seen attitudes to this changing because couples were marrying overseas and sought to have that relationship recognised.

            We are often told by the nay-sayers and the scaremongers on this issue of same-sex marriage equality that the sky might fall in and that the state will grind to a halt should we accept such a thing. I would note that the Netherlands has had same-sex marriage since 2001; in Belgium, since 2003; in Canada, since 2003-05; in Spain, 2005; South Africa, 2006; Norway, 2009; Sweden, 2009; Mexico City and Mexico, since last year, 2010; and Portugal, Iceland and Argentina also since 2010.

            In California, it was the law between 2007 and 2008 before it was repealed. Iowa, Vermont and Washington have had this law since 2009, and in New Hampshire in the US, since 2010. The sky has not fallen in any of these places. They have continued to function; they have continued to be just as prosperous or to have such a lack of prosperity as they did before or after this bill was introduced. However, they have given citizens who wish to marry each other and are of the same sex the ability to do so, and so I think they are brighter places.

            There are places where same-sex marriages are recognised but not performed. These include: Israel, which has had that recognition since 2006; Rhode Island in the United States, since 2007; New York since 2008; and Mexico since 2010. California had that recognition for the year 2007-08; Maryland in the US since 2010; and, most notably, Tasmania since 2010. I am proud to say that that was also a Greens-instigated bill that now recognises marriages that are conducted in other jurisdictions by same-sex couples to be marriages in Tasmania. In Finland, Slovenia and many other places around the world, we are seeing the march towards equality, also. We are seeing same-sex couples being recognised in the laws.

            Same-sex partners will not have legal equality under the Marriage Act until it is amended to make sure that they have the same recognition as opposite-sex couples. Until this happens, they will face practical legal problems because they are not able to marry. In the absence of a marriage certificate, they can have problems proving their legal entitlements. This can be a problem in medical emergencies and where a partner has a decision-making role for the other. I would draw members' attention to a story of one particular person who had married her partner overseas. This is Julianne Clark's story:
                I married my partner of the same-sex overseas in 2006. But the moment I stepped back onto Australian soil, my marriage was not recognised. My partner was hospitalised in 2007 and I was informed I had no more rights than a friend, hence I was only allowed in during visiting hours.

That might seem trifling to some people, but when a loved one is sick and when they are your wife or husband, of course you want to be able to visit them at whatever hours, and hospital policies (as we know) change the rules for those who are in a marriage. That right should have been afforded to that particular couple in that case. It is a tragedy that it was not.

            There is no substitute for marriage. I often hear people say, 'Why can't people have civil unions? Surely that should be good enough.' Beth Robinson, the US activist, has summed it up best: 'Nobody writes songs about civil unions.' When you want to introduce your partner or your son-in-law or daughter-in-law, you do not say, 'Here is my civil union partner.' It does not quite have the same ring to it. You do not dream, when you are a child, of growing up one day and 'civil unioning' the one that you find to be your one true love.

I have not ever seen in the fairytale books the idea of the prince and the princess 'civil unioning' and living happily ever after.

            Studies in Britain and the US have shown that, where there are alternative forms of relationship recognition—and these are often called things like civil unions, civil partnerships, registered relationships, domestic partnerships—they are no substitute for marriage equality. They do not have the same level of recognition as marriage, are misunderstood and considered the gay option, perhaps, or dismissed as second-best.

            This means the legal rights of those couples in those unions are sometimes not respected. In the absence of marriage equality, other schemes for recognising same-sex relationships effectively label these relationships as lesser or different, and they reinforce the second-class status marriage equality is just designed to overcome. We know that we have a sad history in this country of discrimination against those people who are same-sex attracted.

            I am very proud that, in South Australia, we were, in fact, leaders in the decriminalisation of homosexuality—I was going to say homosexual activity, which is what they used to term it as—but homosexuality. I am very proud of that history that we have here in South Australia, and I would be just as proud to see us lead the way in seeing marriage equality here in South Australia as well.

            I think that there are a few furphies out there that get raised around the equal love and marriage equality debate. The first is that same-sex couples already have enough rights. We have seen a lot at the federal level where the Labor government, to its credit, has come a long way in a very short time just recently in recognising same-sex couples, whether that be through our welfare system with superannuation and with entitlements and so on, and I welcome that, but I say it has not gone far enough.

            Same-sex de facto couples have trouble proving these rights when challenged, and the rights of partners in civil unions or in de facto relationships are often not widely understood or respected. Only marriage equality will provide same-sex couples with their full legal equality and full recognition of their spousal rights.

