By NZ CATHOLIC staff
New Zealand’s Catholic bishops have given a copy of their new ethics teaching document to all 123 members of the recently elected 54th Parliament.
The bishops published “Te Kahu o te Ora: A Consistent Ethic of Life” in September.
Bishop of Auckland Bishop Stephen Lowe, the president of the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference, told the MPs in an accompanying letter that the document was a reminder that the political issues dividing the country were all connected.
“So too is the solution—a lens that sees all life as sacred taonga,” said Bishop Lowe.
“We in our respective positions as parliamentarians and bishops are expected to lead and make decisions for the common good. Each of us is also given a lot to read. Nonetheless we hope that you will find Te Kahu o te Ora is a worthwhile summer read and a resource to dip into as you reflect on the issues we face in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
The letter assured MPS of the bishops’ prayers and the prayers of the Catholic community.
“Our hope is that you may govern for the common good of all in our land, especially those most vulnerable,” the letter stated.
“In our pre-election statement, we wrote of our concern at the growing trivialisation of politics. We lamented that politicians and media often focus on the mistakes, misdemeanours or scandals of individual parliamentarians and tear each other apart. We said we believe the real scandals in our land are the growing indifference to the sanctity of life, rising levels of poverty and the lack of affordable housing, mental health, and the storm events that have beset our islands as global climate change impacts on us and so many in our world. Our election statement also affirmed our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi as offering a pathway of unity for our nation. At the same time, we expressed our dismay at the rapidly growing toxicity in our communities, which is dividing us as a nation and generating anger, hate and even violence. These issues especially affect our most vulnerable people. For too long they have been treated as political footballs.”
The letter noted that “successive election-season promises and the changing of policies in line with the agenda of each new government are not working”.
“More and more people in our land are becoming disillusioned and feel disenfranchised. We need you, our parliamentarians, as a House united, to work together across party lines to make real progress in finding genuine, lasting solutions to solve our problems.
“Without this, rising levels of discontent will further divide our beautiful land and peoples. To this end we would like to present you with the enclosed copy of our new teaching statement, Te Kahu o te Ora: A Consistent Ethic of Life. This document is a reminder that the issues dividing us as a nation are all connected. So too is the solution — a lens that sees all life as sacred taonga.”
The letter also gave the contact details for each diocesan bishop and expressed a desire to meet with MPs.
A copy of the letter can be found at https://www.catholic.org.nz/assets/Letter-from-Catholic-Bishops-to-members-of-Parliament.pdf
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