Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane has pitched for the Church to take a key role in Australia’s Covid-19 recovery efforts, adding that the task cannot be left solely to politicians.
“We’re in a situation now where the world has changed, perhaps forever,” said the President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference last week.
“We now have a chance to shape society in ways that weren’t possible before this crisis.”
The Archbishop feels the Church can deliver a unique post-pandemic contribution and pointed to the Church’s extraordinary reach into Australian communities with thousands of workers in schools, hospitals and on the frontline.
The clergyman said the Church offered many insights into dealing with dramatic world changes.
Teachings
He cited the teachings of Pope Leo XIII, who he said offered “a genuinely Gospel response to a dramatically changed world” and had found a voice in every Pope since.
“The principle duties and responsibilities of employers, employees and governments are as much in focus today as they were then,” he said.
“We are in this together – all Australians; and the Church wants to be a good companion on the road ahead, helping to identify new opportunities and what is needed to respond to them.”