The Presbyterian Church of Australia has commended the nation’s leaders for refusing to bow to pressure to remove the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer from Federal Parliament.

Moderator General Rt Rev Robert Benn said the Church welcomed the assurances given by the leadership of the Government and Opposition that the Lord’s Prayer would be retained for the opening of Federal Parliament each day, as it had from the days of Federation, despite pressure to replace it with a period of reflection.

“The recitation of the Lord’s Prayer is an important reminder of Australia’s Christian heritage and the ongoing adherence of a clear majority of Australians to the Christian Faith,” he said.

“It is a good thing that at the beginning of each sitting day our Parliamentarians acknowledge Almighty God and seek His blessing for the work at hand, as they have done for the past 100 years.”

Mr Benn was commenting after speaker of the House of Representatives, Harry Jenkins, called for a public debate about whether the daily prayer should be rewritten or replaced; a move which was opposed by the Australian Christian Lobby.

Presbyterian Church of Australia Church and Nation Committee Convener, Rev Stefan Slucki, also applauded Parliament on the use of a prayer for God's Guidance of its deliberations, which he said preceded the Lord’s Prayer. “This is a wonderful testimony to our heritage,” he said.

Media Contact:

Karen Forman

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Presbyterian Church of Australia (NSW)

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