Ash Wednesday Mass
St Mary's Cathedral
+ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
5 Mar 2003
Lent is an intensely personal time of conversion as today's readings make absolutely clear. At Lent we are called to strengthen our faith through prayer and purify our heart through penance and fasting - and through communal activities.
The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has asked that today, Ash Wednesday be observed as a special day of fasting for peace against war and terrorism.
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the 40 days of Lent and is traditionally a day of fasting and abstinence. But today we make this added dimension to our commitment because of our deep faith that prayer can make a difference to our world.
The Islamic Council of NSW, the collective of all Muslim organisations in NSW, has called on Muslims throughout our community to join us in this fast today. At a time when it is so badly needed, on a day of special significance for Christians, we will therefore fast together for peace.
I mentioned the importance of communal activities as an expression of our personal attempts at a deeper conversion. A wonderful example is today I launch Project Compassion, Caritas Australia's major fundraising initiative, and one of the most tangible expressions of the Catholic commitment throughout the world to the cause of peace, justice and development.
Caritas Australia is the Catholic Agency for Overseas Aid and Development. It provides aid and disaster relief to more than 60 developing countries all over the world.
This year's Project Compassion theme is 'Freedom from Slavery'.
It is inspired by the passage from Scripture: "He has sent me to proclaim release to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free."(Luke 4:18).
This is one of several times when slavery is referred to in the Scriptures.
In a resurgence of the evil practice of slavery, more than 27 million people live in some forms of slavery today, a greater number than during the 400 year African slave trade. Many of these are women and children who are trafficked for sexual purposes.
Today's slaves are cheap and disposable. They include the poor, uneducated, women, children, indigenous and marginalised people who have become trapped by poverty and powerlessness and are forced into slavery.
Thelma Rosario, of Caritas Bangladesh who is visiting Australia this month to discuss this problem has told us: "The trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual exploitation has become a global multi-million-dollar industry. And it is now the fastest growing business of organised crime."
"Traffickers exploit the poverty of their victims. Project Compassion offers us the opportunity to work towards preventing trafficking," she said.
In addition to these slaves, throughout the world there are tens of millions of child labourers, who are denied the opportunity of even a basic education.
After the terrorist violations of September 11 in New York 18 months ago Pope John Paul joined religious leaders of other faiths from throughout the world to discuss the need for peace.
He said there are two pillars upon which peace rests: readiness to forgive - and a commitment to justice.
"Justice first of all, because there can be no true peace without respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, respect for the rights and duties of each person and respect for an equal distribution of benefits between individuals and society.
"It can never be forgotten that situations of oppression and exclusion are often the source of violence and terrorism," Pope John Paul said.
The money that is raised during this Lent will help free men, women and children all around the world from the chains of slavery that bind them.
Your donation to Project Compassion will help to continue the education of communities about the dangers of trafficking. Your donation will give many the opportunity to receive an education and provide them with skills to improve their lives. Your donation will help rural communities to escape the poverty cycle and become self-reliant.
And it will make a very real and lasting contribution to the effort to secure peace, in the way that Pope John Paul has called on us to do.
Last year, through the generosity of people from parishes all around Australia, including yours, Project Compassion raised more than $6 million.
I urge you to do every thing you can to support Project Compassion this year, and to donate generously to this worthy cause.
