Pope says Sunday must be kept free from retail trading seven days as its the day for family and for God.
The Pope has made poignant comments about keeping Sundays free, just as legislation allowing general retail shops to trade seven days a week seems likely to be passed by the Western Australian parliament.
“Sunday is the day of the Lord and of man, a day which everyone must be able to be free – free for the family and free for God”, the Pope remarked during his catechesis on June 6 in St Peter’s Square.
“By defending Sunday, one defends human freedom.”
The Pope’s statement comes at a time when political opposition to Sunday trading has reached new lows in Western Australia.
Whilst the Labor party was previously against Sunday trading, leader Mark McGowan changed the party’s policy upon gaining the leadership last January.
This has left both major political parties supporting Sunday trading, all but assuring its passing in the near future.
One of the few parliamentary voices against the legislation is Liberal Nick Goiran MLC, who noted recently in the Upper House that seven day trading was “just the beginning of the abolition of Sunday as a distinctive day of the week.”
“Indeed, once the notion of Sunday as a special weekly day of refreshment and family is abandoned, it is hard to make a consistent argument against treating all days the same,” he remarked in parliament.
Goiran also observed that banks and public services may in time be required to be open seven days a week, and that the legislation as it stood provided no safeguard for workers against being required to work on Sundays.
He remarked that the legislation greatly disturbed him, as a day of rest was “one of the greatest gifts of Judaism and Christianity to our civilisation.”
Goiran even mooted the idea that one day even parliament would be required to sit on Sundays.
But he was emphatic in saying he would never attend such gatherings, and instead would “keep honouring Sunday by attending worship and by spending it with my family.”
Goiran repeatedly stressed his concern the legislation would have on families.
“With many families now needing both parents to be working, weekends are more important than ever for family time,” he said.
“Requiring those mums and dads who happen to work in the retail sector to work most Sundays is a major assault on family life.”
The Pope, it seems, could not agree more.
“Humanity has no future without the family,” he said.