Why focus on the Pope's speech from 1986?

Read an article by Betty Pike
Hope Built on the Dreaming

Read the Pope's Speech (pdf)

For faster download, right click on the link and select 'Save Target As'

'The Light of Australia'
events in 2005

In 2005, NATSIEC organised a special series of 'The Light of Australia' talks (called 'Hearts Are Burning'), to help in trying to bring Indigenous issues back to the centre of Australian attention.  The talks reflected on the last 20 years since Pope John Paul II gave his speech to Indigenous people at Alice Springs in 1986, and shared some reflection about ways forward for Church and Nation.  These events were held in every capital city and some other major centres across Australia between March-May 2005, with the support of state and territory ecumenical bodies.

The keynote speakers were:

Bishop James Leftwich (Chair of NATSIEC, Aboriginal Bishop for the Anglican Church of Australia, and Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of North Queensland)

Bishop Saibo Mabo (Deputy Chair of NATSIEC, Torres Strait Islander Bishop for the Anglican Church of Australia)

Graeme Mundine (Executive Secretary of NATSIEC)

Dr.Jill Tabart (former President of the Uniting Church in Australia, and Chair of the Decade to Overcome Violence initiative of the National Council of Churches in Australia)

Vicki Walker (Aboriginal Catholic Ministry, Melbourne)

To read some of the talks and responses given during this tour, click here

To download a powerpoint presentation outlining our findings while on tour, click here