Melbourne’s archbishop has stopped a speech by an Australian MP at a Catholic conference because the speaker supports same-sex marriage. Archbishop Denis Hart intervened to cancel a planned keynote speech by MP Cathy McGowan at a Catholic Social Services Victoria conference this month. The reason given was that her views are contrary to Church teachings. Read more
Melbourne’s archbishop has urged Victoria’s Catholic high schools to be sensitive to students who want to bring a partner of the same sex to school formals. Archbishop Hart was asked by Fairfax Media for comment on a case at the Academy of Mary Immaculate in Fitzroy last year. A student at the all-girls school started Read more
Australia’s Catholic bishops have offered the Church’s help for the Australian government’s international work to abolish the death penalty. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president, Archbishop Denis Hart, wrote to a parliamentary inquiry into Australia’s advocacy for the abolition of the death penalty. “The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference would be happy to assist the Australian 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
Giving evidence to a parliamentary inquiry into child sex abuse in Victoria, Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne has said the Catholic Church could do better to protect whistleblowers raising concerns about paedophile behaviour at its institutions. He said the Church was working to improve its processes to help whistleblowers. “I always think there’s room for Read more