Catholic Social Services Australia’s National Conference gathered more than 130 social service leaders to discuss the urgent need for sustainable funding and explore how Catholic Social Teaching can guide a more just and compassionate society.
The conference in Sydney last week drew inspiration from the Church’s Jubilee 2025 theme, “Pilgrims of Hope,” reminding us that hope is not passive but a call to action – a call to stand in solidarity with those in need and to work toward lasting change.
A key theme emerging from the conference was the inseparable link between truth and peace, articulated by Cardinal Mykola Bychok in his address to the conference.
He said that for Christians, “peace must be more than an aspiration or dream”
“It must, as St Paul says, be kept in our hearts through God (Phil 4:6), indeed Christ gifts his disciples and all of us nothing less than his peace: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you’. He also tells us that in becoming peacemakers, we become children of God,” Cardinal Bychok said.
Reflecting on conflicts around the world, particularly in Ukraine, Cradinal Bychok warned of the dangers of distortion and misinformation, emphasising that without truth, there is no real peace – only illusion and oppression.
“It is only in confronting truth, face to face, that we are able to discover and experience peace,” he said.
In his keynote address, Parramatta Bishop Vincent Long van Nguyen OFM Conv reinforced the need for hope in action, urging Catholic social services to continue their mission as “fellow pilgrims with God’s poor.”
Bishop Long urged Catholic leaders to reframe harsh realities into a vision of hope, drawing inspiration from courageous female leaders like St Mary MacKillop and the biblical midwives Shiprah and Puah.
“Just as they defied oppression and stood in solidarity with the vulnerable, today’s Catholic leaders must act prophetically – challenging unjust systems, advocating for the marginalised, and fostering a more just and compassionate society,” he said
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CSSA National Conference calls for a just and compassionate future (CSSA)
