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Catholic Parish Ivanhoe
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Catholic Parish Ivanhoe
News 2020
A broad and diverse mix of Local, National and International faith-related News, Information and Opinions.
Views expressed are those of the Authors and may or may not always represent those of the Parish.
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January 2021, John Costa
January provides an appropriate opportunity for many people to have some rest. The News page will be updated but less frequently than for the rest of the year - except for any breaking news which, as has been the website custom in our parish for the last 14 years, would be published immediately.
Parish Redevelopment Project - Builder selected
Pat Kelly, Thursday 24 December 2020
On the 22nd December 2020, the tender evaluation committee comprising representatives of the Archdiocese, the Parish and our Architects selected Raysett Constructions Pty Ltd as the preferred tenderer for the construction of the Parish Redevelopment Project. The contract between the Roman Catholic Trusts Corporation for the Diocese of Melbourne and Raysett Constructions Pty Ltd is now under preparation with the intention of works commencing on site in January.
Raysett Constructions has delivered church and school projects for the Archdiocese and constructions for government. Current projects include Our Lady of the Way Primary School, Wallan East, St James the Apostle Church and government schools.
A reminder of the scope of the project. The redevelopment project will provide a new parish office on Upper Heidelberg Road with entrance to office, meeting rooms, the presbytery and the Lady Chapel. The Lady Chapel will be open during office hours.
The existing Waverley Avenue entrance to the church will be refurbished. New sacristies and public toilets will be constructed. An additional entry on the western side of the church will give access to the church and the new gathering space. The church and the gathering space can be independently secured as required. The church, gathering space and new entry will all be on the same level for easy access for persons with special needs. It is intended that coffee in the gathering space will be a regular feature after Mass. The structure of the church will be refurbished with carpet throughout and a heating and cooling system installed. Environmental features include thermal insulation to the new buildings, solar electric panels and storm water retention and filtration system. The area currently occupied by the house and other buildings will become the carpark for the site.
Timing of construction and further information will be provided following signing of the contract. The Mary Immaculate Church and the entire site will remain closed until completion of the project.
Raysett Constructions has delivered church and school projects for the Archdiocese and constructions for government. Current projects include Our Lady of the Way Primary School, Wallan East, St James the Apostle Church and government schools.
A reminder of the scope of the project. The redevelopment project will provide a new parish office on Upper Heidelberg Road with entrance to office, meeting rooms, the presbytery and the Lady Chapel. The Lady Chapel will be open during office hours.
The existing Waverley Avenue entrance to the church will be refurbished. New sacristies and public toilets will be constructed. An additional entry on the western side of the church will give access to the church and the new gathering space. The church and the gathering space can be independently secured as required. The church, gathering space and new entry will all be on the same level for easy access for persons with special needs. It is intended that coffee in the gathering space will be a regular feature after Mass. The structure of the church will be refurbished with carpet throughout and a heating and cooling system installed. Environmental features include thermal insulation to the new buildings, solar electric panels and storm water retention and filtration system. The area currently occupied by the house and other buildings will become the carpark for the site.
Timing of construction and further information will be provided following signing of the contract. The Mary Immaculate Church and the entire site will remain closed until completion of the project.
Annual Progress Report 2020: The Catholic Church in Australia’s Implementation of the Recommendations from the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
Report documents steady, meaningful progress on safeguardingEdited extracts from From ACBC Media Blog, 17 December 2020
The presidents of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and Catholic Religious Australia say their annual report to the National Office for Child Safety outlines comprehensive and sustained work across Church settings. The provision of an annual report on progress in child protection and safeguarding was one of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The Bishops Conference and CRA adopted that recommendation. They have published the Church’s third such report today. “The annual report reflects that the Catholic community has been working hard for decades to ensure Church environments are safe, but we are constantly learning from experts within and beyond the Church how to improve our practices and protocols and, most importantly, to change the culture,” said Archbishop Mark Coleridge, president of the Bishops Conference. “We are committed to ongoing reform of our practices, documenting our reforms and explaining how we are creating and maintaining safe environments for all people.” CRA president Br Peter Carroll FMS said the annual report is an important way, but not the only way, in which the Church can report on its progress both at the national level and at the level of individual Catholic entities. The National Catholic Safeguarding Standards are being embedded across all Catholic ministries – dioceses, parishes, schools, early learning, social services and countless others........(more)
Annual Progress Report 2020 The Catholic Church in Australia’s Implementation of the Recommendations from the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse HERE
Bishops publish response to Church governance review report
From ACBC Media Blog, 17 December 2020
A review of governance will help shape the way the Catholic Church in Australia understands co-responsibility in its life and mission and puts it into practice, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has said. The Australia bishops reviewed and discussed the final version of the governance review report The Light from the Southern Cross: Co-Responsible Governance in the Catholic Church in Australia during their recent plenary meeting. The bishops finalised their initial response to the report, which they have published today. “A report that contains dozens of recommendations and was prepared over more than a year takes time to consider and absorb,” Bishops Conference president Archbishop Mark Coleridge said. “So the bishops gave substantial time to the report during the meeting and in the preceding weeks and months. As the report’s authors said, it isn’t the last word on governance. Nor is the bishops’ response to the report.” In their response, the bishops group topics and recommendations under six headings: • the nature of the Church; • the mission of the Church; • co-responsibility; • consultation, advice, decision; • relationships between entities; • evolution in Church governance. These are important and complex themes, on which much has already been written. But the report has the advantage of being fresh and locally produced. It speaks to the Australian situation but has implications for the Church beyond these shores,” Archbishop Coleridge said. “It’s not for the bishops alone to discern the way forward for the Church at this time, and this report draws together other voices which the bishops welcome. “The Light from the Southern Cross is the fruit of listening and will help the bishops listen more deeply to the voices of the Church and the voice of the Spirit.” The bishops’ response points out that many of the matters raised in the document may be better handled by a local bishop or province rather than at the national level. Where there are other matters that do warrant national consideration, the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia is another forum where that might be done. “The bishops are very grateful for the remarkable work which the Governance Review Project Team has done,” Archbishop Coleridge said. “It’s something that’s never been done before and will provide an invaluable point of reference as we look to the future.” Click here to download the bishops’ response to The Light from the Southern Cross. Image: ACBC Media Blog 20201217
From ACBC Media Blog, 17 December 2020
A review of governance will help shape the way the Catholic Church in Australia understands co-responsibility in its life and mission and puts it into practice, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has said. The Australia bishops reviewed and discussed the final version of the governance review report The Light from the Southern Cross: Co-Responsible Governance in the Catholic Church in Australia during their recent plenary meeting. The bishops finalised their initial response to the report, which they have published today. “A report that contains dozens of recommendations and was prepared over more than a year takes time to consider and absorb,” Bishops Conference president Archbishop Mark Coleridge said. “So the bishops gave substantial time to the report during the meeting and in the preceding weeks and months. As the report’s authors said, it isn’t the last word on governance. Nor is the bishops’ response to the report.” In their response, the bishops group topics and recommendations under six headings: • the nature of the Church; • the mission of the Church; • co-responsibility; • consultation, advice, decision; • relationships between entities; • evolution in Church governance. These are important and complex themes, on which much has already been written. But the report has the advantage of being fresh and locally produced. It speaks to the Australian situation but has implications for the Church beyond these shores,” Archbishop Coleridge said. “It’s not for the bishops alone to discern the way forward for the Church at this time, and this report draws together other voices which the bishops welcome. “The Light from the Southern Cross is the fruit of listening and will help the bishops listen more deeply to the voices of the Church and the voice of the Spirit.” The bishops’ response points out that many of the matters raised in the document may be better handled by a local bishop or province rather than at the national level. Where there are other matters that do warrant national consideration, the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia is another forum where that might be done. “The bishops are very grateful for the remarkable work which the Governance Review Project Team has done,” Archbishop Coleridge said. “It’s something that’s never been done before and will provide an invaluable point of reference as we look to the future.” Click here to download the bishops’ response to The Light from the Southern Cross. Image: ACBC Media Blog 20201217
Conversion bill: churches fear state overreach on religion
Limited extract from Barney Zwartz, Contributor, The Age, 17 December 2020
Most Victorian churches are intensely concerned about legislation the state government is rushing through Parliament without consultation to ban so-called conversion therapy to change sexual orientation. It is not that the churches practise or defend any form of coercive conversion therapy; the problem is the massive overreach of the bill and the State arrogating to itself wide control over the religious beliefs and practices of religious believers. Many Victorian churches are concerned about the conversion bill. No faith leaders were allowed to see the Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Bill (2020) before it was introduced to Parliament, and the Attorney-General, Jill Hennessy, has declined to meet church representatives herself. Many Christians – and people of other faiths – fear there is a broader agenda at work by a state government more hostile to Christianity than its predecessors. It showed this, for example, by classing religion as merely entertainment during lockdown, and making restrictions much tighter for churches than restaurants or bars, despite stringent COVID-safe plans applied in churches. They fear the bill may hide an agenda to silence people of faith. And not only believers. Thanks to the broad-brush approach, this legislation might unintentionally intrude on rights and freedoms that are precious to everyone. Freedom of belief and speech are fundamental rights that are important for the common good, for atheists or the LGBT community (which includes believers) as much as religious people. Personally, I accept that the intentions behind the legislation are good. The problem is the apparently rushed and ill-considered overreach which could have broad and – one trusts, but is not quite certain – unintended consequences for freedom of belief, speech and religion. A meeting of leaders of Victorian churches unanimously supported the intention of the bill to protect vulnerable people from coercive practices.....(source)
Limited extract from Barney Zwartz, Contributor, The Age, 17 December 2020
