Griffith University

Office Address: Faith & Life Vicariate, Ground Floor
The Catholic Centre, 143 Edward Street, Brisbane Q 4000
Mailing Address: Faith & Life Vicariate, The Catholic Centre
GPO Box 282, Brisbane Q 4001
Contact: Ms Margaret Naylon, Executive Officer
Phone: 07 3336 9354    Fax: 07 3336 9177 Email: ecum@bne.catholic.net.au
Website: http://bne.catholic.net.au/ecum/index.php

Brief Description/History

 The Commission for Ecumenism and Inter-religious Relations (CEIR) Mandate regarding interfaith relations is based on the foundational document Nostra Aetate:  Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions from the Second Vatican Council, 28 October 1965. (See attached)

The CEIR has a mandate to assist and resource the Archbishop, the Auxiliary Bishops and other Clergy, and the people of the Archdiocese to ensure that ecumenism and inter-religious relations are organic elements of the life and mission of the Archdiocese pervading all that the Church is and does. This Mandate was approved by Most Rev John A. Bathersby, D.D., Archbishop of Brisbane on 28 February 2006. However, the Commission has been in existence for over thirty years. Membership of the Commission consists of approximately fifteen persons appointed by the Archbishop. The Executive Committee consists of the Bishop for Ecumenism, the Chairperson of the Commission and the Executive Officer. Currently the Bishop for Ecumenism is the Most Rev Brian V. Finnigan DD. The Chairperson is Rev Dr David Pascoe and the Executive Officer is Ms Margaret Naylon.

The Commission, which usually meets four times per year, reviews and sets direction for its work. From time to time the Commission establishes Sub-Committees and Taskforces to help carry out its Mandate. A Sub-Committee will define its own Terms of Reference subject to the approval of the Commission. Up until 2009, there were two Sub-Committees: The Catholic/Jewish Sub-Committee with the objective of promoting mutual understanding, respect and enrichment of the Catholic and Jewish communities; and the Catholic/Muslim Relations sub-committee with the objective of promoting mutual understanding, respect and enrichment of the Catholic and Muslim communities. In 2009 these were combined and the focus broadened to other Faith traditions.

THE STORY OF THE CATHOLIC – JEWISH SUB-COMMITTEE
Historical Background
Following on from Vatican initiatives to foster a greater understanding between Christians and Jews, a proposal was put forward by the Commission for Ecumenism and Inter-religious Relations to establish a Catholic Jewish Taskforce in Brisbane. 

While the proposal for a Taskforce to explore the relationship between the Catholic and Jewish traditions emerged late in 1998, it was not until August 1999 that the group of eleven members held its first monthly meeting.  This delay gave the Executive Officer time to consult key leaders of Commissions for Ecumenism and Inter-religious Relations in other dioceses.  It soon emerged that there was very little happening within the Catholic Church outside its membership on Christian-Jewish Councils.

Bishop Michael Putney (Auxiliary, Brisbane) attended the initial meeting of the Catholic Jewish Taskforce.  He stressed the importance of this initiative in the archdiocese and shared his vision for the taskforce with the group.   Terms of reference were discussed.  Education of self and the wider Catholic community as well as appropriate resources for parishes and schools was to be a high priority.  The Taskforce also recognized the wealth of publications available and agreed to utilize them.  A member of the Commission was appointed the chairperson.

Some significant happenings, 1999 -2001:
Some of the documents studied were: - Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference Guidelines for Catholic – Jewish Relations, Rightly Explaining the Word of Truth – Guidelines for Christian Clergy and Teachers in their Use of the New Testament with reference to the New Testament’s presentation of Jews and Judaism prepared by the Council of Christians and Jews in Melbourne, The Parting of the Ways in Pathways to Understanding: a handbook of Christian Jewish Relations, Anti-Judaism and the Gospel of Matthew and The Pharisees Ch 3 in Judaism in the Beginning of Christianity.

