Australian bishop pleads ‘not guilty’ to abuse charges
(The Pillar)
Bishop Christopher Saunders appeared in Australian court Monday to enter a plea of not guilty to 28 criminal charges, including allegations of sexual assault and indecent dealings with a minor
Australian Bishop Promotes Acceptance of Gender-Diverse People
(Robert Shine. New Ways Ministry)
An Australian bishop has said that gender-diverse people need to be accepted and loved, responding to a new report about the increased challenges which that community faces
Australian bishop urges new Northern Territory leaders to leave no one behind
Bishop Charles Gauci of Darwin – the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory – says he hopes the new leadership by the conservative Country Liberal Party (CLP) “will work towards a future that benefits everyone.”
Australian military to fly pope to remote PNG town
(UCAnews reporter).
The Papua New Guinean (PNG) government has enlisted the help of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to ferry Pope Francis to the remote town of Vanimo in far northwest Sepik province when he tours the country from Sept. 6-9.
Australian School Reject’s Archbishop’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Letter; And More News
(Robert Shine. New Ways Ministry)
St. Cuthbert’s Catholic School, Lindisfarne, Australia, rejected an anti-LGBTQ+ letter by Hobart’s Archbishop Julian Porteous that was distributed to schools in the state of Tasmania
Sydney Archbishop Claims LGBTQ+ Protections May Force Catholic Schools to Close
(Sarah Cassidy. New Ways Ministry)
The archbishop of Sydney has claimed that advancing Australia’s legal protections for LGBTQ+ students and employees may force Catholic schools and hospitals to shut down.
Survey shows family devotion biggest factor in new vocations
(Marilyn Rodrigues. Catholic Weekly).
Sydney’s younger priests are likely to have come from families where daily Mass, nightly praying of the rosary and reading the lives of the saints were common, a recent survey has confirmed.
Australian bishops release companion guide to address assisted suicide
Australia’s bishops have published a guide for pastors and other faith ministers to help them provide “spiritual support” to those who may be considering assisted suicide.
Australian bishop hails U.S. Eucharistic Congress as model for global Catholic renewal
(AC Wimmer. CNA)
As the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis drew to a close, an Australian bishop praised the event as a model for revitalizing the Catholic faith across the world and expressed hope that it could inspire similar revivals worldwide.
(Australian Catholic Bishops Conference).
Productivity Commission recommendations to exclude organisations with a religious purpose from deductible gift recipient (DGR) status and to abolish Basic Religious Charities (BRCs) should be rejected by the Albanese Government.
(Katy Watson. BBC News).
Cuando Luca nació en un hospital de Perth hace dos años, el mundo de sus padres dio un vuelco inesperado. Con la alegría llegó un diagnóstico impactante: Luca tenía fibrosis quística. Entonces Australia, el hogar de Laura Currie y su marido Dante durante ocho años, les dijo que no podían quedarse permanentemente, que Luca podría suponer una carga económica para el país.
(CNA. AC Wimmer).
Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney has raised the alarm over Australia’s incremental erosion of religious freedom in health care, education, and broader society.
In a written interview with CNA, the Dominican friar described the situation as a “house of human rights built on sand,” calling on Catholics “to be serious about being saints for our time.”
Fisher, a member of several Vatican bodies, pointed to “lawfare” and “many more examples of legislative or policy moves in our federal and state governments that are hostile to religion.”
He warned of the consequences of legislative and bureaucratic actions, which, he argued, can shred the very fabric of religious liberty.
(The Catholic Weekly. George Al-Akiki).
Record crowds have celebrated the largest Walk With Christ since the COVID pandemic, with more than 15,000 Catholics joining the procession through the streets of Sydney for the Feast of Corpus Christi. Speaking with joy at the public witness, Archbishop of Sydney Most Rev. Anthony Fisher OP stated that the solemn event was an encouraging display of devotion as Australia aspires to host the 2028 International Eucharist Congress. “Today, my dear friends, you have done as the Council asked and helped prepare this city and country for that event we devoutly hope Pope Francis will grant us in 2028,” Archbishop Fisher said.
(The Catholic Weekly. Darren Ally).
A chorus of common joy arose from the more than 15,000-strong army of Catholics who marched through the city last Sunday for the annual Walk with Christ procession. Many young Catholics like 16-year-old Chris Pereira from Frenchs Forest, were experiencing Australia’s biggest Catholic procession for the first time. “I’ve never seen so many people. I haven’t experienced anything like this before. Just how silent the city was. And we’re all just walking together, that sense of community is something I’ll never forget,” he said. He was one of the many thousands of young Sydney Catholics proudly professing their faith. “It’s unbelievable! And I’m just so happy to be one of the young people honouring and celebrating Christ in this wonderful city,” said 14-year-old Dima Shamonka from St Thomas Chaldean church in Bossley Park.