Most Victorian churches are intensely concerned about legislation the state government is rushing through Parliament without consultation to ban so-called conversion therapy to change sexual orientation. It is not that the churches practise or defend any form of coercive conversion therapy; the problem is the massive overreach of the bill and the State arrogating to itself wide control over the religious beliefs and practices of religious believers. Many Victorian churches are concerned about the conversion bill. No faith leaders were allowed to see the Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Bill (2020) before it was introduced to Parliament, and the Attorney-General, Jill Hennessy, has declined to meet church representatives herself. Many Christians – and people of other faiths – fear there is a broader agenda at work by a state government more hostile to Christianity than its predecessors. It showed this, for example, by classing religion as merely entertainment during lockdown, and making restrictions much tighter for churches than restaurants or bars, despite stringent COVID-safe plans applied in churches. They fear the bill may hide an agenda to silence people of faith. And not only believers. Thanks to the broad-brush approach, this legislation might unintentionally intrude on rights and freedoms that are precious to everyone. Freedom of belief and speech are fundamental rights that are important for the common good, for atheists or the LGBT community (which includes believers) as much as religious people. Personally, I accept that the intentions behind the legislation are good. The problem is the apparently rushed and ill-considered overreach which could have broad and – one trusts, but is not quite certain – unintended consequences for freedom of belief, speech and religion. A meeting of leaders of Victorian churches unanimously supported the intention of the bill to protect vulnerable people from coercive practices.....(source)
Jakarta Archdiocese brings Holy Communion home to Catholics
Church allows faithful to give sacrament to family members who cannot attend church due to COVID-19 restriction
Limited extracts from Katharina R. Lestari, Subscription Journal La Croix International, 16 December 2020
......Nearly four months later, after local authorities began to ease social restrictions imposed to combat the pandemic in the capital, the archdiocese reopened churches for public Sunday Masses with a limited capacity of up to only 20 percent. In the beginning, only three out of 66 parishes served by the archdiocese were allowed to reopen their churches, including Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral in Jakarta. They had all met the health and safety requirements set out by the archdiocese to reopen, such as providing wash basins, body temperature scanners, social distancing and the wearing of face masks. More parishes were allowed to reopen as time went by. Paulina's parish, for an instance, resumed public Sunday Masses on Aug. 16. However, the archdiocese's policy says that these Masses during the COVID-19 pandemic can only be attended by parishioners aged 18-59, while children and elderly people should continue to join livestreamed Masses for the sake of their health.......Om October 27, the archdiocese issued a letter containing guidelines on the distribution of Holy Communion by Catholic laypeople during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was considered an extraordinary situation. According to the eight-page guidelines, a healthy Catholic adult aged 18-59 who has received the sacraments of initiation — Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist — is allowed to serve as a Pelayan Pembawa Komuni or PPK (Holy Communion carrier servant). The guidelines also stated that a PPK should firstly join a livestreamed or public Sunday Mass before distributing Holy Communion to their family members in a very respectful way. The archdiocese's policy was issued based on, among others, the Code of Canon Law that stipulates that "laymen who possess the age and qualifications established by decree of the conference of bishops can be admitted on a stable basis through the prescribed liturgical rite to the ministers of lector and acolyte." In that case, a PPK is different from "a pro-deacon" or a parish lay minister whose tasks include distributing Holy Communion and conducting funeral rites, a practice common in many parts of the world due to a shortage of priests.....(source)
Church allows faithful to give sacrament to family members who cannot attend church due to COVID-19 restriction
Limited extracts from Katharina R. Lestari, Subscription Journal La Croix International, 16 December 2020
......Nearly four months later, after local authorities began to ease social restrictions imposed to combat the pandemic in the capital, the archdiocese reopened churches for public Sunday Masses with a limited capacity of up to only 20 percent. In the beginning, only three out of 66 parishes served by the archdiocese were allowed to reopen their churches, including Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral in Jakarta. They had all met the health and safety requirements set out by the archdiocese to reopen, such as providing wash basins, body temperature scanners, social distancing and the wearing of face masks. More parishes were allowed to reopen as time went by. Paulina's parish, for an instance, resumed public Sunday Masses on Aug. 16. However, the archdiocese's policy says that these Masses during the COVID-19 pandemic can only be attended by parishioners aged 18-59, while children and elderly people should continue to join livestreamed Masses for the sake of their health.......Om October 27, the archdiocese issued a letter containing guidelines on the distribution of Holy Communion by Catholic laypeople during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was considered an extraordinary situation. According to the eight-page guidelines, a healthy Catholic adult aged 18-59 who has received the sacraments of initiation — Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist — is allowed to serve as a Pelayan Pembawa Komuni or PPK (Holy Communion carrier servant). The guidelines also stated that a PPK should firstly join a livestreamed or public Sunday Mass before distributing Holy Communion to their family members in a very respectful way. The archdiocese's policy was issued based on, among others, the Code of Canon Law that stipulates that "laymen who possess the age and qualifications established by decree of the conference of bishops can be admitted on a stable basis through the prescribed liturgical rite to the ministers of lector and acolyte." In that case, a PPK is different from "a pro-deacon" or a parish lay minister whose tasks include distributing Holy Communion and conducting funeral rites, a practice common in many parts of the world due to a shortage of priests.....(source)
Swiss diocese wants to cut number of priests in half
Bishop Charles Morerod says there are far too many foreign priests for the dwindling number of Catholics in Lausanne-Geneva-Fribourg Diocese
Limited extract from By Claire Lesegretain | Switzerland , Subscription Journal La Croix Internationalm 16 December 2020
Swiss Bishop Charles Morerod, has announced plans to "reduce by half the number of priests" in the Diocese of Lausanne-Geneva-Fribourg (LGF) that he's headed since 2011. "Most of the time, people talk about a shortage of priests, whereas there is rather a plethora of priests (here)," he explained in a recent interview with the Swiss Catholic news agency Cath.ch. "In Freiburg alone, a small town of 38,000 inhabitants, there are 40 Masses every Sunday. That far exceeds the demand," he said. The 59-year-old bishop, a Dominican theologian and former rector the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome, has a reputation for speaking freely and boldly. Bishop Morerod, who also served as secretary general of the International Theological Commission from (2009-2011), has spoken out on the need for profound ecclesial reform, even to the point of disagreeing at times with his confreres. Reducing the number of priests from 345 to 170....(more)
Bishop Charles Morerod says there are far too many foreign priests for the dwindling number of Catholics in Lausanne-Geneva-Fribourg Diocese
Limited extract from By Claire Lesegretain | Switzerland , Subscription Journal La Croix Internationalm 16 December 2020
Swiss Bishop Charles Morerod, has announced plans to "reduce by half the number of priests" in the Diocese of Lausanne-Geneva-Fribourg (LGF) that he's headed since 2011. "Most of the time, people talk about a shortage of priests, whereas there is rather a plethora of priests (here)," he explained in a recent interview with the Swiss Catholic news agency Cath.ch. "In Freiburg alone, a small town of 38,000 inhabitants, there are 40 Masses every Sunday. That far exceeds the demand," he said. The 59-year-old bishop, a Dominican theologian and former rector the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome, has a reputation for speaking freely and boldly. Bishop Morerod, who also served as secretary general of the International Theological Commission from (2009-2011), has spoken out on the need for profound ecclesial reform, even to the point of disagreeing at times with his confreres. Reducing the number of priests from 345 to 170....(more)
Churches' fears for conversion bill are unfounded
Limited extract from Timothy Jones, The Age, 15 December 2020
The Victorian government’s bill to ban LGBTQ+ conversion practices has raised confusion and disquiet in some religious communities about potential threats to their religious freedoms. These fears are quickly assuaged by a plain reading of the bill and the statement of compatibility with the Charter of Human Rights. The Victorian government’s bill has raised confusion in some religious communities. The Victorian LGBTQ+ conversion practices bill proposes to limit all practices aimed at changing or suppressing a person’s sexuality or gender identity, including religious practices. This goes further than laws in other jurisdictions, which have focused on the actions of registered health professionals. The Victorian bill carefully weighs the protection of religious freedom against the protection of the rights of LGBTQ+ people and is the product of significant consultation. It does not ban prayer, preaching or pastoral support about gender and sexuality in general. But it does prevent these spiritual practices being misused in attempts to change or suppress a person’s sexuality or gender identity and thereby causing them harm. It has been found to be consistent with Victorian human rights law and does not constitute an overreach. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protects people’s rights to religious freedom. It holds that while the freedom to hold religious beliefs is absolute, religious practices should be limited when “necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others”. There are numerous examples where we do this already in Australian law. Jehovah’s Witnesses hold religious objections to blood transfusions, but Australian law overrides the practice of that belief in circumstances where a blood transfusion is necessary to save the life of a child. Several religious communities have traditions of female genital cutting. Yet Australian law overrides that religious practice, making it both illegal to perform in Australia or to remove someone overseas for the practice. And more recently, several Australian jurisdictions have followed the recommendations of the child abuse royal commission to limit the seal of confession in order to protect children from sexual abuse.....(more).
Limited extract from Timothy Jones, The Age, 15 December 2020
The Victorian government’s bill to ban LGBTQ+ conversion practices has raised confusion and disquiet in some religious communities about potential threats to their religious freedoms. These fears are quickly assuaged by a plain reading of the bill and the statement of compatibility with the Charter of Human Rights. The Victorian government’s bill has raised confusion in some religious communities. The Victorian LGBTQ+ conversion practices bill proposes to limit all practices aimed at changing or suppressing a person’s sexuality or gender identity, including religious practices. This goes further than laws in other jurisdictions, which have focused on the actions of registered health professionals. The Victorian bill carefully weighs the protection of religious freedom against the protection of the rights of LGBTQ+ people and is the product of significant consultation. It does not ban prayer, preaching or pastoral support about gender and sexuality in general. But it does prevent these spiritual practices being misused in attempts to change or suppress a person’s sexuality or gender identity and thereby causing them harm. It has been found to be consistent with Victorian human rights law and does not constitute an overreach. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protects people’s rights to religious freedom. It holds that while the freedom to hold religious beliefs is absolute, religious practices should be limited when “necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others”. There are numerous examples where we do this already in Australian law. Jehovah’s Witnesses hold religious objections to blood transfusions, but Australian law overrides the practice of that belief in circumstances where a blood transfusion is necessary to save the life of a child. Several religious communities have traditions of female genital cutting. Yet Australian law overrides that religious practice, making it both illegal to perform in Australia or to remove someone overseas for the practice. And more recently, several Australian jurisdictions have followed the recommendations of the child abuse royal commission to limit the seal of confession in order to protect children from sexual abuse.....(more).
Parish Redevelopment
Pat Kelly, 11 December 2020
As required by the Archdiocesan procedure for building works, six contractors were invited to tender for our redevelopment project. All six have now submitted tenders which are undergoing assessment for price, schedule and compliance with the tender conditions. All prices received are within our budget. On completion of the assessment, a recommendation will be made to the Archbishop to enter into a contract with the selected tenderer. Subject to approval, an announcement may be before Christmas with on-site works commencing mid-January 2021.
Pat Kelly, 11 December 2020
As required by the Archdiocesan procedure for building works, six contractors were invited to tender for our redevelopment project. All six have now submitted tenders which are undergoing assessment for price, schedule and compliance with the tender conditions. All prices received are within our budget. On completion of the assessment, a recommendation will be made to the Archbishop to enter into a contract with the selected tenderer. Subject to approval, an announcement may be before Christmas with on-site works commencing mid-January 2021.