• A document, The Passover Seder – A Jewish Celebration, to act as a guide for Catholic teachers celebrating the Jewish Passover style liturgies was developed with the assistance of members of the Jewish community. This was based on the SIDIC document from the Sisters of Zion
• A representative of the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies addressed the group on Jewish Ritual, considered in the framework of our understanding of Jesus as a practising Jew as reflected in the Synoptic Gospels.  One of the many insights gained was that the Haggadah, the book used by Judaism containing the ritual of the Passover meal, was not formulated until 700 AD so Jesus would not have participated in the ritual as it is practised by Jews today.  This is one reason why the Jews object to the use of the Passover as a Christian celebration.
• Five members of the Taskforce attended a Seder celebration prepared by the National Council of Jewish Women.
• The Executive Officer attended a Passover hosted by members of the Jewish community for students of the Years 11 & 12 Study of Religion program on the Gold Coast.
• A representative attended a workshop on Cultural Commonalities and Differences conducted by the National Council of Jewish Women.
• A representative attended a service at Beit Knesset Shalom Synagogue and participated in four Workshops on Women Bridging Diversity organised by the National Council of Jewish Women.
• A personal touch to education was added when one of the members shared her family’s experience of assisting a Jewish family when the Nazis occupied Holland.
• Mr Laurie Rosenblum, a member of the Jewish Board of Deputies, participated as a member of an interfaith panel organised by the Taskforce and he has been available for consultation.
• Six members of the Taskforce visited the Brisbane Synagogue in Margaret Street and Laurie Rosenblum hosted the event.  He explained the central tenets of Judaism and the history of the Jewish community in Brisbane.

The groundwork accomplished certainly opened the door to further conversations and activities with the Jewish people in Brisbane.

Activities

2002
Laurie Rosenblum spoke to the October meeting of the group on “The Origin and History of the State of Israel”. And in November, the group visited the Margaret Street Synagogue, where Laurie spoke to them on “Chanukah”.

2003
The Taskforce became a Subcommittee
Members attended:

• a Passover meal at Temple Shalom, Camp Hill
• a Forum hosted by the Interim Council of Christians and Jews on 3 April. This gathering took place at the Multi-Faith Centre, Griffith University and was addressed by Rabbi John Levi (Melbourne) and Rev Ray Barraclough (St Francis Theological College, Milton). The topic was “Judaism and Christianity-siblings or rivals, stepchildren or cousins?”
• an Open Day at the Camp Hill Synagogue in May that led to a further invitation from a family to attend a Bat Mitzvah in June.
• a private meeting with Cardinal Edward Cassidy, (former President of the Pontifical Council for the Promoting of Christian Unity and Religious Relations with the Jews) at Wynberg (the residence of the Brisbane Archbishop) during his visit to Brisbane.
• a lecture by Rabbi John Levi on “Messianism in Judaism Throughout the Ages”.
• an evening at Margaret Street Synagogue hosted by the Interfaith Sub-Committee of the Commission for teachers and students of SOR.

The Chair of the Sub-Committee was also a member of the Interim Council of Christians and Jews and provided liaison with that group.
An article on “Hanukkah” was published in the Catholic Leader in December and the Seder document was published in Liturgy News, also in December.

2004
The Sub-Committee hosted a Demonstration Passover Meal on 31 March. This was led by Cantor Garek Fysh, Chair of the Interfaith Subcommittee of the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies and was primarily to enhance Christian understanding of the celebration.
A visit to the Margaret Street Synagogue took place in October and an article on Rosh Hashanah appeared in the Catholic Leader in September.
Laurie Rosenblum spoke at the August Subcommittee meeting on “Religion and Political Correctness”.
The Interim Council of Christians and Jews became the Queensland Forum of Christians, Jews and Muslims and the Chair of the Subcommittee continued to be a delegate to this body.

2005 -2008
The Subcommittee continued to organise a Model Seder, led by members of the Jewish Community, at a Catholic Parish each year. This is advertised across Catholic Parishes in the area.
An annual Open Day at a Synagogue was also organised.
Articles were published in the Catholic Leader explaining Jewish feasts and customs.
Members of the Subcommittee were invited to participate in Jewish Celebrations e.g. Purim.
Consultation with members of the Jewish community on relevant issues occurs when necessary. Contact is always made through the Chairperson of the Interfaith Sub-committee, Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies.

THE STORY OF THE CATHOLIC – MUSLIM SUB-COMMITTEE
In the light of the development of the Catholic Jewish Subcommittee and recognising the need for dialogue with the Muslim community, a Catholic Muslim Taskforce was established at the beginning of 2000.

