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Many have asked whether the Catholic Church can survive the shock of the conviction of Cardinal George Pell and the impact on its credibility, even utility. Yet to assume that the institution is exclusively the Church is to miss the point: Cardinal Pell has been sentenced, not Australia’s Catholics. Believers, and those who identify with Read more
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A multi-faith ceremony may take the place of the Lord’s Prayer each day before the state parliament in Victoria, Australia opens. Since 1918 the Our Father has been said before the state parliament opens its daily sessions. The proposal is being reviewed by a Victoria Legislative Council committee, the state parliament’s upper house. Gavin Jennings, Read more
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Manus Island detainees must be released. Mental illness among those incarcerated on the island are rife, says the bishops conference of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The general secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of PNG, Giorgio Licini, has written to Prime Minister Peter O’Neill saying PNG leaders should negotiate a deadline with Australia to release Read more
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A report which the humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF/ Doctors without Borders) released this week says the island nation of Nauru is facing a mental health crisis. The Indefinite Despair report includes medical data MSF gathered during the past year while it was contracted by the Nauruan government to deliver mental health services. These Read more
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Former Australian archbishop, Philip Wilson, is appealing his conviction for not reporting allegations of child sexual abuse disclosed to him in the 1970s. Wilson told the court via electronic communication that he is innocent and had no recollection of the accusations of abuse committed by Fr James Fletcher when Fletcher was charged with child sex Read more
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Gay teachers should ensure they keep their relationships well hidden from the eyes of students at religious schools, says Melbourne’s archbishop Peter Comensoli. It would be preferable if they and their partners live some distance away from the school in which they teach, he suggests. Comensoli made the comments on Monday when he was giving Read more
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Catholic Australian Senator Barry O’Sullivan declared himself a woman before parliament last week so he could speak about abortion issues. He made the declaration after several female lawmakers said he’d never understand women’s choices about their reproductive health. “I’m going to declare my gender today, as I can, to be a woman, and then you’ll Read more
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Australia’s focus on the Pacific region ignores needs and priorities identified by the region’s political and Church leaders, says Caritas Australia’s chief executive officer. Paul O’Callaghan spoke out after Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced an expansion of assistance to the Pacific. The assistance will include introducing long-term loans for new infrastructure projects. Infrastructure is Read more
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An Australian religious freedoms report which has reviewed religious protections in Australia says it should be more difficult for schools to turn away gay students. According to Philip Ruddock, the author of the as yet unreleased document, the report suggests narrowing the scope of existing sex discrimination laws. “We weren’t suggesting that the law should Read more
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The Australian Catholic Church has welcomed Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s apology to survivors of institutional child sexual abuse and recommitted to working with the community to eliminate child sexual abuse. Leaders of Catholic Religious Australia (CRA) and the Australian Catholic Bishops released a statement after the prime minister’s address to parliament saying: ““The National Apology Read more
