Australian election: Bishops say Catholics have a vital role in shaping nation’s future 

Rome Newsroom, Mar 31, 2025 / 10:33 am

Australian bishops on Sunday said the country’s Catholics have a vital role to promote the common good when they head to the polls on May 3 for a national election.

The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s Commission for Life, Family, and Public Engagement — chaired by Archbishop Peter Comensoli — released “Election Statement 2025: Called to Bring Hope in the Year of the Jubilee” after the Australian government announced the election date over the weekend. 

“Our faith calls us to engage in democracy, to build, in the words of Pope St. John Paul II, ‘a civilization of love’ and ‘to contribute to the good of society with a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom,’” the March 30 statement read.

“The jubilee reminds us that voting is not just a civic duty but an opportunity to advance the common good and pave the way for hope,” the bishops’ conference said.

The conference identified four key issues that Australian Catholics should consider before casting their vote in May: the dignity and value of every human being; religious freedom and conscience rights; fairness, justice, and the common good; and responsible stewardship of God’s creation.

In the statement, the bishops’ conference said Catholics have an “obligation” to form their consciences “through reason, sacred Scripture, and Church teachings” to respond to the country’s important political and social issues and discern what will advance peace and justice in society.  

“Conscience is our inner guide, enabling us to discern right from wrong and judge what is good and just, and we have a duty to follow it faithfully,” the bishops’ statement said.

“This demands careful consideration of the facts and the background to our decisions and a commitment to prayer to discern God’s will,” the statement continued.  

Commending the statement to Catholics and to all people of goodwill, the bishops condemned discrimination, hatred, and violence against other citizens and called for a renewed commitment among Australians to resolve issues “peacefully through dialogue and democratic processes.”