Australia’s Catholic bishops have strongly objected to any suggestion of a commercial surrogacy industry. In a submission to an Australian parliamentary sub-committee’s inquiry, the bishops said it would be “intolerable” to argue “harm minimisation” as justification for commercial surrogacy. “Children are not commodities and should not be bought,” said Bishop Peter Comensoli, the bishops’ delegate Read more
A Catholic agency may have to stop arranging adoptions if a Victorian bill that allows same-sex couples to jointly adopt children becomes law. Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart and CatholicCare have called for protection for faith-based groups that do not want to give adoption services to same-sex couples. But, under the Victorian government’s bill, faith-based groups Read more
Authorities in Chile are investigating allegations that Catholic priests were in a network that took newborn babies from unmarried mothers. The babies were illegally given away to be raised by married couples in “traditional” Catholic families. The motivation was the social stigma attached to being an unmarried mother in middle-class families in Chile in the Read more
It’s what they talk about in movies and soap operas; 15-years-old, Catholic and pregnant. The daughter of a well known policeman, to the son of a well known Catholic school principal. The shame. The embarrassment. The scandal. Well, that was me, the 15-year-old girl, and from the moment I snuck to the doctors to have Read more
Only one in eight of the couples and individuals who try to adopt children are approved by social workers, official figures revealed yesterday. The shocking statistics mean that more than 22,000 would-be adoptive parents vanish from the system every year. The figures were made public for the first time by the schools and children inspectorate Read more
Sr Mary Eliza of Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, was released from prison without any charges today. The court also ordered the release of Sr Mary’s passport and all documents of the Prem Nivasa (House of Love) convent seized for the purposes of an investigation into alleged irregularities at the home for pregnant Read more
Some people have been irritated by the near adulation of Steve Jobs by Apple lovers. Since his death last week there have been an avalanche of blogs. Paul Vallely says. “Think different is the Apple slogan. Ironically, there was a pretty undifferentiated consensus in the tributes being paid to him. Eulogies likened him to Edison and Read more
Some commentators are suggesting that religious liberty is under threat in the United States in both the legislature and the courts. At least one Bishop thinks there is a possibility that the Church will no longer be free to preach the truth from the pulpit or to present Catholic teaching. Bishop Samuel J. Aquila of Fargo, Read more
This week Labour’s youth justice spokesperson Jacinda Ardern will table a Care of Children Law Reform Bill, which would require the Law Commission to review and update adoption laws. The bill would replace the Adoption Act, which is more than 50 years old. “The current Act fails to recognise that more than three-quarters of children Read more