Priest told he is unwelcome at NT detention centre [CNAU]

[Catholic_Press]

Jul 7, '11 6:00 am
A priest who raised concerns over the asylum seekers held at a detention centre in the Northern Territory said the Diocese of Cairns has been told he is no longer welcome to visit the centre, reports the Cairns Post.

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[Dale_M]

Is the Scherger detention centre in the Northern Territory or is it in Queensland? The facility apparently is located in or near Weipa, which Google tells me is on the York Peninsula. And Thursday Island, where Fr.Bissett is parish administrator, is just off the coast of the York Peninsula.

At any rate, I think it is good if a priest can look after the well being of prisoners. The government denies banning him, however if they asked the diocese to discourage him it seems similar in intent.

Here is the editorial which Fr. Bissett wrote which earned him the disfavor of the facility administration.
cairns.com.au/article/2011/06/18/169861_local-news.html

 

[John21652]

Is the Scherger detention centre in the Northern Territory or is it in Queensland? The facility apparently is located in or near Weipa, which Google tells me is on the York Peninsula. And Thursday Island, where Fr.Bissett is parish administrator, is just off the coast of the York Peninsula.

At any rate, I think it is good if a priest can look after the well being of prisoners. The government denies banning him, however if they asked the diocese to discourage him it seems similar in intent.

Here is the editorial which Fr. Bissett wrote which earned him the disfavor of the facility administration.
cairns.com.au/article/2011/06/18/169861_local-news.html

Dale_M, the detention centre is in Queensland.

There is a far bigger story than the catholic news agency is reporting here.

Australia is almost under seige from the arrival of boatloads of illegal immigrants ariving on our northern shores. It is an incredible problem. The illegal immigrants pay people smugglers who then charter barely seaworthy boats in Indonesia and the illegals are pointed in the general direction of Australia and sent on their way. Quite a few haven’t made it and have drowned at sea. Otherwise, hundreds and hundreds of these boats arrive and the illegals all seek asylum. They originate in Afghanistan, Iraq and even Sri Lanka, all war torn countries. In the process the illegals are jumping the normal immigration queues and depriving normal immigrants of places. They are generally quite well off, because they have to pay the people smugglers and we hear it can cost up to $5000/head to gain a spot on a boat. Whole families arrive. The illegals arrive with virtually no identification and so must be held and processed.

There are two ‘camps’ of people with ideas on how to handle this problem. Some want strict and tightly controlled rules that force the illegals to refrain from attempting the journey. Others, of a more liberal persuasion, want them welcomed with open arms and resettled with a minimum of fuss. The latter tend to be the liberal/progressives who do not like national border restrictions and, to put it bluntly, believe in the international brotherhood of man and who welcome all and sundry. The current Federal Government, being more inclined towards this political and philosophical persuasion, have relaxed the detention laws and consequently more and more boats are arriving. The detention centres are so overcrowded that more have been built and yet many hundreds of illegals have had to be taken into towns and cities and housed in hotels and motels! The entire problem is costing the country millions and millions.

Of those who are of an inclination to have a relaxed border policy, many are Catholics who spout “charity” and seek to do all they can to help these supposedly poor unfortunates. In the process they have encouraged more and more to attempt the hazardous journey, parting with their life’s savings in the process and with no gaurantee they will even safely make landfall. Father Lawrie Bissett is one of these. I find it very interesting that he originally came from the Diocese of Toowoomba, in south eastern Queensland. You might recall that very recently one Bishop Morris of the Diocese of Toowoomba was sacked by Cardinal George Pell, on the orders of Rome. Bishop Morris was a left leaning social progressive who espoused socialistic philosophies. You can read this article about his sacking for doctrinal disobedience. Amongst other things, he even advocated the ordination of women priests. Father Lawrie Bissett hails from former Bishop Morris’s diocese and now writes that he stands outside the detention centres where illegal immigrants are held prior o checking and cries out “free them Jesus”. I for one doubt that Jesus would agree, when one considers that national immigration laws are being flouted, lives have been lost and not all the asylum seekers are genuine.