New RE program takes hands-on approach
Extract from CathNews, Catholic Education Wilcannia-Forbes, Facebook 10 December 2020
Wilcannia-Forbes Diocese has launched a new religious education program developed for its Catholic schools that enables children to have a hands-on approach to learning the faith. On Thursday, December 3, Wilcannia-Forbes Bishop Columba MacBeth-Green OSPPE officially launched and decreed the “Educating in Christ” program, which has been developed specifically for the diocese. “Educating in Christ is a religious education program based using a ‘liturgical spiral’ by which students participate in learning experiences that are aligned to the liturgical seasons of the Church,” Bishop MacBeth-Green wrote in a statement on his Facebook page yesterday. The program’s methodology is based on the work of famed Italian educator Maria Montessori (1870-1952) and Sofia Cavalletti (1917-2011), who founded the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd faith formation program for children. Bishop MacBeth-Green said the program’s primary goal is to “bring each student into a closer intimacy with Jesus Christ through the Scriptures, Traditions and Catechism of the Catholic Church”. “This religious education program will ensure that our students are taught the richness of our Catholic faith with a hands-on approach that makes religious education fun and exciting that ensures our students will grow to love Jesus Christ the Word made Flesh and his Church on earth,” Bishop MacBeth-Green said.....(more) Photo: RE program Montessori Cavalletti Wilcannia-Forbes Facebook Bishop Columba MacBeth-Green CathNews 20201210
Extract from CathNews, Catholic Education Wilcannia-Forbes, Facebook 10 December 2020
Wilcannia-Forbes Diocese has launched a new religious education program developed for its Catholic schools that enables children to have a hands-on approach to learning the faith. On Thursday, December 3, Wilcannia-Forbes Bishop Columba MacBeth-Green OSPPE officially launched and decreed the “Educating in Christ” program, which has been developed specifically for the diocese. “Educating in Christ is a religious education program based using a ‘liturgical spiral’ by which students participate in learning experiences that are aligned to the liturgical seasons of the Church,” Bishop MacBeth-Green wrote in a statement on his Facebook page yesterday. The program’s methodology is based on the work of famed Italian educator Maria Montessori (1870-1952) and Sofia Cavalletti (1917-2011), who founded the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd faith formation program for children. Bishop MacBeth-Green said the program’s primary goal is to “bring each student into a closer intimacy with Jesus Christ through the Scriptures, Traditions and Catechism of the Catholic Church”. “This religious education program will ensure that our students are taught the richness of our Catholic faith with a hands-on approach that makes religious education fun and exciting that ensures our students will grow to love Jesus Christ the Word made Flesh and his Church on earth,” Bishop MacBeth-Green said.....(more) Photo: RE program Montessori Cavalletti Wilcannia-Forbes Facebook Bishop Columba MacBeth-Green CathNews 20201210
‘They Don’t Shoot Blond, Blue-Eyed Americans’
Remembering Jean Donovan on the 40th Anniversary of her Martyrdom.
Extract from Fr Liam Power, Waterford News & Star, Association of Catholic Priests, Ireland, 10 December 2020
Remembering Jean Donovan on the 40th Anniversary of her Martyrdom.
Extract from Fr Liam Power, Waterford News & Star, Association of Catholic Priests, Ireland, 10 December 2020
I was watching the 6.00pm news on RTÉ on December 5th 1980 when Don Cockburn (the newsreader at the time) announced that four American missionaries, Jean Donovan, a close friend, and Srs Dorothy Kazel, Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, had been raped and brutally murdered three days earlier by members of the National Guard in El Salvador. I sat there, traumatised. That evening will be forever etched in my memory. I met Jean Donovan, a lay missionary, whilst we were students in UCC. Jean was on a student exchange programme and spent two years studying at the college by the Lee. She was fun-loving and enjoyed student life in Cork, the parties, the get-togethers, the dances and the Irish whiskey. She was very popular and out-going, wonderful company. Jean joined college organisations where she made deep and lasting friendships. A group of us used to meet on Monday evenings in the chaplain’s house (Fr Michael Crowley). He had served on the missions in Peru and was deeply influenced by Liberation Theology and the struggle for social justice. The conversations were really engaging. Fr Crowley regularly challenged us to reflect on unjust structures (political and economic) which were responsible for such deprivation and oppression in our world. I did not realise at the time the life-changing impact these gatherings had on Jean. Jean returned to the States and completed a masters degree in Economics in Case Western Reserve College in Cleveland. She was hired as a management consultant for an accounting firm in Cleveland. By this time I was studying for the priesthood in Maynooth. I had not heard from Jean for a few years. Out of the blue, she visited me in Maynooth and told me how successful she was in her business career, earning ‘buckets of money’. But she admitted that there was something missing in her life. However, I was very surprised when, in a letter a few months later, she informed me that she had enrolled in a programme for lay missionaries in Cleveland with the Maryknoll sisters.............(more). Photo: Jean Donovan, ACP Ireland, 20201210
Vatican urges greater action on climate change
Extract from Cath News, Vatican News, 10 December 2020
The Vatican COVID-19 Commission hosted a webinar yesterday, gathering scientific and faith perspectives to discuss the global climate crisis and to chart paths towards a cleaner, healthier planet. The Vatican webinar, held in collaboration with the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, commemorated the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, adopted in December 2015, and tomorrow's climate Ambition Summit 2020. The “Faith, Science and Youth: A call for an ambitious climate summit” event aims to highlight the need to urge governments to raise their ambition for tackling the climate emergency. It gathered global voices from faith, science and youth to discuss ways to simultaneously address the pandemic health crisis and the climate crisis through “a just and sustainable recovery of economies and society that puts people and the planet before profit”. Cardinal Peter Turkson, the Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, was among participants in the webinar. He reiterated Pope Francis’ call for an ecological conversion in the Laudato Si’ encyclical and said in the light of the COVID-19 crisis, it was important to build new models and rechart our paths to emerge better from the pandemic.....(more)
Extract from Cath News, Vatican News, 10 December 2020
The Vatican COVID-19 Commission hosted a webinar yesterday, gathering scientific and faith perspectives to discuss the global climate crisis and to chart paths towards a cleaner, healthier planet. The Vatican webinar, held in collaboration with the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, commemorated the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, adopted in December 2015, and tomorrow's climate Ambition Summit 2020. The “Faith, Science and Youth: A call for an ambitious climate summit” event aims to highlight the need to urge governments to raise their ambition for tackling the climate emergency. It gathered global voices from faith, science and youth to discuss ways to simultaneously address the pandemic health crisis and the climate crisis through “a just and sustainable recovery of economies and society that puts people and the planet before profit”. Cardinal Peter Turkson, the Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, was among participants in the webinar. He reiterated Pope Francis’ call for an ecological conversion in the Laudato Si’ encyclical and said in the light of the COVID-19 crisis, it was important to build new models and rechart our paths to emerge better from the pandemic.....(more)
Mass for You at Home to continue in 2021
Extracts from Melbourne Catholic, 10 December 2020
Archbishop Peter A Comensoli has confirmed that Mass for You at Home will continue in 2021, correcting false media reports and social media commentary. Mass for You at Home, one of the nation’s longest-running television shows, will continue to air on Network Ten, and in regional areas and on pay television through Aurora. It will also be available online on demand. 'I can confirm that Mass for You at Home will be on air in 2021, with the Archdiocese having recently underlined that intention with Network Ten,' Archbishop Comensoli said. The Archbishop acknowledged that the broadcasting costs for Mass for You at Home are a challenge. The Church across the country is working with supporters and collaborators to ensure Mass can be beamed into living rooms into the future...........For decades, Mass for You at Home has been a source of comfort and strength for people who – for a range of reasons – haven’t been able to attend Mass in person,' he said. Archbishop Comensoli said there has been a proliferation of online Masses during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of which will continue. But there are some people for whom technology is not available or not familiar. 'People living in aged care, those in hospital or house-bound, people in prison, others awake early on a Sunday morning have been able to find spiritual nourishment in a world that can often be filled with "noise",' Archbishop Comensoli said. 'The people who have been expressing concern about the future of Mass for You at Home demonstrate that the program continues to meet an important need. We look forward to it continuing.' Archbishop Comensoli said the program will undergo some changes in 2021, including seeing Masses filmed in churches......'COVID-19 has underlined the need for our Church and our society to be agile and responsive to what is happening in the world,' he said....(More)
Extracts from Melbourne Catholic, 10 December 2020
Archbishop Peter A Comensoli has confirmed that Mass for You at Home will continue in 2021, correcting false media reports and social media commentary. Mass for You at Home, one of the nation’s longest-running television shows, will continue to air on Network Ten, and in regional areas and on pay television through Aurora. It will also be available online on demand. 'I can confirm that Mass for You at Home will be on air in 2021, with the Archdiocese having recently underlined that intention with Network Ten,' Archbishop Comensoli said. The Archbishop acknowledged that the broadcasting costs for Mass for You at Home are a challenge. The Church across the country is working with supporters and collaborators to ensure Mass can be beamed into living rooms into the future...........For decades, Mass for You at Home has been a source of comfort and strength for people who – for a range of reasons – haven’t been able to attend Mass in person,' he said. Archbishop Comensoli said there has been a proliferation of online Masses during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of which will continue. But there are some people for whom technology is not available or not familiar. 'People living in aged care, those in hospital or house-bound, people in prison, others awake early on a Sunday morning have been able to find spiritual nourishment in a world that can often be filled with "noise",' Archbishop Comensoli said. 'The people who have been expressing concern about the future of Mass for You at Home demonstrate that the program continues to meet an important need. We look forward to it continuing.' Archbishop Comensoli said the program will undergo some changes in 2021, including seeing Masses filmed in churches......'COVID-19 has underlined the need for our Church and our society to be agile and responsive to what is happening in the world,' he said....(More)
Bishop of Sale welcomed in person, online
Extract from CathNews, Sale Diocese, 9 December 2020
Bishop Greg Bennet was ordained the 10th Bishop of Sale yesterday in front of dozens of people gathered in St Mary’s Cathedral, with many more joining the ceremony online. A small gathering of 91 people was present to witness Bishop Bennet’s episcopal ordination, which was also livestreamed. Melbourne Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli was principal consecrator, assisted by co-consecrators Melbourne Archbishop Emeritus Denis Hart and Adelaide Archbishop and former Sale bishop, Archbishop Patrick O’Regan. Before the ceremony a video of welcome was screened featuring messages to Bishop Bennet from people around the diocese and beyond. The video was a creative response to the challenges of COVID-19 restrictions. Under normal circumstances, representatives from Sale parishes, Catholic schools, agencies, charitable organisations, ecumenical and interfaith leaders and civic leaders would formally receive the new bishop. In his thank you speech, Bishop Bennet acknowledged the virtual welcome and said he looked forward to “really” meeting all those involved. “I have become aware of so many local initiatives across our towns and suburbs which need to be celebrated as the Good News in action; these are tangible examples of faith in action which bring joy, care and reflect the servant leadership of Jesus entrusted to his disciples in every age.....(more). Photo. Bishop Greg Bennett, Lisa Baker, CathNews, 20201209
Extract from CathNews, Sale Diocese, 9 December 2020
Bishop Greg Bennet was ordained the 10th Bishop of Sale yesterday in front of dozens of people gathered in St Mary’s Cathedral, with many more joining the ceremony online. A small gathering of 91 people was present to witness Bishop Bennet’s episcopal ordination, which was also livestreamed. Melbourne Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli was principal consecrator, assisted by co-consecrators Melbourne Archbishop Emeritus Denis Hart and Adelaide Archbishop and former Sale bishop, Archbishop Patrick O’Regan. Before the ceremony a video of welcome was screened featuring messages to Bishop Bennet from people around the diocese and beyond. The video was a creative response to the challenges of COVID-19 restrictions. Under normal circumstances, representatives from Sale parishes, Catholic schools, agencies, charitable organisations, ecumenical and interfaith leaders and civic leaders would formally receive the new bishop. In his thank you speech, Bishop Bennet acknowledged the virtual welcome and said he looked forward to “really” meeting all those involved. “I have become aware of so many local initiatives across our towns and suburbs which need to be celebrated as the Good News in action; these are tangible examples of faith in action which bring joy, care and reflect the servant leadership of Jesus entrusted to his disciples in every age.....(more). Photo. Bishop Greg Bennett, Lisa Baker, CathNews, 20201209
Annual report: Some US dioceses improve financial transparency, others remain secretive
Extract from Madeleine Davison, National Catholic Reporter, 8 December 2020
