Increasing the refugee intake is one way the Australian Government could help with the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan, says Archbishop Mark Coleridge. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president says the government should provide at least 20,000 humanitarian places for refugees from Afghanistan in the wake of the current Taliban takeover. In a letter to Read more
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference will work with Australian bishops – and any other conference that wants to contribute – on a new translation of the lectionary used in Mass. The Australian bishops are also planning to base their updated translation on the Revised New Jerusalem Bible (RNJB). Bishop Stephen Lowe says New Zealand’s Read more
Catholic schoolgirls in Brisbane are being taught that God is gender neutral. Aiming to teach the girls at the region’s exclusive Catholic schools to use inclusive language, the girls are not allowed to use male-centric terms or the words ‘Lord’, ‘Father’ and ‘Son’. The girls at AU$40,000 a year Stuartholme School in Brisbane, are taught Read more
The Catholic Church in Australia is looking for more collegial models of governance in Catholic schools, hospitals and charities. It is presently reviewing the clerical and hierarchical models that have failed dioceses and parishes during the ongoing child sex abuse crisis. Collegial models would see the significant participation of laypeople says Jack de Groot, who Read more
Australia’s redress scheme for survivors of child sexual abuse at Commonwealth institutions has the Australian Catholic Church’s support. The Church has committed to taking part in the new nationwide scheme. “We support the Royal Commission’s [into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse] recommendation for a national redress scheme, administered by the Commonwealth, and we are keen Read more
Controversy has broken out in Australia since the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse published recommendations saying priests should break the confessional seal when child sexual abuse is confessed. The Commission wants legislation introduced to jail people who fail to report child sexual abuse, including priests. In response, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Read more
The Australian Institute of Theological Education says it is “proud to be partnering again with the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference” to host the 13th Annual National eConference next month. They say the eConferences have attracted growing interest from communities across the world and this year’s event will be streamed live. Read more