            We also hear the furphy that marriage will be demeaned. There is no evidence that heterosexual marriages suffer or that marriage is held in lower esteem in countries where those same-sex couples have been allowed to marry. I would also point to Elizabeth Taylor's many, many marriages or Britney Spears' very short marriage, and note that they have not demeaned the institution of marriage.

            The same argument used to be made against interracial couples being allowed to marry and, of course, I do not think that anyone would contend in this day and age that interracial couples should not be allowed to marry, and certainly those couples do not demean marriage.

            We also hear that it will be a slippery slope, that it will open the gate for human and animal marriages, or human and inanimate object marriages. I have had some correspondence on this recently where I have been asked why I am standing up for homosexual couples when I am not standing up for incest, or I am not standing up for the rights of people to marry their pets, or a whole range of quite abhorrent suggestions. I would say to those people that it simply proves their homophobia. I think that that sort of argument demeans the institution of marriage.

            We have also heard that marriage is unchanging. Marriage laws once used to prohibit divorce. They made wives the property of their husbands and they banned interracial unions. This, of course, has quite rightly changed to ensure greater equality. Marriage equality for same-sex partners will actually make marriage more relevant to a society increasingly accepting of homosexuality.

            Same-sex relationships, we are told, are very short lived but, in countries that allow same-sex marriages, divorce rates are the same for opposite and same-sex couples—no better and no worse—and certainly those are words that we hear a lot with regards to marriage. Large-scale studies of same-sex couples show that their relationships are of just the same quality and the same duration as other couples. As I say, no better and no worse, and certainly just as diverse.

            We also hear that there is a problem with religion and marriage, because marriage is seen to be a religious institution. I would point to the fact that in Australian law there has always been a clear distinction between civil and religious marriages, and today two-thirds of Australian marriages performed by civil celebrants and not in churches.
This distinction is why the law allows marriages between people of different faiths or of no faith, it is why the law allows divorce, although some Christian teachings condemn it, and why polygamy and child betrothal is not allowed, even though they are common in the Old Testament.

            Denominations such as the Quakers and individual celebrants of other faiths already marry same-sex couples. In fact, I was most touched by one of the 27,000 submissions to this bill in the federal parliament from an ACT-based church, which had two members of its congregation who were dearly loved and who wanted to marry. That church contended that its freedom of religion was being violated because it was unable to marry those two members of its congregation and that it would dearly love to. Anyone who has been to any of the marriage equality rallies here in South Australia would know that we have quite a few similar cases within the Uniting Church and other churches in this state.

            Why would same-sex couples want to marry? I point out that this is not going to force any same-sex couples who do not want to marry to marry. So, when the argument is put to me, 'I know a same-sex couple and they don't want to get married', they do not have to and nobody is going to make them, but for those who want to it should be an option that is open to them. They will decide to marry for all the same reasons that other couples marry, perhaps not for a Green Card, but we will see—not that that applies here in Australia—but for a Visa, for legal security, to publicly celebrate their commitment, to provide greater legal protections for their children or simply because they are in love.

            Marriage remains the most important way that we celebrate love and commitment in our society. Terms such as 'husband' and 'wife' are universally recognised as connoting love, commitment and a shared life together. When same-sex partners are told that they cannot share in such an important and universal institution, they are effectively being told that their love and commitment is of a different and lesser quality. This is not true. Same-sex partners love each other and make sacrifices for each other in the same way that all partners do and it is time for our laws in South Australia, and Australia, to acknowledge this.

            Globally where same-sex marriages have been allowed: the statistics that I read out of other countries that have so far enabled same-sex marriages, those are growing very quickly and, in fact, I am sure that they will be joined by some more soon. Economically, we have seen some really significant issues emerge where marriage, according to The Economist magazine, remains an economic bulwark. Single people are actually economically vulnerable and much more likely to fall into the arms of the welfare state. For those readers of Ayn Rand, you perhaps might like to refer to that argument in support of marriage equality. Furthermore, those who are not married call sooner upon public support when they need care. Married people, the statistics show, are not only happier, they are often healthier.

            It has been estimated that if 55 per cent of Australian same-sex couples who wish to marry spent the national average on their wedding, that would be $7 billion injected into the Australian economy. I would point out that the Sunday Mail raised this issue quite early on in the piece. Should South Australia lead the way in this that would be quite a chunk of that $7 billion coming towards South Australia's economy. Not that I think that is the main reason to do this, but it certainly would not hurt.