More U.S. dioceses published audited financial documents in 2020 than before, but more than a quarter still did not publish any audited financial reports, according to an annual financial transparency report by the lay organization Voice of the Faithful. About 70% of dioceses posted audited financial reports on their websites in 2020, up from 65% in 2019 and from 56% in 2017, according to the review. Margaret Roylance, chair of the organization's finance working group, said she was heartened to see that many dioceses published these reports on time despite delays due to COVID-19. "We felt that financial transparency was beating COVID and that made us feel good," she said. On the other hand, 6% of dioceses posted only unaudited reports, and 24% posted no reports at all. The report, released in November, surveys the financial practices of all 177 dioceses that belong to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. It scores dioceses' financial transparency practices on a scale from 0 to 100. The organization awards each diocese points for publishing a variety of financial documents, including audited financial reports, information about the diocese's cathedraticum (tax collected from individual parishes) and a current list of members on the diocesan finance council. "From the beginning … our motivation has always been to encourage greater financial transparency, which should foster trust in diocesan leadership and strengthen stewardship," said Roylance, who drafted the financial transparency report.............(more). Photo: US dioceses financial transparency others secretive CNS Reuters Mike Segar NCR 20201108
Extract from Madeleine Davison, National Catholic Reporter, 8 December 2020
More U.S. dioceses published audited financial documents in 2020 than before, but more than a quarter still did not publish any audited financial reports, according to an annual financial transparency report by the lay organization Voice of the Faithful. About 70% of dioceses posted audited financial reports on their websites in 2020, up from 65% in 2019 and from 56% in 2017, according to the review. Margaret Roylance, chair of the organization's finance working group, said she was heartened to see that many dioceses published these reports on time despite delays due to COVID-19. "We felt that financial transparency was beating COVID and that made us feel good," she said. On the other hand, 6% of dioceses posted only unaudited reports, and 24% posted no reports at all. The report, released in November, surveys the financial practices of all 177 dioceses that belong to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. It scores dioceses' financial transparency practices on a scale from 0 to 100. The organization awards each diocese points for publishing a variety of financial documents, including audited financial reports, information about the diocese's cathedraticum (tax collected from individual parishes) and a current list of members on the diocesan finance council. "From the beginning … our motivation has always been to encourage greater financial transparency, which should foster trust in diocesan leadership and strengthen stewardship," said Roylance, who drafted the financial transparency report.............(more). Photo: US dioceses financial transparency others secretive CNS Reuters Mike Segar NCR 20201108
Synodality with "full, conscious and active participation"
The Church must better embrace synodality, the gift of the third millennium
Linited extract from Justin Stanwix, Australia, subscription journalLa Croix International, 8 December 2020
The vision that the bishops of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) put forth for "full, conscious and active participation" in the Eucharist should be extended to the synodal life of the Church. As we welcome the Advent Season in preparation for the great celebration of the Christ child at Christmas, this could be one of the Church's New Year's Resolutions. The freshness of the command for participation of the people of God in the Eucharist as entreated by Vatican II may have slightly faded during our pandemic-induced repose, but its enduring substance remains. With comprehensive prescience the Council Fathers applied this command for full participation to all elements of the Eucharist -- to proclamation of sacred scripture, preaching, music and the arts, in addition to the central sacrificial offering. They also asserted its application to the spiritual life. The context is not about an avoidable detail or matter of passing interest. Rather, this high demand is expressed by the Council as being about "the source and summit of the Christian life". It is the highest claim about our essential being. It is the liturgy, "through which the work of our redemption is accomplished". Equally then, that renewed understanding of the Church expressed by Vatican II should be embraced for its application to synodality -- the way we participate, together, as the People of God, to discern the sense of faith of the people of God (sensus fidei). Clearly, we are not contemplating another structure or what Pope Francis calls "functionalism". Distrust of institutions ensures avoidance of that course. Rather, we want participation that engages people and their concerns to ensure that distrust of institutions will be overcome. The pope said in a different context (referring to clericalism): "It is impossible to think of a conversion of our activity as a Church that does not include the active participation of all the members of God's People." Collegiality lays the foundation for synodality. There is little new about the basic concept.........(more). Photo: Synod of Bishops 2015 EPA ETTORE FERRARI MaxPPP La Croix International 20201208
The Church must better embrace synodality, the gift of the third millennium
Linited extract from Justin Stanwix, Australia, subscription journalLa Croix International, 8 December 2020
The vision that the bishops of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) put forth for "full, conscious and active participation" in the Eucharist should be extended to the synodal life of the Church. As we welcome the Advent Season in preparation for the great celebration of the Christ child at Christmas, this could be one of the Church's New Year's Resolutions. The freshness of the command for participation of the people of God in the Eucharist as entreated by Vatican II may have slightly faded during our pandemic-induced repose, but its enduring substance remains. With comprehensive prescience the Council Fathers applied this command for full participation to all elements of the Eucharist -- to proclamation of sacred scripture, preaching, music and the arts, in addition to the central sacrificial offering. They also asserted its application to the spiritual life. The context is not about an avoidable detail or matter of passing interest. Rather, this high demand is expressed by the Council as being about "the source and summit of the Christian life". It is the highest claim about our essential being. It is the liturgy, "through which the work of our redemption is accomplished". Equally then, that renewed understanding of the Church expressed by Vatican II should be embraced for its application to synodality -- the way we participate, together, as the People of God, to discern the sense of faith of the people of God (sensus fidei). Clearly, we are not contemplating another structure or what Pope Francis calls "functionalism". Distrust of institutions ensures avoidance of that course. Rather, we want participation that engages people and their concerns to ensure that distrust of institutions will be overcome. The pope said in a different context (referring to clericalism): "It is impossible to think of a conversion of our activity as a Church that does not include the active participation of all the members of God's People." Collegiality lays the foundation for synodality. There is little new about the basic concept.........(more). Photo: Synod of Bishops 2015 EPA ETTORE FERRARI MaxPPP La Croix International 20201208
Vatican strengthens its internal financial oversight
Limited extract from Loup Besmond de Senneville, Subscription Journal La Croix International, 7 December 2020
Vatican City. Pope Francis has expanded the powers of the Vatican's financial police, an entity formed in 2010 as the Financial Information Authority (AIF), and renamed it the Supervisory and Financial Information Authority (ASIF). The announcement of the change on December 5, which was accompanied by the publication of the ASIF statute, marks a further step towards regulating the Vatican's financial activities. But the move is far more significant than a simple name change. First of all, the new statute creates a true unit for financial supervision. This is a way of strengthening control over the Holy See's financial activities, especially in the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities. The text signed by Francis thus distinguishes between supervision and financial regulation.......(source). Photo: La Croix International 20201207
Limited extract from Loup Besmond de Senneville, Subscription Journal La Croix International, 7 December 2020
Vatican City. Pope Francis has expanded the powers of the Vatican's financial police, an entity formed in 2010 as the Financial Information Authority (AIF), and renamed it the Supervisory and Financial Information Authority (ASIF). The announcement of the change on December 5, which was accompanied by the publication of the ASIF statute, marks a further step towards regulating the Vatican's financial activities. But the move is far more significant than a simple name change. First of all, the new statute creates a true unit for financial supervision. This is a way of strengthening control over the Holy See's financial activities, especially in the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities. The text signed by Francis thus distinguishes between supervision and financial regulation.......(source). Photo: La Croix International 20201207
A new approach to helping abuse survivors
Extract from CathNews NZ, 7 December 2020
Dealing with the impact of sexual abuse has been largely outsourced by the Church.
Now an initiative is being launched, with the support of Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, taking a fresh pastoral approach to the welfare of survivors. “You took away my faith”; “The Church cheated me out of my relationship with God”; “When I needed the Church, it was not there for me!” Time and again, we hear these cries from the victims of sexual abuse. They point to the pastoral and spiritual failure at the heart of this crisis. Many of the survivors of abuse are members of the People of God; their suffering is a deep wound in the Body of Christ. Saying “sorry” is not enough. There must be a fundamental change. It is now time for the Church to walk together alongside victims, to listen to them and to learn from them, and to serve and support them in their search for healing, wherever that might take them. Anyone listening to survivors will often hear how badly sexual violence by a priest or other church figure can damage their relationship with God, or destroy it completely, and how they have felt completely abandoned by the Church when they have tried to understand and deal with the spiritual consequences of the abuse they have suffered. Despite all the public and private apologies, the compensation paid to victims, the implementation of prevention and training programmes, the creation of safeguarding structures, and the commissioning of scientific studies into the root causes of abuse, it is clear that the Church is still failing survivors at this fundamental, spiritual level. At present – when it does not avoid offering support altogether – the Church tends to delegate dealing with the effects of abuse to psychiatrists and canon lawyers, to internal Church specialists or external professional experts. Caring for the victims of abuse has become the responsibility of a small and increasingly specialised group of people, who operate largely on the periphery of Church activities.....(more). Photo:beer-zollner CathNews NZ 20201207
Extract from CathNews NZ, 7 December 2020
Dealing with the impact of sexual abuse has been largely outsourced by the Church.
Now an initiative is being launched, with the support of Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, taking a fresh pastoral approach to the welfare of survivors. “You took away my faith”; “The Church cheated me out of my relationship with God”; “When I needed the Church, it was not there for me!” Time and again, we hear these cries from the victims of sexual abuse. They point to the pastoral and spiritual failure at the heart of this crisis. Many of the survivors of abuse are members of the People of God; their suffering is a deep wound in the Body of Christ. Saying “sorry” is not enough. There must be a fundamental change. It is now time for the Church to walk together alongside victims, to listen to them and to learn from them, and to serve and support them in their search for healing, wherever that might take them. Anyone listening to survivors will often hear how badly sexual violence by a priest or other church figure can damage their relationship with God, or destroy it completely, and how they have felt completely abandoned by the Church when they have tried to understand and deal with the spiritual consequences of the abuse they have suffered. Despite all the public and private apologies, the compensation paid to victims, the implementation of prevention and training programmes, the creation of safeguarding structures, and the commissioning of scientific studies into the root causes of abuse, it is clear that the Church is still failing survivors at this fundamental, spiritual level. At present – when it does not avoid offering support altogether – the Church tends to delegate dealing with the effects of abuse to psychiatrists and canon lawyers, to internal Church specialists or external professional experts. Caring for the victims of abuse has become the responsibility of a small and increasingly specialised group of people, who operate largely on the periphery of Church activities.....(more). Photo:beer-zollner CathNews NZ 20201207
You can’t reach the world when all you have is a hammer
Edited Extract from York More, CathNews NZ, The Exchange, 7 December 2020
Give a small biy a hammer, and he will find that everything he encounters needs pounding,” said philosopher, Abraham Kaplan. In the Church today, we have one single instrument for leadership—the pastor. Search church positions on any of the many job search forums and recruitment sites and you’ll find there is only one tool churches are searching for—pastor. Senior pastors, teaching pastors, executive pastors, worship pastors, children’s, teens, collegiate, campus, in-take, discipleship and volunteers pastors. We seem to think the only kind of leadership we need can only come in one form—pastor. To be fair, pastors are important and should be instrumental in leading the Church but it was not God’s design for the Church to have but one instrument. Because we only have one tool, every task, goal, obstacle, vision statement, purpose statement, and organizational strategy typically has just one leadership perspective–a pastor’s perspective. When it comes to leadership, the Church in North America is like a small boy with a hammer and because of that, everything looks like it needs pounding. We cannot reach the world with just a hammer, no matter how great that hammer is. Ephesians 4:11-13 tell us, however, “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (NIV). Leadership in the Church is five-fold and incorporates an array of tools to achieve missional maturity...........(more).