Contacts with the Muslim community were made prior to the establishment of the Taskforce and Bishop Michael Putney hosted a visit to the Catholic Centre by Imam Tariq Syed.

Ten members of the Catholic community were invited to participate in the Taskforce and these came from a range of backgrounds including several who had lived in minority Christian communities in Muslim countries.

Early meetings involved the sharing of stories by group members, the building of cohesion in the group and the setting of clear goals. The first task was self-education and a range of resources was used to provide participants with a basic knowledge of Islam, an understanding of the Catholic Church’s approach to dialogue and an introduction to the history of this dialogue and the issues involved.

By the September 2000 meeting the group was ready to do some strategic planning and the following decisions were made:
Goals Defined:

1. Explore issues of Catholicism / Muslim relations in Brisbane and come to a deeper appreciation and understanding of those issues
2. Make recommendations to the Commission for Ecumenism & Inter-religious Relations on expanding the Task Force
3. Play a role in providing opportunities for the broader Archdiocesan community to become more aware of issues of Catholic Muslim Relations
4. Be accountable to the Commission for Ecumenism & Inter-religious Relations for fulfilling the goals of the Task Force.

Goal One: Strategies

• Invite Muslims to speak with members of the Taskforce on specific issues
• Organize a forum at which Catholic/s and Muslim/s speak to specific issues
• Identify and participate in practical situations within which Taskforce members can work collaboratively with Muslims
• Further the understanding of Taskforce members in regard to the Catholic Church’s position on Inter-religious Relations. (Practically and theologically)
• Investigate what other Christian churches are doing with regard to Christian Muslim Relations

Two members of the Muslim community attended the November meeting. A presentation was given on the Catholic Church’s approach to dialogue and the Muslim guests were invited to respond. A helpful discussion ensued and arrangements were made for follow-up meetings in 2001.

In March 2001 Imam Tariq Syed from the Islamic Society of the Gold Coast spoke to the group on the Hajj. Discussion followed and then two members of the Taskforce spoke about Easter.

Guest speakers from the Centre for Multicultural Pastoral Care and the Romero Centre explained their work with refugees and encouraged the continuation of attempts at dialogue. Contact was made with the National Council of Churches in Australia and interfaith organisations in other states in search of advice and suggestions.

It was decided that the most appropriate avenue was via the Islamic Council of Queensland and so contact was made with the Chairman, Sultan Deen, who was very supportive. Both Sultan Deen and Imam Yusuf Peer attended the November meeting.

In the meantime the Taskforce sent a letter of solidarity to the Brisbane Muslim Community after the September 11 event and also produced a small document of Frequently Asked Questions about Islam for distribution in Catholic parishes.

Activities

In 2002 a pattern developed where Catholic members of the Taskforce met to do their own formation and planning one month and the following month there was a Joint meeting with their Muslim colleagues. In January, the topic was Multicultural/ Multi-faith Society, while in April the gathering took place at the Buranda Mosque and the topic under discussion was What is Culture? What is Faith? Where do they cross? In June Imam Peer invited the group to his home.

During these discussions the topic of the Studies in Religion Course in Queensland Secondary Schools had arisen. At the August meeting Sr. Peta Goldburg, Head of Religious Education at the Australian Catholic University addressed the Joint Group on the content of this course. The final meeting of the year looked at Family Life in both religious traditions.

2003
The Joint meetings were held at the Multi-Faith Centre, Griffith University and topics discussed were Family, Faith and Values of both Religious Traditions;  Faith education of children;  Rituals and celebrations in the home; issues associated with divorce and custody of children.
As a way of raising the profile of the group and involving more people in the dialogue, An Afternoon in the Park was organised on 19 October from 3pm – 5pm at Mott Park, Holland Park.

2004
The pattern of meetings continued as in 2003 with Joint Meetings looking at the history of Muslim Christian Dialogue and definitions of discussion, dialogue and debate.
A public lecture was organised at the Auchenflower Catholic Church on 17 June. Fr Paul Jackson, a Jesuit priest who has made a special study of Sufism and has lived and worked in Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, spoke on the Spiritual Dimension of Islam.

