State of spiritual ill-health

During his first meeting with the NSW Premier Morris Iemma, Peter Jensen offered him prayers and raised key concerns such as the State’s lack of mental health services.

Morris Iemma, member for Lakemba and former Health Minister, became Premier of this State last year. Knowing how hectic his schedule would be in the opening months of his new office, I waited until recently to make a courtesy call to him on behalf of the Anglican community in NSW.

PRAYER
The most important reason for my visiting Premier Iemma was to assure him of the prayers of Anglicans as we support him in his heavy responsibility. Other leaders I have met and visited have expressed their interest and pleasure in the frequent affirmation of prayer by Christians and I have no doubt from his response that the Premier was grateful for this assurance. Now we must make sure that we do this!

I felt reasonably confident that I could make this promise of faithful and continuing prayer support in your name, for three reasons. First, the Bible itself, our rule of faith, explicitly tells us to pray for the leaders of the nation: ‘I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness’ (1 Tim 2:1). As Bible people we will want to keep this word from the Lord. Indeed it is one of the few things that we are told to pray for specifically.

Second, our approved liturgy, the Prayer Book, reflects the Bible by making prayer for rulers a frequent request. I take it that even in a more informal service the principles of the Prayer Book are followed. It seems to me that this is one of them.

Third, it is my general experience in attending our churches that the biblical injunction is observed. I have to say that occasionally such prayers are omitted, but I trust that this is a temporary lapse rather than a general pattern.

SCHOOL SCRIPTURE
Of course, I took the opportunity while I was with Mr Iemma to raise several other matters of concern. I assured him, for example, of Anglican support for the State School system, even while we develop our own Anglican schools. I assured him of our desire for School Scripture to be continued, and of our hope that a course in ‘ethics’ is not developed as an alternative for some students.

MENTAL ILLNESS AND PRISONS
I spent some time in our discussion on what I regard as a matter of great concern, that is, the growing prison population and the connection between those who are imprisoned and mental illness.

The growth in the number of persons imprisoned is an unhappy fact. We can so easily forget that people are in gaol, the conditions under which they are held and the inability of prison to rehabilitate them. More than that, there is also the pain of those family members whose child or sibling or spouse is detained. Of course, some people should be punished and removed from society for a period, but that does not mean we can be satisfied with the growing number of such people or the conditions under which they are often held.

Furthermore it is quite obvious that a significant number of prisoners need psychiatric care that is difficult to give or receive in the circumstances in which they are held. It is doubtful whether imprisonment is a relevant, just or compassionate response to their behaviour.

The stigma associated with mental illness has lessened, as should be the case. Any one of us can find our lives touched by mental illness, and who knows what difficulties we might find ourselves facing as we cope with our situation. Often, the negative reaction of family and friends adds immensely to a person’s suffering.

Most of us in NSW realise that our State did not plan effectively for the measures that should have been taken as a consequence of the decision in the 1980s, following the release of the Richmond Report, to return mental health patients into the community. They have not since been offered the support they needed.

I was very heartened and encouraged by Mr Iemma’s knowledge of these problems, his concern for people at risk, his agreement that successive governments had not done enough for the mentally ill following the Richmond Report, and some of the proposed initiatives he outlined to me.

These are not matters that it is easy for any government to give attention. The cause of prisoners and the mentally ill is not likely to win an election. The tried and tested appeal to ‘law and order’ with a growth of the prison population seems to be what the electorate wants.  If you have been the victim of theft or assault, or have been frightened to walk in the street, it is understandable that you will want the authorities to be tough on crime. Indeed, good order is a fundamental requirement of human society, and the job of the police is a difficult and often unrewarding one.

Nonetheless, we citizens need to be better informed about the reality of prisons, the means of punishment and deterrence and that incarceration is not the answer for many people who are at present restrained in this way. It will greatly assist the government if they can be assured that when they propose to act with just and compassionate measures that meet the needs of the most severely disadvantaged they will have the support of the electorate.

At the same time we Christians cannot merely rely on the government. I am glad to say that in various ways Christians actively remember the ill and the imprisoned.  I have only to mention the work of Anglicare prison chaplains, and those involved in the prison fellowship movement by way of example. But I hope also that our churches and individuals will be sensitive to the needs of those in prison, to the families of prisoners, to those who have left prison and seek to become a productive member of the community, and even more to the number of former prisoners, mentally ill and disadvantaged, who have joined the ranks of the homeless.

In the meantime, please continue to pray for all our leaders – you will not forget Mr Debnam, the leader of the Opposition, I hope, since I gave him the same assurance of prayer I gave to Premier Iemma some time ago!

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