Edited Extract from York More, CathNews NZ, The Exchange, 7 December 2020
Give a small biy a hammer, and he will find that everything he encounters needs pounding,” said philosopher, Abraham Kaplan. In the Church today, we have one single instrument for leadership—the pastor. Search church positions on any of the many job search forums and recruitment sites and you’ll find there is only one tool churches are searching for—pastor. Senior pastors, teaching pastors, executive pastors, worship pastors, children’s, teens, collegiate, campus, in-take, discipleship and volunteers pastors. We seem to think the only kind of leadership we need can only come in one form—pastor. To be fair, pastors are important and should be instrumental in leading the Church but it was not God’s design for the Church to have but one instrument. Because we only have one tool, every task, goal, obstacle, vision statement, purpose statement, and organizational strategy typically has just one leadership perspective–a pastor’s perspective. When it comes to leadership, the Church in North America is like a small boy with a hammer and because of that, everything looks like it needs pounding. We cannot reach the world with just a hammer, no matter how great that hammer is. Ephesians 4:11-13 tell us, however, “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (NIV). Leadership in the Church is five-fold and incorporates an array of tools to achieve missional maturity...........(more).
Promoting Christian unity is not optional
Extract from CathNews NZ, 7 December 2020
Catholics must work towards Christian unity, a new guidebook from the Vatican says. It can no longer be seen as “optional” by bishops. They won’t be left to work out how on their own though. The new guidebook, released by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, offers practical ways for bishops to promote unity between Christians. Bishops must pray “personally and publicly for other Christian leaders,” promote ecumenical work online and appoint ecumenical officers and commissions. At the same time, the guide warns against getting involved in heated arguments or “misrepresenting the positions of other Christians.” Instead Catholics should focus on “weighing truths rather than simply enumerating them,” it explains. The goal of Christian unity may not be straightforward, however, as it raises a number of big questions. One relates to Catholic-Anglican unity. Unless Pope Leo XIII’s decree that Anglican orders are “absolutely null and utterly void”. “I think we must have a better interpretation,” Cardinal Kurt Koch, the president of the pontifical council says. “I think it’s a very important question because the validity of the ordination is the biggest obstacle for sharing the same altar …” Another problem concerning Anglican-Catholic unification relates to the ordination of women as priests and bishops – a decision that is unacceptable for the Catholic Church. The guidelines indicate there is no change in the offing regarding sharing communion with Christians from other denominations. The current rules – that allow this to happen in “certain circumstances” – are restated.....(more). Photo: Christian Unity, Cathews NZ,
Extract from CathNews NZ, 7 December 2020
Catholics must work towards Christian unity, a new guidebook from the Vatican says. It can no longer be seen as “optional” by bishops. They won’t be left to work out how on their own though. The new guidebook, released by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, offers practical ways for bishops to promote unity between Christians. Bishops must pray “personally and publicly for other Christian leaders,” promote ecumenical work online and appoint ecumenical officers and commissions. At the same time, the guide warns against getting involved in heated arguments or “misrepresenting the positions of other Christians.” Instead Catholics should focus on “weighing truths rather than simply enumerating them,” it explains. The goal of Christian unity may not be straightforward, however, as it raises a number of big questions. One relates to Catholic-Anglican unity. Unless Pope Leo XIII’s decree that Anglican orders are “absolutely null and utterly void”. “I think we must have a better interpretation,” Cardinal Kurt Koch, the president of the pontifical council says. “I think it’s a very important question because the validity of the ordination is the biggest obstacle for sharing the same altar …” Another problem concerning Anglican-Catholic unification relates to the ordination of women as priests and bishops – a decision that is unacceptable for the Catholic Church. The guidelines indicate there is no change in the offing regarding sharing communion with Christians from other denominations. The current rules – that allow this to happen in “certain circumstances” – are restated.....(more). Photo: Christian Unity, Cathews NZ,
 La Croix International 20201203.jpg)
Pope encourages creation of Amazonian Mass
Francis shows support for a tailor-made rite for Catholics in the Amazon in the preface of new book on the history of the "Zairean Rite", the first post-Vatican II inculturation of the Mass
Limited extract from Loup Besmond de Senneville, Vatican City, Subscription journal La Croix International, 3 December 2020
Pope Francis has voiced support for adapting the Church's liturgy to the culture of believers in the Amazon Region of South America, similar to the way it was inculturated decades ago for Catholics in the African Congo. He does so in the preface of a book on the history of the "Zairean Rite", which was created for Congolese Catholics following the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). "The Zairean Rite suggests a promising way also for the possible elaboration of an Amazonian Rite," the pope writes in the new book, which was written by theologian Rita Mboshu Kong and is to be published on December 9. In his preface, Francis notes that the Zairean Rite "takes into consideration the African way of life and of celebrating solemn occasions [...] without upsetting the nature of the Roman Missal, to guarantee continuity with the ancient and universal tradition of the Church". "You, our ancestors, be with us at this moment when Christ is coming to save us" Sometimes referred to as the "Congolese" Rite, this adapted form of the Mass emerged around the Second Vatican Council and the independence of the former European colonies in sub-Saharan Africa. After more than 30 years of work, the Vatican finally approved the Roman Missal for the Dioceses of Zaire in 1988. It then set down on paper practices such as "dancing around the altar" and "rhythmic movements" that are anchored in Congolese culture. It also introduced "ancestors of upright heart" into the liturgy. "You, our ancestors, be with us at this moment when Christ is coming to save us," says the priest during the Mass. The pope used these very words on December 1, 2019, when he celebrated the first-ever papal Mass in the Zairean Rite in St. Peter's Basilica.....(more). Photo: Pope Francis Liturgy Amazonia, PIERPAOLO, SCAVUZZO PHOTOSHOT MAXPPP) La Croix International 20201203
Francis shows support for a tailor-made rite for Catholics in the Amazon in the preface of new book on the history of the "Zairean Rite", the first post-Vatican II inculturation of the Mass
Limited extract from Loup Besmond de Senneville, Vatican City, Subscription journal La Croix International, 3 December 2020
Pope Francis has voiced support for adapting the Church's liturgy to the culture of believers in the Amazon Region of South America, similar to the way it was inculturated decades ago for Catholics in the African Congo. He does so in the preface of a book on the history of the "Zairean Rite", which was created for Congolese Catholics following the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). "The Zairean Rite suggests a promising way also for the possible elaboration of an Amazonian Rite," the pope writes in the new book, which was written by theologian Rita Mboshu Kong and is to be published on December 9. In his preface, Francis notes that the Zairean Rite "takes into consideration the African way of life and of celebrating solemn occasions [...] without upsetting the nature of the Roman Missal, to guarantee continuity with the ancient and universal tradition of the Church". "You, our ancestors, be with us at this moment when Christ is coming to save us" Sometimes referred to as the "Congolese" Rite, this adapted form of the Mass emerged around the Second Vatican Council and the independence of the former European colonies in sub-Saharan Africa. After more than 30 years of work, the Vatican finally approved the Roman Missal for the Dioceses of Zaire in 1988. It then set down on paper practices such as "dancing around the altar" and "rhythmic movements" that are anchored in Congolese culture. It also introduced "ancestors of upright heart" into the liturgy. "You, our ancestors, be with us at this moment when Christ is coming to save us," says the priest during the Mass. The pope used these very words on December 1, 2019, when he celebrated the first-ever papal Mass in the Zairean Rite in St. Peter's Basilica.....(more). Photo: Pope Francis Liturgy Amazonia, PIERPAOLO, SCAVUZZO PHOTOSHOT MAXPPP) La Croix International 20201203
Plenary Council assembly mixes in-person, online format
Extract from ACBC Media Blog, CathNews, 3 December 2020
The first assembly of the Plenary Council will take place with a combination of online and face-to-face participation as uncertainty remains over restrictions on travel and gatherings. Source: ACBC Media Blog. The decision to hold the October 2021 assembly in a “multi-modal” format was reached last week based on feedback from a number of groups, including the steering committee for the Council assemblies, the Plenary Council’s facilitation team and risk assessors. Plenary Council president Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB said while COVID-19 travel restrictions might be lifted by the time of the first assembly, ongoing social distancing requirements and questions around flight schedules and costs were concerns. Archbishop Costelloe said the bishops, during their biannual meeting last week, wrestled with the decision before conceding that the move to a multi-modal gathering was the only realistic option. Under that format, delegates will gather in local groups – diocesan, inter-diocesan or provincial – and participate in some Council sessions within those groups. Other sessions will take place with those groups engaging in conversation, prayer and discernment with other groups around Australia. Peter Gates, from the Plenary Council’s facilitation team, said while contingency planning for an online assembly began as the pandemic’s second wave in Victoria unfolded, the decision to move to a “multi-modal” gathering means the planning can now proceed with urgency. “Now we can focus solely on ensuring that the first assembly can honour and carry forward the listening, dialogue and discernment that has already taken place, albeit in ways we couldn’t have imagined a year ago.”....(more)
Extract from ACBC Media Blog, CathNews, 3 December 2020
The first assembly of the Plenary Council will take place with a combination of online and face-to-face participation as uncertainty remains over restrictions on travel and gatherings. Source: ACBC Media Blog. The decision to hold the October 2021 assembly in a “multi-modal” format was reached last week based on feedback from a number of groups, including the steering committee for the Council assemblies, the Plenary Council’s facilitation team and risk assessors. Plenary Council president Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB said while COVID-19 travel restrictions might be lifted by the time of the first assembly, ongoing social distancing requirements and questions around flight schedules and costs were concerns. Archbishop Costelloe said the bishops, during their biannual meeting last week, wrestled with the decision before conceding that the move to a multi-modal gathering was the only realistic option. Under that format, delegates will gather in local groups – diocesan, inter-diocesan or provincial – and participate in some Council sessions within those groups. Other sessions will take place with those groups engaging in conversation, prayer and discernment with other groups around Australia. Peter Gates, from the Plenary Council’s facilitation team, said while contingency planning for an online assembly began as the pandemic’s second wave in Victoria unfolded, the decision to move to a “multi-modal” gathering means the planning can now proceed with urgency. “Now we can focus solely on ensuring that the first assembly can honour and carry forward the listening, dialogue and discernment that has already taken place, albeit in ways we couldn’t have imagined a year ago.”....(more)
New national body to unify and strengthen safeguarding work of the Church
Extracts from Media Release, Catholic Professional Standards, 3 December 2020
Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd’ (ACSL) has today been launched as the Australian Catholic Church’s new national body for safeguarding, which will streamline and coordinate the Church’s work to create safe environments for children and adults at risk. The announcement was made at the Annual General Meeting of Catholic Professional Standards Ltd (CPSL) earlier today. Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd merges existing entities CPSL, the Australian Catholic Centre for Professional Standards and the Australian Catholic Ministry Register, bringing together national responsibilities for safeguarding into one entity. ACSL is led by Board Chair Professor the Honourable Michael Lavarch AO, who previously served on the CPSL Board. “'I am honoured to become the Chair of ACSL which will bring together critical work that assists the Church to be a safe and nurturing environment for all, particularly children and adults at risk,” Professor Lavarch said. “I’m also pleased to announce ACSL’s Board, whose experience and credentials in child and adult safeguarding, professional standards, law, governance, Church administration, finance and management will be vital in guiding ACSL. I am pleased to welcome to the ACSL Board Dr Robyn Miller (who previously served on the CPSL Board), Mrs Mary McComish, Sr Kath Tierney RSM AO, Mr David Penny and Mr Julian Widdup.” ........“Supporting the Church to ensure the safety of children and adults at risk is the Board's utmost priority. Over the coming months the Board will work swiftly to oversee the transition of the previous bodies into ACSL. During this period, the critical safeguarding work already being performed by the previous bodies, will continue as planned.”....(More)
Extracts from Media Release, Catholic Professional Standards, 3 December 2020
Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd’ (ACSL) has today been launched as the Australian Catholic Church’s new national body for safeguarding, which will streamline and coordinate the Church’s work to create safe environments for children and adults at risk. The announcement was made at the Annual General Meeting of Catholic Professional Standards Ltd (CPSL) earlier today. Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd merges existing entities CPSL, the Australian Catholic Centre for Professional Standards and the Australian Catholic Ministry Register, bringing together national responsibilities for safeguarding into one entity. ACSL is led by Board Chair Professor the Honourable Michael Lavarch AO, who previously served on the CPSL Board. “'I am honoured to become the Chair of ACSL which will bring together critical work that assists the Church to be a safe and nurturing environment for all, particularly children and adults at risk,” Professor Lavarch said. “I’m also pleased to announce ACSL’s Board, whose experience and credentials in child and adult safeguarding, professional standards, law, governance, Church administration, finance and management will be vital in guiding ACSL. I am pleased to welcome to the ACSL Board Dr Robyn Miller (who previously served on the CPSL Board), Mrs Mary McComish, Sr Kath Tierney RSM AO, Mr David Penny and Mr Julian Widdup.” ........“Supporting the Church to ensure the safety of children and adults at risk is the Board's utmost priority. Over the coming months the Board will work swiftly to oversee the transition of the previous bodies into ACSL. During this period, the critical safeguarding work already being performed by the previous bodies, will continue as planned.”....(More)
Newly appointed US bishop pledges to establish ‘trust’ in Diocese of Buffalo
Extract from John Lavenburg, nationbal Correspondent, Crux, 2 December 2020
NEW YORK — In an introductory teleconference Tuesday morning, Auxiliary Bishop Michael Fisher of Washington emphasized his collaborative, cooperative, and communicative approach to ministry that he will bring to the Diocese of Buffalo as its new bishop. Fisher comes to the diocese at a time of turmoil amidst a cleric sex abuse lawsuit. Last week, New York State attorney general Letitia James sued the diocese, former Bishop Richard Malone and Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Edward Grosz for failing to protect minors and inadequately investigating and reporting claims against diocesan priests that went back decades. “I’m coming in as a pastor,” Fisher said. “I know we need to be truthful. I know we need to establish trust with those we serve. Our parishes, our schools, need to be places that our parents and those we serve feel safe. I’m very much for accountability and transparency.” Accountability and transparency are areas the diocese fell short over the years that put it in this position.....(more).
