ARCHDIOCESE OF MELBOURNE REPORT:
| ACU |
 Friday 30 March 2012By Jo Grainger, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine and Dr Joel Hodge, School of Theology, ACU St Patrick's campus. The Australian Catholic University(ACU) recently hosted a week of public forums and activities at its Melbourne campus as part of the inaugural ‘That’s Life!@ACU’ week. The week-long program promoted and affirmed the dignity of all persons, raised awareness of major social and life issues, provided information about support services, and offered the opportunity for staff and students to learn about and discuss Church teaching on these issues. One of the aims of the week is to form an on-going campus group dedicated to life issues and the bishops' 'Walking with Love' initiative. ACU stands in a unique position to positively engage with life and social issues through the lens of Catholic teaching. Life Week aimed to promote a ‘culture of life’ through positively presenting Church teachings in the spirit of charity that Pope John Paul II called for in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae – The Gospel of Life. As Blessed Pope John Paul II affirmed: Even in the midst of difficulties and uncertainties, every person sincerely open to truth and goodness can, by the light of reason and the hidden action of grace, come to recognize in the natural law written in the heart (cf. Rom 2:14-15) the sacred value of human life from its very beginning until its end, and can affirm the right of every human being to have this primary good respected to the highest degree. Upon the recognition of this right, every human community and the political community itself are founded. (EV #1) Vice Chancellor Professor Greg Craven launched ‘That’s Life!’ week on Sunday 25 March, the feast of the Annunciation and also the 17th anniversary of the publication of Evangelium Vitae. Professor Craven gave a passionate and very personal speech about the role a Catholic University in the promotion of a culture of life in the key areas of education and health sciences. Attended by approximately 45 staff, students and members of the wider Catholic community, Professor Craven endorsed ‘That’s Life!’ to be conducted as an annual event across all ACU campuses throughout Australia. Features of the week included daily Mass, a time for Adoration and a Rosary for life. During the week, invited experts addressed various topics, particularly centred around contemporary health care ethics and culture of life. Each of the sessions were well attended by staff and students, with several days being full to capacity in the allocated rooms. ACU staff members Dr Joel Hodge and Anna Krohn spoke about the social and cultural influences in the ‘culture of death’ and the positive response that the Church has in fostering a ‘culture of life’. Marcia Riordan from the Archdiocesan Life Marriage and Family office provided some great insight into the 'Walking with Love' pastoral program developed by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference to support women facing an unexpected pregnancy and seeking post abortion healing. Prominent Australian bioethicist and Associate Dean of the John Paul II Institute Professor Nicholas Tonti-Filippini spoke to a packed audience on the challenging area of Advanced Directives and assisted suicide. Thursday’s session from ACU biblical scholar Dr Michael Theophilus investigated the attitudes, beliefs and practices of the early Christians toward life and compared their unique and courageous responses to the norms of their time. The final session on Friday 30 March was an opportunity for ACU staff and students to ask a panel of ACU theologians and bioethicists questions in the area of Catholic teachings in life issues. Chaired by Associate Professor Patrick McArdle, this session featured open and frank discussion in the areas of surrogacy, euthanasia, contraception, same sex marriage and abortion. That’s Life! week was supported by the office of the Associate Vice Chancellor of ACU, the Directorate for Mission and Identity and the office of the Vice Chancellor. http://www.cam.org.au/melbourne-news/that-s-life-week-at-acu.html |
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