            Many private institutions and corporations, such as the Commonwealth Bank, the ANZ, Westpac, St George, IBM, Qantas, ING and Seek have all come out in support of same-sex marriage and certainly support their employees who are in same-sex relationships.

            At this point I would note that, as I mentioned before, we are seeing a marriage bill before us which would normally be a consideration of the federal parliament, but given the blockages presented at the federal level we are in fact not only seeing marriage equality bills presented in South Australia, but we are seeing them in Tasmania, we will see them in New South Wales and we are seeing them in Victoria. These have all, of course, had some input by the Greens but also other members.

I note that I am on record as being joined as a co-sponsor of this bill by the Hon. Ian Hunter of the Labor Party. I also note that, in Western Australia, we are seeing moves by the National Party towards marriage equality, although at a civil union level to start with.

            We have seen people come out on this issue from all sides of politics—the Greens, of course, Liberals, Labor, the Nationals and Independents. The reason for this is that it is not a party political issue; clearly, it is a deeply personal issue for many, many people. I think the logic of it actually transcends our party politics, and I certainly hope that is the case when we are considering the issue in this debate.

            The reason we are seeing the issue raised at a state level is largely due to some formal opinion, provided to the Tasmanian Greens initially, on the constitutionality of this move, from Professor George Williams, a constitutional law expert from the University of New South Wales. I am happy to circulate this legal advice to members. In summary, at a federal level we have seen moves to discriminate against a certain category of people, being consenting adult couples of the same sex, by preventing them from being able to marry, and that, in fact, has opened up the door for states to legislate in this area to address that discrimination, and I hope we take up that baton.

            Another person who I think would be cheering us on (and I would draw the particular attention of Labor members of the parliament to this but, as I have said, this is an across-party issue) is Bill Hayden, who writes in support of marriage equality, as follows:
                Yes, homosexual love is now tolerated by the law, but not marriage. There is a 'relationship certificate' available for them in Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT, the short end of the leash, civil partnerships. These offer some protections but do not pass muster as real equality for gays which requires the provision of marriage rights.

                If an Australian same-sex couple go, say, to Canada they can get a marriage certificate which is universally recognised and understood as symbolising the solemn commitment between two people.

                The Labor Party had the chance to do something meaningful on this at its last national conference but squibbed it. Has it lost the belly fire for the big challenges of major progressive reform and the enshrinement of basic liberties for which I have so long admired it?

                It is not as if Labor is uncaring. In 2008 it did remove discrimination against same-sex couples in some 85 laws. But it is the big one, full recognition of gay people's marriage rights, which will really establish the depth of Labor's commitment to the principle of people's entitlement to be different but still fully valued law-abiding members of our society.

That is Bill Hayden AC, former Governor-General and, of course, as we know, former leader of the federal Labor Party. I would hope that, as the Labor Party gears up for its next national conference, this issue will be fully and firmly on the table. I dearly hope that it follows the lead of the South Australian Labor Party in moving towards acceptance of marriage equality but, more than simply accepting it in theory, I hope it would be working hard to make it a reality.

            As I have mentioned, I look forward to working with the Hon. Ian Hunter on this bill, but I would also welcome any other members of this chamber or the other place supporting us in raising this incredibly important issue and getting it to the forefront. People have waited long enough for equality.

            When I was listening to the Social Development Committee the other day, one of the most poignant statements I heard was that, where discrimination continues to exist, it is all very well to say that we have a problem with homophobic bullying in our schools or in other places in our society but, if we as a legislature are endorsing a difference and lacking in that acceptance of the diversity and not ascribing equal rights to all of the members of our community, we are perpetuating that bullying and that homophobia by simply not doing enough to stop it.

            Showing leadership at the top levels will, of course, be the way that we can address that discrimination. I would like to sum up with some personal reflections on how I think marriage is more important than a civil union. As I have said before, you certainly do not dream of growing up one day and 'civil unioning' your long-awaited partner.
 
Should I have a child who were gay, I hope that one day, if that child fell in love and wanted to marry, I would be able to call somebody my son-in-law or my daughter-in-law, certainly not my son or daughter's civil union partner.

            I believe marriage is not just about the two people who make that commitment to each other; it is also about creating family, and family, of course, is the basic building block of our society and a strong community. When you deny people the right to be sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers, then you deny far more than simply two people who love each other being able to make that commitment in public. With that, I commend the bill to the house.

            The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (16:30):  I move:
                That standing orders be so far suspended as to enable the bill to pass through its remaining stages without delay.
            Motion carried.