CLC Priority 3: Walking with the excluded reflects on Jesus’s concern for the poor, marginalised and the excluded.

CLC members commit ourselves in particular to walking with, engaging with, and supporting First Nations people in their quest for recognition, truth telling, justice and reconciliation.  

“This year marks the 40th Anniversary of St Pope John Paul II’s address to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Alice Springs,” NATSICC chair Shirley Quaresimin said:

“It is timely that we look back at what has been achieved in the past 40 years but also be honest about what has not progressed. We see this as an opportunity to come together as one Church, one body in Christ.” (Australian Catholic Bishop Conference: Media Blog)

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, said: “The enduring lesson of Saint Pope John Paul II’s Alice Springs address is that the Church in Australia is called not simply to minister to Aboriginal peoples, but to joyfully receive from them.

Today we continue to walk together in solidarity with our First Nation Community as we come together as a community in the celebration of the Archdiocesan Aboriginal Mass on:

Date/Time: Sunday, 18th October 2026 at 5:00pm

Venue: St Mary’s Cathedral