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Sydney Cardinal Calls On Christians, Jews, Muslims to Work Together to Defend the Family

VICTORIA, Australia, June 6, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In his address to the 4th International Inter-Religion Abraham Conference, Cardinal Pell of the Sydney Archdiocese called on Christians, Jews and Muslims to work together to oppose what he called “the excesses of individualism”. The cardinal listed some of the most notable of these excesses, including “pornography, drug abuse, alcoholism, sexual promiscuity and abortion.”

“We who profess a religious faith have a solemn duty to uphold key moral values and to propose them to society,” said the Cardinal.

In light of the theme of the conference, Pell spoke of the necessity of focusing on the many similarities between the world’s monotheistic religions, especially those which claim Abraham as a common ancestor, in order that they may work peacefully towards common goals. “Muslims, Christians and Jews share common commitments which are embodied socially and which we can join together in proposing and defending to the wider society,” said the Cardinal.

He stressed that protecting the family must be of particular importance to the three religions, indicating that many of the so-called “excesses of individualism” arise as a consequence of poor family relations.

 “People are foolish if they pretend that the consequences of family breakdown have no social impact,” the Cardinal said in his address to representatives of the three faiths. “One of the great cleavages that we are beginning to see opening up in our society is between children who come from stable and loving families, and those who do not. Those who are lost to drugs, suicide, violence, and alcoholism, are often those who do not have the personal and family resources and resilience to resist or avoid these perils. Family breakdown and instability are a growing cause of impoverishment.”

“Loving faithful marriage is the true foundation of the family,” he said. “I suspect that the haves and have-nots of the future will often be divided into those who have had a loving family upbringing and those who have never had this opportunity.”

Read the Cardinal’s address at :
http://www.sydney.catholic.org.au/Archbishop/Addresses/200564_1685.shtml

JJ

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