Category: Religion

Last week was ground-breaking for the Australian Catholic Church. Its Plenary Council was a major and critical event for reform within the Church, and it concluded with some positive action after four long years. (more…)

Death-and-resurrection moments might be the most accurate way to describe the scale of what unfolded at a rare high-level Catholic meeting of almost 300 representatives last week in Sydney. (more…)

The future for religion in Australia, especially Christianity, looks rather bleak following the 2021 Census. But is the future really that dismal? (more…)

There are significant long-term consequences in the fiasco for the whole idea of synodality and co-responsibility in the Catholic Church in Australia. (more…)

“My hope is that our lives will declare this meeting open.” June Jordan (more…)

Australia’s Catholic bishops seem to think they own the franchise of the Holy Spirit and are prepared to manipulate the Plenary process to back their foolish claim. (more…)

One of the great chants of Latin American protest marches, is the phrase: “El pueblo unido jamas será vencido”, meaning: “a united people will never be overcome.” (more…)

Since the Reformation we have been used to disunity in the Church being demonstrated through denominational loyalty around historical theological dispute and response. This is no longer the primary case. In the Church, as in politics, the deepening rift is between those who, for the sake of simplicity, insist truth is conveyed through fixed dogmatic assertion, usually on social issues, “conservatives”, and those who believe truth is encountered at the crossroads of faith and life, or to put it more piously, at the point where heaven and earth meet. The latter are commonly called “progressives¨ which, like woke, has become a weaponised term seldom owned by those to whom it is ascribed. (Neither adjective is absolute, relationships are invariably more complex). Both progressive and conservative leanings are present in every denomination. Christians often find more in common across denominational lines with those who share their views, conservative or progressive, than they do within their own denominational membership. (more…)

On Easter night and for the entire season, Ukranians will greet one another with the faith affirmation: “Христос воскрес” (Khrystos voskres). воістину воскрес (vo-ee-stynu voskres)” and the Russians with their own: “Христос воскрес! (Kristos voskrjes!) Воистину воскрес! (Vaistinu voskrjes!)”. Christ is Risen, He is risen indeed. (more…)

There have been few lead ups to Easter in my experience more aligned with one of Easter’s central messages – bringing light out of darkness – than Easter 2022. (more…)

Pope Francis’ highly acclaimed reform of the Roman Curia will rise or fall on the people he chooses to oversee its implementation. (more…)

The Australian Catholic Church’s Plenary Council is heading for the rocks amid sharp recriminations. What was meant to be a showcase of genuine listening and walking together is unravelling with an unedifying lack of goodwill from the bishops. (more…)

Visitors to Indonesia beware: Sound off about visual pollution from billboards or trash in rivers or the CO2 assaults on lungs and listeners will nod. (more…)

If it reaches a deadlock someone from left field might emerge. But here are my tips. (more…)

Catholic bishops are misguided in their insistence on being legally permitted to discriminate against individuals to protect the “ethos” of their schools.

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