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Political commentator John Warhurst has devoted his working life to observing what motivates politicians, particularly their religious beliefs. He sees an Australian republic as a 'logical, necessary and natural evolution of Australian political and constitutional identity'.
Some advocates of monarchy have jumped on the film The King's Speech as evidence that Australia needs a monarch. Monarchists often argue like this when they want to personalise the constitutional debate by concentrating on a member of the Royal family with attractive features.
The debate about the Indigenous constitutional referendum proposed by the Gillard Government is heading in a dangerous direction. Naysayers will not defeat it. What may defeat it is division among those who are supporters in principle but not supporters of the particular proposal.
William's visit laid bare the weaknesses of members of the Royal Family as candidates for our head of state. The package represented by William should be anathema to modern Australia's constitutional future, whatever he might have to offer as a person.
Pope Benedict XVI's recent Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus (‘Groups of Anglicans’) moves the pastoral openness of Vatican II towards a ‘Rome is right’ mentality. This is disturbing and dangerous, not only for Anglicans, but for Roman Catholics themselves.
If the Apostolic Constitution is phrased in overly-confident 'Romanista' style it will communicate a bureaucratic message and reinforce the suspicion that 'ecumenical endeavour' means 'return to Rome', rather than the vision of every Christian tradition being converted to unity.
The protesters who occupied Bangkok's airports are claiming victory in their political battle, following the Constitutional Court's dissolution of the ruling party. But this is far from the end. The government is down, but not out.
The Governor-General, Major-General Michael Jeffery, is mounting a defence of the place of the British monarchy in the Australian Constitution. On several occasions recently Jeffery has proclaimed a very conservative view of Australian constitutional arrangements.
The Prime Minister has said, “We are dealing with children of the tenderest age who have been exposed to the most terrible abuse”. He asks, “What matters more: the constitutional niceties, or the care and protection of young children?" It is not a choice of one or the other.
Geoffrey King teaches Canon Law and Moral Theology at Jesuit Theological College and the United Faculty of Theology, Melbourne. From 1989 to 1996 he was Director of the East Asian Pastoral Institute, Manila. At the 34th General Congregation of the Jesuits (1995) he chaired the commission that undertook the first formal revision since the sixteenth century of the Jesuit Constitutions.
For those with a feel for European or Australian history, the rejection of the constitution in France and the Netherlands is deeply concerning.
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