Extract from John Lavenburg, nationbal Correspondent, Crux, 2 December 2020
NEW YORK — In an introductory teleconference Tuesday morning, Auxiliary Bishop Michael Fisher of Washington emphasized his collaborative, cooperative, and communicative approach to ministry that he will bring to the Diocese of Buffalo as its new bishop. Fisher comes to the diocese at a time of turmoil amidst a cleric sex abuse lawsuit. Last week, New York State attorney general Letitia James sued the diocese, former Bishop Richard Malone and Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Edward Grosz for failing to protect minors and inadequately investigating and reporting claims against diocesan priests that went back decades. “I’m coming in as a pastor,” Fisher said. “I know we need to be truthful. I know we need to establish trust with those we serve. Our parishes, our schools, need to be places that our parents and those we serve feel safe. I’m very much for accountability and transparency.” Accountability and transparency are areas the diocese fell short over the years that put it in this position.....(more).
Report says Montreal Archdiocese covered for abusive priest for decades
Extracts from Francois Gloutnay, National Catholic Reporter, Catholic News Service, 2 December 2020
Montreal — For more than three decades, leaders of the Archdiocese of Montreal failed to properly treat the complaints and the red flags periodically raised about Fr. Brian Boucher, said a report prepared by retired Quebec Superior Court Judge Pepita G. Capriolo. Instead, church authorities seemed intent on covering the priest's behavior to protect his and the church's reputation, she wrote. In 2019, Boucher was sentenced to eight years in prison for sexual assault of two boys; he was laicized in 2020. But in her 283-page document on Boucher, Capriolo said numerous incidents were reported and called into question during his career. For nearly 40 years, these warnings were all ignored or deemed irrelevant, especially because they concerned adults and not minors. Capriolo reported not only on sexual abuse, but also physical assault, threats, loss or destruction of secret documents, and even a burglary in the secret archives of the archdiocese. The former judge called the case a "debacle" for the Archdiocese of Montreal. Her report was issued Nov. 25, exactly one year after Montreal Archbishop Christian Lépine asked Capriolo to conduct an "independent external inquiry" into the events leading up to Boucher's arrest in January 2017 and his conviction in March 2019. Lépine accepted Capriolo's conclusions "in humility and a deep sense of regret." On behalf of the church and "speaking for myself personally, I wish to say to the victims, to your loved ones and your parish communities how sorry we are that you experienced the effects of such terrible criminal acts, which should never occur, never." Capriolo said she obtained full and independent access to all documents, including those contained in the secret archives of the archdiocese........"Many people had complained about Boucher's unacceptable behavior over the years: He was rude, authoritarian, overly intense, intransigent, homophobic, racist, misogynist and verbally, and sometimes even physically, aggressive," wrote Capriolo. "These complaints were repeatedly reported to his superiors.........(more). Photo: Montreal Archbishop Christian Lépine CNS photo Presence Philippe Vaillancourt, NCR 20201202
Extracts from Francois Gloutnay, National Catholic Reporter, Catholic News Service, 2 December 2020
Montreal — For more than three decades, leaders of the Archdiocese of Montreal failed to properly treat the complaints and the red flags periodically raised about Fr. Brian Boucher, said a report prepared by retired Quebec Superior Court Judge Pepita G. Capriolo. Instead, church authorities seemed intent on covering the priest's behavior to protect his and the church's reputation, she wrote. In 2019, Boucher was sentenced to eight years in prison for sexual assault of two boys; he was laicized in 2020. But in her 283-page document on Boucher, Capriolo said numerous incidents were reported and called into question during his career. For nearly 40 years, these warnings were all ignored or deemed irrelevant, especially because they concerned adults and not minors. Capriolo reported not only on sexual abuse, but also physical assault, threats, loss or destruction of secret documents, and even a burglary in the secret archives of the archdiocese. The former judge called the case a "debacle" for the Archdiocese of Montreal. Her report was issued Nov. 25, exactly one year after Montreal Archbishop Christian Lépine asked Capriolo to conduct an "independent external inquiry" into the events leading up to Boucher's arrest in January 2017 and his conviction in March 2019. Lépine accepted Capriolo's conclusions "in humility and a deep sense of regret." On behalf of the church and "speaking for myself personally, I wish to say to the victims, to your loved ones and your parish communities how sorry we are that you experienced the effects of such terrible criminal acts, which should never occur, never." Capriolo said she obtained full and independent access to all documents, including those contained in the secret archives of the archdiocese........"Many people had complained about Boucher's unacceptable behavior over the years: He was rude, authoritarian, overly intense, intransigent, homophobic, racist, misogynist and verbally, and sometimes even physically, aggressive," wrote Capriolo. "These complaints were repeatedly reported to his superiors.........(more). Photo: Montreal Archbishop Christian Lépine CNS photo Presence Philippe Vaillancourt, NCR 20201202
NZ Royal Commission
Edited Extract from CathNews NZ, 1 December 2020
The
NZ Catholic Church is determined to listen, learn, and reflect on abuse
survivors ‘ evidence at the Royal Commission into Abuse in
Care. The comment came in a
statement from Catholic Bishops and religious leaders on the morning of
the first day of the Royal Commission into abuse in faith-based
care. “The bishops and
congregational leaders asked to be included in the work of the Royal
Commission,” says Cardinal John Dew. “They are committed to working
with it, for events of the past to be examined transparently and openly,
and to implement the Commission’s eventual recommendations. We acknowledge the harm caused to many and express our profound sorrow.” Sister
Margaret Anne Mills, president of the religious Congregational Leaders’
Conference of Aotearoa New Zealand (CLCANZ), praised the courage of
abuse survivors who have come forward to share their experiences.
