To Christ's loved church in Australia, 

Brothers and sisters in faith, we are reminded in St Paul's letters that we are one body. Despite our race, creed, denomination and differences, as followers of Jesus we are part of the same body, the Church.  This truth has been forgotten. Nowhere is this more evident than looking at the gulf between our Indigenous brothers and sisters, and the broader church.

We have lost the ability feel the pain and need of our Indigenous sisters.  This pain is the broken leg of our Body. We as the Australian Church cannot function while we numb ourselves to this pain and fracturing.  We cannot move forward if we continue to blind ourselves to the injustice our Indigenous brothers face. 

Our Prime Minister has apologized to the Stolen Generations for actions and policies of our government towards Indigenous Australians.  Many were removed from families.  We know that these actions came out of a culture of discrimination and prejudice.  This discrimination began with the first European arrivals that declared this land Terra Nullius and the Indigenous owners as less than human.  This was followed by stealing of land, destruction of families and culture, murder and an endless list of crimes against the first inhabitants and owners of this country.  These actions were explicitly or implicitly supported and condoned by the church.  When not actively involved in policies that degraded and dehumanized Aboriginal people, we in the church remained silent.  Not until 1967 were Aboriginal people given the right to vote in their own land.  Even today dubious policies are directed towards Aboriginal people while we barely batter an eyelid.  The NT intervention broadly removes civil rights from Aboriginal men, women and children based on race alone.  Our prisons are full of Aboriginal young men.  A frightening number of these young men have died in police custody.  Yet, we say little, think about it rarely (if ever) and do nothing.