Australian archbishop calls for faith protections in wake of shelved religious bill

St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne, Australia. / Credit: Melbourne’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral | Credit Jay Miller / Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

CNA Newsroom, Aug 14, 2024 / 10:32 am (CNA).

An Australian archbishop is urging the government to maintain existing religious freedom protections after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed he would not proceed with expected religious discrimination legislation this term.

Melbourne Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli expressed disappointment over the news, saying in a statement: “It is regrettable that such important legislation is not proceeding. However, I trust that the prime minister will be true to his word that protections for people of faith will not go backwards under his leadership.”

The archbishop emphasized that in the absence of new protections, existing safeguards should remain intact. Monica Doumit, Sydney Archdiocese’s director of public affairs and engagement, echoed this statement, according to the Catholic Weekly. 

Albanese, speaking at a press conference in Perth on Friday, cited a lack of bipartisan support as the reason for not moving forward with the bill. “The last thing that Australia needs is any divisive debate relating to religion and people’s faith,” Albanese told reporters.

The decision has been criticized as a broken election promise, with opposition legal affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash accusing the prime minister of letting “Australians of faith down,” the Australian reported.

Other religious leaders have also voiced their concerns. Rateb Jneid, president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, urged all political parties to intensify efforts to find common ground and advance “necessary” reforms.

The apparent shelving of the legislation comes amid broader concerns from Catholic leaders about threats to religious liberty in Australia.

In June, Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher warned of an “incremental erosion of religious freedom” occurring in health care, education, and society at large.

“If we consider life issues, recent years have seen the complete decriminalization of abortion, with some states requiring medical professionals with a conscientious objection to nonetheless refer a patient to an abortion provider,” the prelate told CNA.

The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference had engaged in discussions about the draft religious discrimination bills over many months, providing both the government and opposition with detailed suggestions.

Christian Schools Australia noted that a broad range of faith leaders had provided the government with detailed line-by-line amendments to the draft reforms three months ago, arguing it was too soon to give up on “long overdue protections.”

With legislative protections now unlikely in the near term, Fisher has called on Catholics “to be serious about being saints for our time, committing ourselves to prayer, service, and the sacramental life” as a way to safeguard religious freedom.

The government’s decision leaves the future of religious discrimination legislation uncertain, with faith leaders and opposition politicians calling for continued efforts to protect religious freedoms in Australia.