(AC Wimmer. CNA).
Representatives of the Australian Catholic Medical Association, with the support of several Catholic moral theologians and bioethicists, have criticized a book published by the Pontifical Academy for Life for its lack of understanding of “current science” and specific areas of medicine.
The experts argue that the book spreads “misleading and confusing” theological and medical information that contradicts established Church teachings on contraception and assisted reproductive technologies.
The book in question, “Etica Teologica Della Vita” (ETV), covers “Theological Ethics of Life: Scripture, Tradition, and Practical Challenges.” The 528-page Italian publication is a synthesis of a seminar sponsored by the academy in 2021.
(The Pillar. LUKE COPPEN).
The proportion of Australia’s Catholics attending weekly Mass fell from 11.8% to 8.2% between 2016 and 2021, according to figures released this week. The Australian Catholic Mass Attendance Report 2021 said that the number of Massgoers dropped from 623,400 to 417,350 — a fall around a third — in the five-year period. Some of Australia’s 33 dioceses saw especially sharp declines. In the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, attendance dipped from 10,465 in 2016 to 5,443 in 2021, a 48% reduction. The diocese in New South Wales had the country’s lowest Mass attendance rate in 2021, well below the national average at 3.7%. The Maitland-Newcastle diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Sydney, which had an above-average Mass attendance rate of 10.4% in 2021. But the Sydney archdiocese — arguably the country’s most prominent — also saw a significant decline in Mass attendance, from 93,365 to 61,247 over the five years, a fall of 34%. The nationwide Mass attendance rate of 8.2% likely puts Australia at the lower end of the global spectrum, alongside countries such as Brazil and France.
(CRUX. Elise Ann Allen).
Amid the Catholic Church’s push under Pope Francis to increasingly engage with and welcome Indigenous peoples and cultures, Australia’s bishops have approved a new liturgy incorporating elements of Aboriginal language and culture. Called the “Mass of the Land of the Holy Spirit,” or Missa Terra Spiritus Sancti in Latin, the liturgy was formally approved for use in the Diocese of Broome in Western Australia on Tuesday during a plenary meeting of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference in Sydney.
According to a May 7 statement from the Australian bishops, the motion to approve the Mass was brought forward by the Bishops Commission for Liturgy and was co-sponsored by the Bishops Commission for Relations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The liturgy will now be submitted to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and await a recognitio, or official recognition from the Vatican. Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis has made of point of meeting with Indigenous groups and has often spoken out about respecting their land and cultural customs.
(Aciprensa. Kate Quiñones).
El obispo ortodoxo que fue atacado en una iglesia australiana a inicios de esta semana aseguró que está “bien” y que le dijo a su atacante: “Eres mi hijo y siempre estarás en mis oraciones”.
En lo que ha sido calificado por la policía australiana como un ataque terrorista, un joven entró en la iglesia de Cristo el Buen Pastor el lunes 15 de abril por la noche y apuñaló al obispo Mar Mari Emmanuel. El obispo es un líder de la iglesia asiria, una rama del cristianismo oriental.
La policía de Nueva Gales del Sur tiene bajo custodia al sospechoso, un joven de 16 años cuya identidad no ha sido revelada debido a las leyes que protegen a los delincuentes menores.
El obispo ortodoxo que fue atacado en una iglesia australiana a inicios de esta semana aseguró que está “bien” y que le dijo a su atacante: “Eres mi hijo y siempre estarás en mis oraciones”.
En lo que ha sido calificado por la policía australiana como un ataque terrorista, un joven entró en la iglesia de Cristo el Buen Pastor el lunes 15 de abril por la noche y apuñaló al obispo Mar Mari Emmanuel. El obispo es un líder de la iglesia asiria, una rama del cristianismo oriental.
La policía de Nueva Gales del Sur tiene bajo custodia al sospechoso, un joven de 16 años cuya identidad no ha sido revelada debido a las leyes que protegen a los delincuentes menores.
(The Pillar).
The former secretary of an Australian bishop charged with sexual abuse told The Pillar that she was personally instructed by Bishop Christopher Saunders to make payments to potential victims.
Cherrille Quilty told The Pillar that from 2016 to 2017 she worked for Bishop Saunders, who led the Western Australia Diocese of Broome until 2021.