We live in challenging times, but we are also blessed to live in a city shaped and enriched by many cultures. As global conflicts intensify, we are called to respond generously—like the Good Samaritan—to all our neighbours, never losing sight of our common humanity.
Last week, in response to a disturbing arson attack on the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, Melbourne’s religious leaders stood side by side on the steps of the synagogue to denounce the rise in anti-Semitism and affirm their shared commitment to unity, peace and mutual respect.
During his recent visit to Melbourne, we caught up with Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo da Silva, the first-ever cardinal from Timor-Leste, about the challenges and opportunities experienced by the Timorese community in Australia and an exciting project with Australian Catholic University to improve educational opportunities for young people in his homeland.
And on Saturday, a group of about 50 pilgrims of different ages, backgrounds and life experiences walked the ‘Camino Domini’ together through Victoria’s Wombat State Forest to St Mary Magdalen’s Church in Trentham—a journey ‘from loss to hope’ that drew deeply on the ancient and healing Catholic tradition of pilgrimage.