2005
Two public events were organised to provide opportunities for Catholics to learn more about Islam.
The first was on1 July.  Fr. Patrick McInerney, a Columban priest who had worked in Pakistan for over twenty years spoke on Christians and Muslims Living Together in Peace at Fr Kevin Aspinall Centre, Klumpp Rd, Upper Mount Gravatt. 
An Open Afternoon was organised at the Buranda Mosque on 25 September.

2006
An article on Ramadan was written for publication in the Catholic Leader newspaper.

2007
The Chair of the Subcommittee spoke at a public meeting at the Fr. Kevin Aspinall Centre, Upper Mount Gravatt on 28 May. His topic was an Introduction to Islam. An Open Afternoon was held at Kuraby Mosque on 18 November. Dr Mohamad Abdalla, of the Islamic Research Centre at Griffith University was the speaker.

THE STORY OF THE CATHOLIC – BUDDHIST SUB-COMMITTEE
Contacts between the Catholic and Buddhist communities began in 2000. At the invitation of the Brisbane Archdiocesan Commission for Ecumenism, official representatives of Buddha’s Light International Association of Queensland visited the Catholic Centre early in September 2000. They were received by Bishop Michael Putney and Sr Beryl Amedee and met a number of staff.

Following on from this, a number of members of Brisbane’s Catholic Community expressed an interest in forming a group which would enter into conversation with  a like minded group of Buddhists, in the hope that an on-going dialogue and discussions would take place in an environment dedicated to mutual understanding, respect, peace and harmony.

Initially two groups of interested Catholics were established, one in Booval and one in the City. The Booval group was quite small and eventually disbanded with some members joining the City group. The City group consisted of fourteen people with an interest in but very little knowledge of Buddhism. Once again the first priorities were to establish a rapport within the group itself and to concentrate on self-education. A wide range of books, articles and videos were studied.

A visit was arranged to the Chung Tian Buddhist Temple at Priestdale and the group later received invitations to the Buddha Birth Day celebrations at Southbank each year.

The group was also kept aware of events happening at the Priestdale Temple and individual members attended some of these, including Chinese New Year celebrations.

The Director of the Centre for Multicultural Pastoral Care was invited to address the group to provide a sense of the cultural background of Buddhists in Australia and the unique experiences of those who have arrived as refugees.

In 2002 the group continued the self-education process but also tried to initiate more contact with the Buddhist community. The Revs Sujata Peradeniya and Sativihari Bhikku from the Sri Lanka Buddhist Monastery, Ellen Grove attended the March meeting and it was agreed to arrange a public event on Meditation. This involved a Catholic priest providing input on the Christian mediation Centring Prayer, followed by an explanation of Buddhist meditation from the Theravada tradition.

While plans had been made for continued dialogue and greater involvement with the Buddhist community in 2003, this did not eventuate. This was largely due to changes of employment of group members and the difficulties of arranging meetings at a convenient time.

The Executive Officer of the Commission for Ecumenism and Inter-religious Relations continues to make contact with members of the Buddhist community at events at the Multi-Faith Centre and the Commission is always represented at Buddha Birth Day, however a formal dialogue no longer exists. It is hoped that something might be done about this in the near future.

THE STORY OF THE INTERRELIGIOUS SUB-COMMITTEE
This group was also initiated in late 2000 with the express purpose of providing in-service opportunities for teachers of the Study of Religion course in Years 11 and 12, especially in Catholic Schools. Its first task was a survey of teachers’ needs.

The first public event was held on 17 May 2001 at St Joseph’s College, Gregory Tce and approximately eighty people attended. The guest speakers for the night were:

Venerable Yeshe Khadro     Buddhist Chenrezig Institute     
Imam Tariq Syed               Islamic representative
Mr Laurie Rosenblum          Jewish representative
Dr Gerard Hall                   Christian representative

The topic was the place of Sacred Scripture in each of the traditions and the audience was also given an experience of ritual from each tradition.

The group also began work on Guidelines for Interfaith Relations for use by Catholics.