CLCANZ represents 43 Catholic religious
entities on Te Rōpū Tautoko, a Catholic Church agency formed to
co-ordinate and manage cooperation between the Royal Commission and the
Catholic Church. “We will be
listening very carefully to what survivors have to say, reflecting on
their evidence and learning from their experiences,” Mills says. The Royal Commission’s first faith-based redress hearings began yesterday....(more)
Pope Francis: A crisis reveals what is in our hearts
Extract from CathNews NZ, 30 November 2020
To come out of this pandemic better than we went in, we must let ourselves be touched by others’ pain. Pope Francis is the head of the Catholic Church and the bishop of Rome. In this past year of change, my mind and heart have overflowed with people. People I think of and pray for, and sometimes cry with, people with names and faces, people who died without saying goodbye to those they loved, families in difficulty, even going hungry, because there’s no work. Sometimes, when you think globally, you can be paralyzed: There are so many places of apparently ceaseless conflict; there’s so much suffering and need. I find it helps to focus on concrete situations: You see faces looking for life and love in the reality of each person, of each people. You see hope written in the story of every nation, glorious because it’s a story of daily struggle, of lives broken in self-sacrifice. So rather than overwhelm you, it invites you to ponder and to respond with hope. These are moments in life that can be ripe for change and conversion. Each of us has had our own “stoppage,” or if we haven’t yet, we will someday: illness, the failure of a marriage or a business, some great disappointment or betrayal. As in the Covid-19 lockdown, those moments generate a tension, a crisis that reveals what is in our hearts. In every personal “Covid,” so to speak, in every “stoppage,” what is revealed is what needs to change: our lack of internal freedom, the idols we have been serving, the ideologies we have tried to live by, the relationships we have neglected.....(more). Photo: pope-francis-in-mask CathNews NZ 20201130
Extract from CathNews NZ, 30 November 2020
To come out of this pandemic better than we went in, we must let ourselves be touched by others’ pain. Pope Francis is the head of the Catholic Church and the bishop of Rome. In this past year of change, my mind and heart have overflowed with people. People I think of and pray for, and sometimes cry with, people with names and faces, people who died without saying goodbye to those they loved, families in difficulty, even going hungry, because there’s no work. Sometimes, when you think globally, you can be paralyzed: There are so many places of apparently ceaseless conflict; there’s so much suffering and need. I find it helps to focus on concrete situations: You see faces looking for life and love in the reality of each person, of each people. You see hope written in the story of every nation, glorious because it’s a story of daily struggle, of lives broken in self-sacrifice. So rather than overwhelm you, it invites you to ponder and to respond with hope. These are moments in life that can be ripe for change and conversion. Each of us has had our own “stoppage,” or if we haven’t yet, we will someday: illness, the failure of a marriage or a business, some great disappointment or betrayal. As in the Covid-19 lockdown, those moments generate a tension, a crisis that reveals what is in our hearts. In every personal “Covid,” so to speak, in every “stoppage,” what is revealed is what needs to change: our lack of internal freedom, the idols we have been serving, the ideologies we have tried to live by, the relationships we have neglected.....(more). Photo: pope-francis-in-mask CathNews NZ 20201130
Women ‘clap back’ at Francis comment they do not need to be priests to lead in the church
Extract from CathNews NZ, Novena News, NCR, 30 November 2020
Catholic women have clapped back at Pope Francis after he called their struggle for ordination “clericalist” and “disrespectful”. According to Novena News, the women’s response is a reaction to Francis statement that women do not need to be priests in order to lead in the church. Novena News reports that many Catholic women remain unhappy that the pontiff has not furthered the cause of women’s ordination beyond a ‘timid’ opening to the study of the possible restoration of the female diaconate. In a statement November 24, the Womens Ordination Commission (WOC) said it rejected the Pope’s “mischaracterisation” of its own movement and others like it “working for a renewed priesthood, free from clericalism and gender discrimination”. They continued. “Women’s exclusion from ordained ministries not only undermines their capacity to make decisions as leaders, but reinforces cultural and social discrimination, and perpetuates structures that subordinate women and can lead to gender-based violence. “Until the hierarchy starts accusing every man seeking ordination of ‘clericalism’, we ask that the pontiff stop projecting the problems and corruption of his male hierarchy onto women longing to serve the Church. “We urge Pope Francis to listen to women who long for equal recognition of their ministries and an equal place at the church’s governing tables”. The WOC closed its reply to Pope Francis inviting him to join them this weekend to celebrate their 45 years witnessing to the “abundant gifts of those working for ordination justice”.....(more)
Extract from CathNews NZ, Novena News, NCR, 30 November 2020
Catholic women have clapped back at Pope Francis after he called their struggle for ordination “clericalist” and “disrespectful”. According to Novena News, the women’s response is a reaction to Francis statement that women do not need to be priests in order to lead in the church. Novena News reports that many Catholic women remain unhappy that the pontiff has not furthered the cause of women’s ordination beyond a ‘timid’ opening to the study of the possible restoration of the female diaconate. In a statement November 24, the Womens Ordination Commission (WOC) said it rejected the Pope’s “mischaracterisation” of its own movement and others like it “working for a renewed priesthood, free from clericalism and gender discrimination”. They continued. “Women’s exclusion from ordained ministries not only undermines their capacity to make decisions as leaders, but reinforces cultural and social discrimination, and perpetuates structures that subordinate women and can lead to gender-based violence. “Until the hierarchy starts accusing every man seeking ordination of ‘clericalism’, we ask that the pontiff stop projecting the problems and corruption of his male hierarchy onto women longing to serve the Church. “We urge Pope Francis to listen to women who long for equal recognition of their ministries and an equal place at the church’s governing tables”. The WOC closed its reply to Pope Francis inviting him to join them this weekend to celebrate their 45 years witnessing to the “abundant gifts of those working for ordination justice”.....(more)
Communique on the Diocese of Broome, Suffragan Diocese of the Metropolitan See of Perth
Extract from Commuique, 28 November 2020
This year, the Holy See appointed and sent the Most Reverend Peter W. Ingham, Bishop Emeritus of Wollongong, as Apostolic Visitator to the Diocese of Broome.Considering all the circumstances surrounding the whole Diocese of Broome, the Holy See has granted the Most Reverend Christopher A. Saunders a six-month sabbatical leave outside of the Diocese of Broome. This period will begin on the 28th of November, the vigil of the Season of Advent, which inaugurates the new Liturgical Year of the church.This period will represent a significant moment for a fruitful discernment of the whole situation of the Diocese, including the organization of its structures and with particular attention to the pastoral care of the faithful. Furthermore, it will offer the opportunity to clarify matters that may have created suspicion, confusion and uncertainty within the Local Church. During this period the present Vicar General, Mons. Paul Boyers, in the capacity of Apostolic Administrator Sede Plena, will administer the Diocese of Broome.......(more)
Extract from Commuique, 28 November 2020
This year, the Holy See appointed and sent the Most Reverend Peter W. Ingham, Bishop Emeritus of Wollongong, as Apostolic Visitator to the Diocese of Broome.Considering all the circumstances surrounding the whole Diocese of Broome, the Holy See has granted the Most Reverend Christopher A. Saunders a six-month sabbatical leave outside of the Diocese of Broome. This period will begin on the 28th of November, the vigil of the Season of Advent, which inaugurates the new Liturgical Year of the church.This period will represent a significant moment for a fruitful discernment of the whole situation of the Diocese, including the organization of its structures and with particular attention to the pastoral care of the faithful. Furthermore, it will offer the opportunity to clarify matters that may have created suspicion, confusion and uncertainty within the Local Church. During this period the present Vicar General, Mons. Paul Boyers, in the capacity of Apostolic Administrator Sede Plena, will administer the Diocese of Broome.......(more)
Happy Birthday Teresa!
On Tuesday 1st December Teresa O’Donnell will celebrate her 100th Birthday.
We wish Teresa every grace and blessing. 100 - not out - and still coming to Mass during a pandemic!
A great witness to a life of faith.
Prayer included in gay conversion ban
Extract from CathNews, Eternity News, 27 November 2020
Prayer-based religious practices are included in a bill introduced to the Victorian Parliament this week that would outlaw therapy that aims to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation. The purposes of the bill “to affirm that a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity is not broken and in need of fixing” and “to affirm that no sexual orientation or gender identity constitutes a disorder, disease, illness, deficiency or shortcoming” are in tension with traditional Christian teaching. The bill aims “to affirm that change or suppression practices are deceptive and harmful both to the person subject to the change or suppression practices and to the community as a whole.” The bill says “a change or suppression practice” includes “carrying out a religious practice, including but not limited to, a prayer based practice, a deliverance practice or an exorcism.” Referring a person to either a medical-based or religiously based practice is also change or suppression practice is also captured. If “serious injury” is caused, punishment includes up to ten years in prison and/or a large fine. Intentionally engaging in a change or suppression practice, to being negligent in engaging in one also attracts those penalties. A lesser charge of “causing injury” will incur large fines.....(more). Photo: Conversion therapy proposed legislation Bigstock, CathNews 20201127
Extract from CathNews, Eternity News, 27 November 2020
Prayer-based religious practices are included in a bill introduced to the Victorian Parliament this week that would outlaw therapy that aims to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation. The purposes of the bill “to affirm that a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity is not broken and in need of fixing” and “to affirm that no sexual orientation or gender identity constitutes a disorder, disease, illness, deficiency or shortcoming” are in tension with traditional Christian teaching. The bill aims “to affirm that change or suppression practices are deceptive and harmful both to the person subject to the change or suppression practices and to the community as a whole.” The bill says “a change or suppression practice” includes “carrying out a religious practice, including but not limited to, a prayer based practice, a deliverance practice or an exorcism.” Referring a person to either a medical-based or religiously based practice is also change or suppression practice is also captured. If “serious injury” is caused, punishment includes up to ten years in prison and/or a large fine. Intentionally engaging in a change or suppression practice, to being negligent in engaging in one also attracts those penalties. A lesser charge of “causing injury” will incur large fines.....(more). Photo: Conversion therapy proposed legislation Bigstock, CathNews 20201127
Ardern an example of a successful leader Pope says
Extract from CathNews NZ, 26 November 2020
In his new book Let Us Dream, Pope Francis recognises the success of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. “The countries with women as presidents or prime ministers have on the whole reacted better and more quickly than others, making decisions swiftly and communicating them with empathy,” he says. By way of example, Francis cites the success in New Zealand, Germany, Iceland, Taiwan and Finland. This observation has led him to increase the number of women in decision making roles in the Vatican. Women are “much better administrators than men,” he writes. In his new book, Francis suggests “the perspective women bring is what the world needs at this time.” “Allowing women’s perspectives to challenge existing assumptions” in the Church, is something he has tried to focus on as Pope, he writes. Throughout his pontificate, Francis says he has sought to appoint women to leadership positions – in the Roman Curia and in advisory, board level positions on Vatican bodies. “I chose these particular women because of their qualifications but also because I believe women in general are much better administrators than men,” he says. “They understand processes better, how to take projects forward.” Francis is often criticised for not doing more to include women and for using outdated or non-inclusive language. He makes it clear that female leadership in the Church cannot simply be equated with what happens in the Vatican or on “specific roles.” Leadership should not be equated with inclusion into the ranks of the clergy, he says. “Perhaps because of clericalism, which is a corruption of the priesthood, many people wrongly believe that Church leadership is exclusively male,” he writes. “But if you go to any diocese in the world you’ll see women running departments, schools, hospitals, and many other organisations and programmes; in some areas, you’ll find many more women than men as leaders.” “To say they aren’t true leaders because they aren’t priests is clericalist and disrespectful.”.....(More). Photo: Adern, CathNews NZ, 20201126
Extract from CathNews NZ, 26 November 2020
In his new book Let Us Dream, Pope Francis recognises the success of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. “The countries with women as presidents or prime ministers have on the whole reacted better and more quickly than others, making decisions swiftly and communicating them with empathy,” he says. By way of example, Francis cites the success in New Zealand, Germany, Iceland, Taiwan and Finland. This observation has led him to increase the number of women in decision making roles in the Vatican. Women are “much better administrators than men,” he writes. In his new book, Francis suggests “the perspective women bring is what the world needs at this time.” “Allowing women’s perspectives to challenge existing assumptions” in the Church, is something he has tried to focus on as Pope, he writes. Throughout his pontificate, Francis says he has sought to appoint women to leadership positions – in the Roman Curia and in advisory, board level positions on Vatican bodies. “I chose these particular women because of their qualifications but also because I believe women in general are much better administrators than men,” he says. “They understand processes better, how to take projects forward.” Francis is often criticised for not doing more to include women and for using outdated or non-inclusive language. He makes it clear that female leadership in the Church cannot simply be equated with what happens in the Vatican or on “specific roles.” Leadership should not be equated with inclusion into the ranks of the clergy, he says. “Perhaps because of clericalism, which is a corruption of the priesthood, many people wrongly believe that Church leadership is exclusively male,” he writes. “But if you go to any diocese in the world you’ll see women running departments, schools, hospitals, and many other organisations and programmes; in some areas, you’ll find many more women than men as leaders.” “To say they aren’t true leaders because they aren’t priests is clericalist and disrespectful.”.....(More). Photo: Adern, CathNews NZ, 20201126
