The Australasian Catholic Coalition for Church Reform is very concerned at the confusing vaccination leadership from the Catholic Church in Australia. (more…)
Category: Religion
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Plenary Council: Opportunity for Church to Restore Human Rights
Having for the first time chosen ‘no religion’ instead of Catholic in the Census, I do not feel entitled to write about the Church from a religious perspective. Instead, my comments are from a human rights viewpoint, the Church being an institution with considerable influence on Australian society and government.
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The Plenary Council: Consulting the faithful
The episcopal and clerical members of the Australian Plenary Council should be particularly attentive to the voices of the laity when they address the council’s agenda.
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Catholic reform movement gathers momentum
The movement for reform of the Catholic Church in Australia is gathering momentum with more than 1200 people attending the online forum, hearing powerful Indigenous and international voices.
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What good may come from the plenary council
Anyone who’s been an active Catholic for 80 years, as I have, may well have heard at different stages of life, 5 or 6 bishops extolling the achievement of the Council of Jerusalem but has likely never heard any bishop quote St. Luke’s key words “after much disputing”.
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Identifying antisemitism is not always clear cut
The Jewish community’s awareness of the threat of racism and antisemitism is longstanding. That awareness extends across political boundaries and is part of a general desire to live in a cohesive society, tolerant of diversity.
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If true-blue Pentecostalists were in charge what would they do about climate change?
If true-blue Pentecostals were in charge, they would take no action to mitigate climate change. Not only that, they would also actively intervene to stop those who try. (more…)
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Doctrinal and structural Catholic Church transformation
Transformation most often happens not when something new begins, but when something old falls apart. It is change but not restoration. Transformation is a new configuration. For the church it means a doctrinal as well as a structural transformation. (more…)
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What we might hope from the Catholic Plenary Council!
You are hopeless. You are not listening to me. (more…)
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Religious America is in decline
As a Catholic I often feel that the church tries to speak the Gospel but church structures have remained monarchical and unaccountable. Most often, when confronting serious problems like clerical sexual abuse, it still adheres to policies promoting secrecy and protecting the church’s reputation. (more…) -
Making atheists and doubters count in the next Census
While fundamentalist Christians are busy infiltrating the Liberal Party the Rationalist Society of Australia (RSA) and other groups have launched a campaign – the Census 21 Campaign – to encourage people to tick the no religion box in the August 10 2021 Australian Census.
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Renew the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne or sink into the sunset.
Archbishop of Melbourne, Peter Comensoli, now accepts that his diocese is in a huge existential crisis. He told his diocesan clergy on 28 April 2021 and parish lay leaders on 22 May 2021 that the diocese is on a ‘threshold’ and either we do something or ‘sink into the sunset’. (more…) -
The difference between fake and genuine apologies
These days there are frequent apologies, non-apologies, refusals to apologise and extended qualifications of apologies with weasel phrases such as “this is not who we are” – despite the behaviour of the organisation uttering the words obviously being exactly who and what they are. (more…)
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Catholic Plenary Council – an opportunity for Indigenous reconciliation
It is encouraging that the Instrumentum Laboris (Working Document) of the Catholic Plenary Council due to meet in October 2021 affirms, “We honour and acknowledge the continuing deep
spiritual relationship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to this country and commit ourselves to the ongoing journey of reconciliation”. (more…) -
US Catholic Bishops have President Biden in their sights over abortion rights
In what many observers see as a growing episcopal polarization, the US Catholic bishops, the USCCB, in their 2021 spring meeting, voted to advance their “Communion document”. The draft document passed by 75% of the bishops’ conference advances a push by conservative US bishops to deny President Biden communion because of his support for abortion rights.
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Pope Francis’ reforms the Church’s disciplinary system in response to royal commission
One of the main reasons for the Catholic Church shifting around abusive priests was because its disciplinary system was dysfunctional. Far more children were abused than would have occurred if it had a decent one. The Royal Commission made recommendations for change, and Pope Francis has adopted some of them, but he has retained two of the most harshly criticized canons.
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Now or never: Remarks by John Warhurst at Book Launch of Wrestling with the Church Hierarchy
It is now or never for the Catholic Church’s Vatican Two generation. They must continue to wrestle with the church hierarchy if the forthcoming Plenary Council is to have any chance of achieving its potential.
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Australian Catholic media censorship, Pravda style.
There’s a Plenary Council coming up in October 2021 and it is slated to be an opportunity for renewal for the Catholic Church in this country.But is there room for dialogue when evan an Archbishop is gagged? (more…)
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The struggle for real reform in the Australian Catholic Church: Catholics and their bishops are at odds
Australians should be concerned about what is happening currently in the Catholic church. Catholics are engaged in a review of their church in this country, yet there is growing evidence the process is being manipulated. (more…)
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History clarifies and history challenges for the Catholic Church
It was a strange conversation. A friend who was, at that time, an American archbishop had congratulated me on an academic promotion. He slapped me on the back in his customary gung ho way and said: “You are a smart guy, a theologian, but remember that I have something you don’t have.” (more…)
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History lessons for critiques on Christianity
Before we worry too much about school students, it’s the adults who need remedial history lessons if two recent articles are anything to go by. (more…)
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Scott Morrison. Politics and Pentecostalism 101
Scott Morrison’s personal religion is entirely his own business. However, given recent public statements about his beliefs, by himself and in the media, it is legitimate to ask about Pentecostalism in Australia and its relationship, if any, to politics and politicians. (more…)
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Catholicism must grow up
Catholic reform leader, Sr Joan Chittister OSB, has told a large Australian audience that Catholicism “must grow up” and that Catholics want a reformed Church. Sr Joan boosted the calls for change in the Australian Catholic church in an inspiring address to a 3,000-strong audience.
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Our Christian heritage and the culture wars
The culture war drum-beats are sounding again – pounded out by the usual suspects in the Murdoch media and among shock jocks and the Morrison Government. (more…)
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Ramadan in Indonesia
It’s Ramadan, the annual fasting month followed strictly, laxly or somewhere in-between by the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims. Living among the famished practising their traditions in Indonesia where 88 per cent of the 273 million citizens say they follow Islam can be physically challenging, intellectually confusing and socially engrossing.
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The religious recession
A Gallup poll released on Monday, March 29 , 2021, indicates that the proportion of Americans who consider themselves members of a church or synagogue has now dropped below 50%. The results highlight a dramatic shift away from religious affiliation in recent years, and among all age groups. When Gallup first asked the question in 1937, church membership was 73%. (more…)
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Abuse in Catholic care is worse in New Zealand than Australia
The New Zealand Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions has revealed that the problem of abuse in New Zealand’s Catholic institutions appears to be much worse than the problem revealed in Australia’s Catholic institutions.
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Hans Kung: a theologian for everyone
Hans Küng died last Tuesday aged 93. I had the honour of knowing him as a friend. He was a rare breed: a theologian who spoke to people of diverse beliefs and none.
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Another attempt to mute the voices of Catholic women
My text for today is taken from the Book of Genesis, as translated by John Milton: “Hee for God only. Shee for God in him.”Paradise Lost, 1667.
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Easter Homily: women have witnessed to the truth.
Women have been commissioned to lead the way as our society makes its way out of the present commotion of disrespect, discrimination and violence. (more…)