The St Thomas More Forum Papers, 2005-2007

The separation of church and state is one of the cornerstones of Australian democracy. But despite what some people try to claim, rendering unto Caesar has traditionally also been understood not to negate or ignore God in the public sphere. Religious freedom here has always meant more than just being able to practise your religion in private: it also means the liberty to be guided by your religious convictions in public life, within a framework of checks and balances, whether that be as clergyman, politician, public servant, business person, intellectual or journalist or whatever you like.

Acting on this guidance has always been a part of public life; but in recent years, speaking about it has also become a feature, as the traditional Australian reticence to talk of one’s religious beliefs and principles gives way to a more open acknowledgment of faith. This is true of society in general, and of public life in particular, and stems partly from a greater tendency to openness, and partly from the fact that many topical issues of today—from terrorism to embryo experimentation, from changing family patterns to climate change, abortion to euthanasia, worries about the overt sexualisation of the media to concerns about poverty and social inequality—have more and more ramifications for people of faith.

Though there has been some discussion of this in the public domain, much of it tends to emanate from a frankly atheistic or anti-religious or else wishy-washily agnostic viewpoint, which of course can offer some valuable insights or critiques, but suffers from the fact that the extraordinary diversity of religious views can be very easily missed by someone operating from outside religious belief, and that therefore conclusions can be reached which, either deliberately or not, deform, twist or quite simply miss the truth.

Enter the St Thomas More Forum. The Forum grew out of an initiative of a group of parishioners of St Thomas More’s Catholic Church in Campbell, Canberra. The main objective was to provide a public forum for prominent speakers from public life who would be prepared to address issues of topical concern and debate from a Catholic and Christian platform. But this was not to be about blanket declarations of faith; the Forum wanted to promote thought, stimulating discussion and challenge. The example of St Thomas More himself, who epitomised the dilemmas and strengths of a man of faith in public life, was an important inspiration. Following the inauguration of the Forum, many prominent speakers from many different walks of public life and political and intellectual orientations accepted the invitation to speak on topics of their choice.

This book is the result: a collection of the papers given by the Forum’s guest speakers, from the inaugural address in July 2005 through to October 2007. And it’s a thoughtful and lively book, with a great deal to offer the reader. The contributions are from a wide variety of speakers: politicians including Tony Abbott, Kevin Rudd, Kevin Andrews and Peter Garrett; church figures like George Pell and Frank Brennan; lawyers such as Terry Higgins, Chief Justice of the ACT Central Court; academics like John Warhurst and Patrick Morgan; journalists such as Angela and Dennis Shanahan; public servants, like the Australian Federal Police Commissioner, Mick Keelty; not to speak of winemakers and charity workers and lobbyists. The speakers addressed a wide variety of issues: from family life to bioethics, conscience to policing, peace-making to political lobbying, winemaking to Vatican diplomacy, the media to historical involvement of Christians in public life—and much more.

As well as the monthly addresses, which generally have a rather informal flavour (one of the notable exceptions being Kevin Rudd’s comprehensive and densely-argued address on Labor and the Catholic Church), there is also a more formal annual lecture, given by a prominent Catholic clergyman: Cardinal George Pell in 2005; Fr Frank Brennan SJ in 2006; Fr Thomas Cassidy, Prior Principal of the Dominican Fathers, in 2007.

As well as the addresses and lectures, the book includes a report on a special and very popular Forum event held in 2005. It was a hypothetical, called “God on Trial”, based on the book of the same name by barrister Robert Colquhoun, and featuring lawyers and theologians on the panel. It sounds as if it would have been a feisty, enjoyable and inventive event—what a pity the contributions of the panel, which are described in the report, couldn’t be included! That’s my only real criticism of a most stimulating and important book.