Titled "We are salt to the earth", the letter has faced backlash from politicians and LGBTIQA+ advocates.

The May 2 letter was sent initially to Guilford Young College students and later distributed to other Catholic schools in Tasmania.

Archbishop Porteous expressed concern over the imposition of "ideological positions" through legislation, lamenting changes such as the legalisation of same-sex marriage.

He also criticised the "radicalised transgender lobby" and the promotion of "diversity and inclusivity" in corporate sectors.

"What we are now witnessing in our Australian society is the imposition of certain ideological positions on social and moral questions by means of legislation" the archbishop wrote.

Enough is enough

Archbishop Porteous further wrote: "As the Church, we cannot stand by as we experience our freedoms being taken from us.

"The time has come to take a clear stand and say 'enough is enough'. We do this not just for our own sake but because we believe that Christian teaching is true and offers the only way for individuals, families and societies to fully flourish" he said.

Equality Tasmania president Rowan Richardson criticised the letter for fostering a hostile environment for young people.

"This letter has misinformation and disinformation, and also some homophobic and transphobic beliefs in it.

"The views that are expressed in the letter are draconian and totally out of touch with what actually we need to do to make young people feel safe in schools and ready to learn" Richardson stated.

Hateful speech

In his letter, Archbishop Porteous said staff or students who disagreed with the teachings of the Catholic Church were free to move to a different school.

"If they initially can accept the Catholicity of the school but later find that their personal views are at variance with those of the Catholic faith, then it would only make sense they should seek an alternative educational institution more aligned with their views" he wrote.

Several politicians criticised the "Salt to the Earth" letter.

Independent Tasmanian MP Kristie Johnston, whose child received the letter, condemned its contents as "hateful speech".

Meanwhile, Tasmanian Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff suggested that it could violate anti-discrimination legislation.

In a statement, the Archdiocese of Hobart said "The letter expresses his concern about threats to religious freedom from the Albanese Government's proposed legislation. In particular, the letter expresses the Archbishop's concern about the freedom of Catholic institutions to teach and uphold the Catholic faith".

Sources

ABC News

Catholic Weekly

Archdiocese of Hobart

According to the Bishops' Conference website's media blog, the delegation from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) made the pastoral visit to several Ukrainian cities on 8-11 August in an expression of solidarity with the country's people.

The delegation consisted of Archbishop Peter A Comensoli of Melbourne; Archbishop Julian Porteous of Hobart; Bishop Karol Kulczycki SDS of Port Pirie; Father Simon Cjuk, vicar general of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Australia; Annie Carrett, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Melbourne; and was guided and accompanied by Father Adam Ziółkowski SDS.

The delegation visited Lviv, Kyiv, Bucha and Irpin, the last two having been sites of horrendous destruction and atrocities against human life, and met with Church leaders, families, civil leaders, and soldiers.

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He made the call in a commentary on a plenary council preparatory document.

Archbishop Julian Porteous of Hobart (pictured) said Catholicism in Australia faces crises such as a loss of faith and declining religious practice. The plenary council working document shows "serious failures" that suggest a lack of confidence and "evangelical vigour".

Porteous commented, "I sense a church that has lost confidence in itself; a church that has lost confidence in its identity and mission."

The document's doctrinal contradictions and general tone, he said, can encourage Catholics to shrink from their "prophetic task" and become caught in a "spiritual paralysis".

"This is the time for the Church to rise up with new evangelical vigour. This is the time to turn all our attention to announcing a word of life and hope," Archbishop Porteous said.

"The sharp edge of the call to conversion and faith is lacking in the document. In the face of the rise of those who declare that they have no faith, it is necessary more than ever to issue the call to faith," said Porteous.

"The Church in Australia is in the midst of an existential crisis as it witnesses thousands abandoning participation in the sacramental life of the Church each year," he added.

"The Church is in serious decline, yet no real recognition of this reality is given in the document. Because the crisis of faith is not acknowledged, the document makes no effort to propose a way forward for the Church," he said.

Porteous wrote his comments in response to the working document "Towards the Second Assembly," produced as the Catholic Church in Australia is amid its Fifth Plenary Council.

For Porteous, Catholics need to take the path of "entering more deeply into the mystery of the Church to unleash the power of the life of grace".

He called for the Catholic Church to be prepared "to be a prophetic voice speaking truth with love within the culture, to challenge the prevailing ethos."

"Have we become afraid to speak out about what we believe?" he asked. "If we shrink from our prophetic task, we will become caught in a spiritual paralysis."

Sources

Catholic News Agency

The Catholic Weekly

Life Site News

The ban was announced after Fr Frank Brennan SJ defended Catholics' right to speak according to their conscience about the issue.

He had been invited to speak at a CatholicCare Tasmania conference in February.

Archbishop Julian Porteous says Brennan may not attend advertised speaking events because of his advocacy for religious freedom regarding same-sex marriage.

Porteous's decision was met with surprise by former Catholic priest Paul Collins.

"It is not as though Frank were some raging radical, he is a person who runs all of the Catholic Church's social services in the country," he says.

Mr Collins says Porteous, who holds opposite views to Brennan regarding same-sex marriage, is out of touch with mainstream Catholics.

"Frank Brennan's views on same-sex marriage are absolutely the views of the majority of Catholics in Australia. I voted yes," he says.

"All the evidence points to the fact that the vast majority of Catholic's voted 'yes' and a number of the other Catholic bishops voted 'yes'.

Collins says Australia is a pluralistic democracy, "and in a pluralistic democracy, people are able to express their views in public.

"What it does is reinforce the notion that bishops live, somehow or other, in cloud-cuckoo-land."

Source

• SkyNews
• ABC
• Image: Australian Marriage Equality