A follow-up panel was held on 4 March 2002 at the San Damiano Centre, Mount Alvernia College, Kedron on the topic: What is Your Vision of Peace and How Does Your Faith Tradition Nurture This? Members of other faith traditions were involved with the planning. This time there was a Hindu representative. The second forum for the year was at the Multi-Faith Centre at Griffith University (Nathan Campus) on Monday 14th October. Five faith traditions spoke on the topic The Sanctity of Human Life.

In 2003 this Subcommittee worked with the Catholic Jewish Subcommittee on planning an Open Evening at the Margaret Street Synagogue. It also looked at producing a resource book for teachers.

A repeat of the forum on How Do Faith Traditions Envisage and Nurture Peace? was held in 2004 but numbers were significantly lower.

Conscious that the ‘target audience’ is schools (teachers and students) two events for 2005 were published in the Brisbane Catholic Education Professional Development book. In early March, two members of the Subcommittee presented a twilight in-service for teachers on the Vatican II document ‘Nostra Aetate’. 2005 was the fortieth anniversary of its release. In early August, another twilight event included speakers from the Abrahamic Faiths who were asked to respond to some ‘Sample Inquiry Questions’ from the Study of Religion syllabus.

Due pressure of work commitments on members of the group, it disbanded at the end of 2005.

GOLD COAST INTERFAITH  INITIATIVES
Also during the period 2001- 2002 the Commission supported the establishment of an Interfaith Group on the Gold Coast. The initiative came from the Catholic Parish at Surfers Paradise but included a wide range of Faith Communities. At least two Public Forums were held at the Baha’i Centre at Ashmore and there was significant support from the Gold Coast City Council.

Also in 2006 the Commission assisted in providing Christian representatives on the planning committee for Project Abraham which was held at the Gold Coast City Council Arts Centre in September 2006.

Difficulties encountered during our interfaith dialogue initiatives/activities.
It is our experience that there are only a small number of people, especially in the Jewish and Muslim communities, who are available to be involved in inter-religious dialogue. Involvement, of course, is dependant on personal interest, confidence in being able to speak for your Faith tradition and time availability. With increasing interest on the part of Christian groups to establish dialogues there is a heavy demand on this small number. We have been told that they would prefer to work with Christians as a group rather than with individual denominations, which of course is understandable. Consequently, the Queensland Forum for Christians, Jews and Muslims should be the major dialogue group for Abrahamic Faiths. Also, because we are breaking new ground, there has been a need for almost constant review of purpose and direction, which has been frustrating for some members.

As these difficulties are really practical realities, there has been a need to adapt our approach and find ways of educating our people and organising events that require the minimum time commitment on the part of our friends from other Faith traditions.

Helping factors in facilitating the success of these interfaith dialogue activities
There has been a real interest on the part of Catholic people to learn about other Faith Traditions, especially Judaism and Islam. Events that we have organised have generally been well attended and there has been much positive feedback.

Future plans or proposals for promoting interfaith dialogue.
Our future plans are currently under review. Our focus is very much on providing educational opportunities for Catholic people, but the processes and organisational structures used to do this will be modified after reflection on what we have learnt in the past seven or so years.

We will certainly continue to promote inter-religious dialogue. We now have a small number of Catholic people who have established good relationships across a range of Faith traditions.  We would now be looking at ways to provide opportunities for a much broader range of Catholics to learn about and interact with these traditions.

What needs to be done by diverse faith communities, institutions and organizations to enhance the progress of interfaith dialogue in Queensland, in Australia, and/or internationally.
From our perspective, inter-religious dialogue is vital for the development of a mature and harmonious society. There is, I believe a need for better co-ordination of what is happening. At the moment a significant number of groups, including all levels of government and a range of Church groups, are initiating events. It would be helpful if better networking could be organised to avoid clashes and duplication.

I believe that the Multi-Faith Centre is the ideal body to take on this co-ordinating, networking role. Obviously it would need funding and such funding that would allow the MFC to maintain its independence. This role would not be one of controlling inter-religious activities, as each group has its own needs and priorities and should to be free to respond to these, but of acting as a “clearing house” for information and a venue where leaders of inter-religious groups might meet to share ideas, discuss strategies and look at the best and most efficient ways of moving forward. There is a sense where MFC is already doing some of this, at least informally, but I feel an intentional approach would be even more helpful.

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