Townsville Bishop Tim Harris hopes this year’s Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Social Justice Statement will not sit on a shelf but “find a place in people’s hearts”. Source: Catholic Voice.
“Words on paper must lead to action in the community,” he said. “Our Catholic social teaching can’t be our best-kept secret – we have to live it.”
Bishop Harris, chair of the Bishops Commission for Social Justice, Mission and Service, was in Canberra yesterday for the launch of the 2025 Social Justice Statement , which calls for compassion, friendship, and action for people experiencing homelessness and mental illness.
The statement, Signs of Hope on the Edge: Serving People Living in Homelessness and Mental Ill-Health, was launched ahead of Social Justice Sunday, which falls on August 31.
Before the launch, Bishop Harris visited HOME in Queanbeyan – a long-term residence for people with enduring mental illness who are at risk of homelessness. Operating without ongoing government funding, HOME offers stability, care, and community to 20 residents.
“What an appropriate way to prepare for today’s launch,” Bishop Harris said.
“Stability in one’s life is a basic human need and should be available to everyone. HOME shows us it’s possible – people caring for people in a climate where it’s needed more than ever.”
Bishop Harris drew on his own experience in Townsville, where the Homeless Jesus sculpture has become both a symbol of welcome and a place of belonging for a man named Lawrence, who has made the cathedral precinct his home.
“Lawrence is part of the fabric of that place,” he said. “He is my conscience, a daily reminder that we have responsibilities to one another.”
Canberra-Goulburn Archbishop Christopher Prowse said the statement draws attention to the deeply human dimension of homelessness.
“We can make all sorts of structural responses – and we should – but we must never forget there are human beings involved here,” he said.
St Vincent de Paul Society national director for policy and research, Rose Beynon, described the scale of the challenge, noting that 300 people are turned away from specialist services every day due to capacity limits.
FULL STORY
Signs of hope: Bishops’ statement calls for loving friendship amid homelessness and mental ill-health (By Veronika Cox, Catholic Voice)
