Anthony Hogan

Perhaps being socially progressive and Christian are not such mutually exclusive value positions after all? (more…)

The Australian Catholics Bishops Conference have announced that they are open to change. This article scopes out what such an agenda for change might need to address. (more…)

I continue to be concerned by the public positions taken by various Catholic Arch-Bishops (Prowse, Canberra Times, June 7, 2018; Coleridge Canberra Times, 11 July, 2018) with regards the Catholic confessional and the mandatory reporting of child abuse. The Church’s position against such laws is based on the arguments that:

• people basically don’t confess such sins anymore so there is no issue
• that children would not be safer
• the priest has taken a holy vow to keep confidential what is heard in the confessional, and that
• the practice of confession is a religious freedom and as such, that what occurs within the practise of religion is somehow outside the law of the land.

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Across Australia, various jurisdictions are beginning to address the question of whether or not to legalise voluntary assisted suicide for people who are terminally and extremely ill. By 2019, legislation approved in Victoria will come into effect while legislation previously approved in the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory was overturned by the so-called Andrew’s Bill.Media reports covering the passing of the Victorian legislation represented the debates around the issue as being highly emotional and very contentious. Several issues seem to be at play here. (more…)