Bishops urge communities to be peacemakers

A Nativity display is seen outside the illuminated St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney (OSV News/Giovanni Portelli, The Catholic Weekly)

As the Church’s Jubilee Year draws to a close, Australia’s Catholic Bishops have emphasised its theme of ‘pilgrims of hope’ in their annual Christmas messages, urging communities to be peacemakers.

Melbourne Archbishop Peter A Comensoli describes hope as more than sentiment.

“Hope is a kind of glue. It binds our relationships together across time. At Christmas especially, hope takes on a gentle but persistent strength – the belief that peace and joy are possible, even in difficulty,” he writes.

“Our hope has a name: Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God‑with‑us … This is hope beyond optimism. It is a light the darkness cannot overcome. Christian hope is the light of the world.”

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President and Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB similarly reassures the faithful: “In times of uncertainty, when the future seems unclear and the world around us can feel divided or weary, the message of Christmas whispers something profound: ‘Do not be afraid’.

Canberra-Goulburn Archbishop Christopher Prowse says that “Hope is not a philosophy … It is a person: Jesus. … The little baby of Bethlehem is hope personified.”

Sunday’s terror attack in Bondi was not far from the bishops’ thoughts.

“Year after year, we find ourselves speaking of conflict, fear, and suffering, now felt with heartbreaking clarity in recent days when the brutal Bondi massacre devastated families and shattered communities. And yet, Christmas proclaims a hope that cannot be silenced, Broken Bay Bishop Anthony Randazzo writes.

“This Holy Year of Hope was never intended to distract us from the world’s sorrows, but rather to teach us that no darkness, however deep, has the final word.”

Parramatta’s Bishop Vincent Long calls believers to “act to transform our world”, urging “radical solidarity” and a renewed commitment to be “instruments of peace.”

Maronite Bishop Antoine‑Charbel Tarabay writes that “Peace is … a new life that comes from above, from Jesus Christ,” and invites Catholics to live that peace with God, in their own hearts and in relationships.

Hobart Archbishop Tony Ireland insists the Nativity story “speaks to us today,” urging action: “No one should be left without a place to lay their head, without dignity, or without hope.”

In a similar spirit, Maitland‑Newcastle’s Bishop Michael Kennedy offers a pastoral refrain of welcome: “In the birth of Christ, God says to each of us: You are loved. You belong. You are home. The birth of Jesus is God’s way of saying to all humanity: Welcome home.”

Read the bishops’ Christmas messages and a message from Catholic Religious Australia below:

Adelaide

Archbishop Patrick O’Regan’s 2025 Christmas message (written)

Archbishop Patrick O’Regan’s 2025 Christmas message (video)

Armidale
Bishop Peter Murphy’s 2025 Christmas message (written)

Ballarat

Bishop Paul Bird’s 2025 Christmas message (written and video)

Bathurst

Bishop Michael McKenna’s 2025 Christmas message (written)

Brisbane

Archbishop Shane Mackinlay’s 2025 Christmas message (written)

Broken Bay

Bishop Anthony Randazzo’s 2025 Christmas message (written)

Cairns