Diarmuid Martin’s successor must be cut from the same cloth
Fears Rome will impose an archbishop more interested in protecting its own interest
Extract from Patsy McHarry, The irish Times, 26 November 2020
The Irish Catholic Church stands at a critical juncture. It is about to lose its most influential leader, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin. But for the pandemic, he would have been replaced already. He was 75 last April, the age when all bishops must submit a letter of resignation to Rome, and he was ready to step down. An announcement on his successor is expected before Christmas. Recent events were a reminder of his achievements in one critical area, that of child protection in the Irish Catholic Church. He was not alone in this, but his unequivocal approach to the issue – while placing survivors and the protection of children at its centre – set the tone. He also set the bar for dealing with statutory inquiries, unlike other senior church figures. He fully co-operated with the Murphy Commission, which investigated the handling of clerical child sexual abuse in the Dublin archdiocese. Such co-operation was not forthcoming from Rome, the papal nunciature in Dublin, or his predecessor Cardinal Desmond Connell who initiated a High Court action to prevent the commission having access to documents. He was persuaded to drop the action. Where some in the church are concerned, Archbishop Martin’s commitment and integrity on the abuse issue has meant that, from a clerical point of view, he will never be forgiven. For its part, Rome has only ever been lukewarm in its acknowledgement. To paraphrase Shakespeare: Martin did the job “not wisely, but too well”. It is imperative that whoever succeeds him as Archbishop of Dublin must be cut from the same cloth. He must be someone who has, at a minimum, a clean pair of hands personally on the abuse issue and be just as committed to the protection of children and to helping survivors.....(more). Photo: Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Bryan OBrien, The Irish Times 20201126
Fears Rome will impose an archbishop more interested in protecting its own interest
Extract from Patsy McHarry, The irish Times, 26 November 2020
The Irish Catholic Church stands at a critical juncture. It is about to lose its most influential leader, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin. But for the pandemic, he would have been replaced already. He was 75 last April, the age when all bishops must submit a letter of resignation to Rome, and he was ready to step down. An announcement on his successor is expected before Christmas. Recent events were a reminder of his achievements in one critical area, that of child protection in the Irish Catholic Church. He was not alone in this, but his unequivocal approach to the issue – while placing survivors and the protection of children at its centre – set the tone. He also set the bar for dealing with statutory inquiries, unlike other senior church figures. He fully co-operated with the Murphy Commission, which investigated the handling of clerical child sexual abuse in the Dublin archdiocese. Such co-operation was not forthcoming from Rome, the papal nunciature in Dublin, or his predecessor Cardinal Desmond Connell who initiated a High Court action to prevent the commission having access to documents. He was persuaded to drop the action. Where some in the church are concerned, Archbishop Martin’s commitment and integrity on the abuse issue has meant that, from a clerical point of view, he will never be forgiven. For its part, Rome has only ever been lukewarm in its acknowledgement. To paraphrase Shakespeare: Martin did the job “not wisely, but too well”. It is imperative that whoever succeeds him as Archbishop of Dublin must be cut from the same cloth. He must be someone who has, at a minimum, a clean pair of hands personally on the abuse issue and be just as committed to the protection of children and to helping survivors.....(more). Photo: Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Bryan OBrien, The Irish Times 20201126
Action plan missing from McCarrick Report can be found Down Under
The entire Church should take seriously the proposals for ecclesial reform coming from Catholics in Australia
Limited extracts from Massimo Faggioli, subscription joirnal La Croix International, 25 November 2020
.......The Light from the Southern Cross" The national episcopal conference (ACBC) and the conference of men and women religious (CRA) set up a task force to formulate proposals for Church reform. It worked between 2019-2020 and submitted a 208-page report called The Light from the Southern Cross. (Full disclosure: I was one of the four external experts called to work with the task force). The report was finalized and submitted to the ACBC and CRA before the publication of the McCarrick Report. But, indirectly, it provides answers to the question of what needs to happen in the Church. An integral part of The Light from the Southern Cross is a recommendation section. Here a few of the recommendations: Reshape of the process for the appointment of new bishops to "embrace genuine discernment that includes clergy and a larger number of lay people" Make a more urgent effort to include women in "senior decision-making bodies" Mandate every diocese to have a pastoral council of laypeople that advises the bishop on major decisions Require each diocese to hold a local synod at least every 10 years Establish a national center for Catholic leadership and governance The potential of The Light from the Southern Cross, in the context of the Plenary Council, goes beyond the sex abuse crisis, as ecclesiologist Richard Gaillardetz of Boston College underscored in his analysis of the report. It would be naïve or disingenuous to read the task force's proposals separately from the consequences of the McCarrick Report.
Not a call for a revolution, but for changes that are already possible "Unless change comes locally, it is not going to affect people's lives, even if the pope says something," noted theologian Richard Lennan in a recent online conference. An Australian priest who teaches at Boston College, he was also a consultant to the authors of The Light from the Southern Cross. The report represents a challenge to those that never say openly that they are against change in the Church, but merely object to the "manner" of change. Its proposals for reforming Church governance are deeply ecclesial. They do not aim to create something brand new, but to draw from the Church's existing resources. The Light from the Southern Cross does not call for a revolution, but for institutional reforms that are already possible now. It has been in the hands of ACBC and CRA, those who tasked the working group, since last August. But there has been a pushback at various levels -- both in public and in private -- with some accusing the report's authors of disregarding Catholic ecclesiology, or worse. Meanwhile, the episcopal conference meets this week to review the issue of Church governance in Australia. And the bishops will also examine The Light from the Southern Cross. The simple fact is that they and CRA now have a choice. They can take the report's proposals seriously and start acting on some of them, or they can ignore and dismiss the suggestions and the ecclesial spirit in which they are written. Whatever the Church leaders do, or fail to do, will have far-reaching consequences well beyond the boundaries of the Land Down Under. It will also say something about the entire Catholic Church's credibility in dealing with the abuse crisis. And that includes the credibility of Pope Francis......(source). Photo: action-plan-missing-from-mccarrick-report-can-be-found-down-under-13395-60 La Croix Int 20201125
The entire Church should take seriously the proposals for ecclesial reform coming from Catholics in Australia
Limited extracts from Massimo Faggioli, subscription joirnal La Croix International, 25 November 2020
.......The Light from the Southern Cross" The national episcopal conference (ACBC) and the conference of men and women religious (CRA) set up a task force to formulate proposals for Church reform. It worked between 2019-2020 and submitted a 208-page report called The Light from the Southern Cross. (Full disclosure: I was one of the four external experts called to work with the task force). The report was finalized and submitted to the ACBC and CRA before the publication of the McCarrick Report. But, indirectly, it provides answers to the question of what needs to happen in the Church. An integral part of The Light from the Southern Cross is a recommendation section. Here a few of the recommendations: Reshape of the process for the appointment of new bishops to "embrace genuine discernment that includes clergy and a larger number of lay people" Make a more urgent effort to include women in "senior decision-making bodies" Mandate every diocese to have a pastoral council of laypeople that advises the bishop on major decisions Require each diocese to hold a local synod at least every 10 years Establish a national center for Catholic leadership and governance The potential of The Light from the Southern Cross, in the context of the Plenary Council, goes beyond the sex abuse crisis, as ecclesiologist Richard Gaillardetz of Boston College underscored in his analysis of the report. It would be naïve or disingenuous to read the task force's proposals separately from the consequences of the McCarrick Report.
Not a call for a revolution, but for changes that are already possible "Unless change comes locally, it is not going to affect people's lives, even if the pope says something," noted theologian Richard Lennan in a recent online conference. An Australian priest who teaches at Boston College, he was also a consultant to the authors of The Light from the Southern Cross. The report represents a challenge to those that never say openly that they are against change in the Church, but merely object to the "manner" of change. Its proposals for reforming Church governance are deeply ecclesial. They do not aim to create something brand new, but to draw from the Church's existing resources. The Light from the Southern Cross does not call for a revolution, but for institutional reforms that are already possible now. It has been in the hands of ACBC and CRA, those who tasked the working group, since last August. But there has been a pushback at various levels -- both in public and in private -- with some accusing the report's authors of disregarding Catholic ecclesiology, or worse. Meanwhile, the episcopal conference meets this week to review the issue of Church governance in Australia. And the bishops will also examine The Light from the Southern Cross. The simple fact is that they and CRA now have a choice. They can take the report's proposals seriously and start acting on some of them, or they can ignore and dismiss the suggestions and the ecclesial spirit in which they are written. Whatever the Church leaders do, or fail to do, will have far-reaching consequences well beyond the boundaries of the Land Down Under. It will also say something about the entire Catholic Church's credibility in dealing with the abuse crisis. And that includes the credibility of Pope Francis......(source). Photo: action-plan-missing-from-mccarrick-report-can-be-found-down-under-13395-60 La Croix Int 20201125
Bishops set for second virtual plenary meeting
Extract from CathNews, ACBC Media Blog, 23 November 2020
Australia’s Catholic bishops will tomorrow open their second plenary meeting of the year under COVID-19 restrictions, with almost 40 bishops and other senior Church figures to gather online. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference holds biannual plenary meetings each May and November. The May meeting this year was moved online – the first time such a gathering had not been held in person in the Conference’s 54-year history. “We had hoped back in May, when gathering via videoconference, that we would be able to meet in person by the time of our November meeting,” Conference president Archbishop Mark Coleridge said. “The second wave in Melbourne, where we had been due to meet, meant a face-to-face plenary was impossible. Our growing familiarity with videoconferencing technology and our May experience mean we are better prepared this time.” Among the items on the bishops’ four-day agenda is the establishment of a new national agency with responsibility for all areas of safeguarding and professional standards. The new agency is expected to commence its work early in 2021. The bishops will also review the new National Response Protocol, which will create consistent, survivor-centred practices for investigation of historical and contemporary complaints of child sexual abuse. COVID-19 – its challenges, changes and opportunities – will be an overarching theme of the week. Other items on the Bishops Conference’s agenda include the review of Church governance The Light from the Southern Cross: Promoting Co-Responsible Governance in the Catholic Church in Australia, the induction and formation of bishops and the formation of men for the priesthood. “We ask Catholic people around Australia to pray for the bishops as we gather. We will certainly be praying for them in this strange and troubled time,” Archbishop Coleridge said.....(more). Photo: The bishops plenary agenda ACBC CNS Bigstock Hobart Archdiocese, CathNews 20201123
Extract from CathNews, ACBC Media Blog, 23 November 2020
Australia’s Catholic bishops will tomorrow open their second plenary meeting of the year under COVID-19 restrictions, with almost 40 bishops and other senior Church figures to gather online. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference holds biannual plenary meetings each May and November. The May meeting this year was moved online – the first time such a gathering had not been held in person in the Conference’s 54-year history. “We had hoped back in May, when gathering via videoconference, that we would be able to meet in person by the time of our November meeting,” Conference president Archbishop Mark Coleridge said. “The second wave in Melbourne, where we had been due to meet, meant a face-to-face plenary was impossible. Our growing familiarity with videoconferencing technology and our May experience mean we are better prepared this time.” Among the items on the bishops’ four-day agenda is the establishment of a new national agency with responsibility for all areas of safeguarding and professional standards. The new agency is expected to commence its work early in 2021. The bishops will also review the new National Response Protocol, which will create consistent, survivor-centred practices for investigation of historical and contemporary complaints of child sexual abuse. COVID-19 – its challenges, changes and opportunities – will be an overarching theme of the week. Other items on the Bishops Conference’s agenda include the review of Church governance The Light from the Southern Cross: Promoting Co-Responsible Governance in the Catholic Church in Australia, the induction and formation of bishops and the formation of men for the priesthood. “We ask Catholic people around Australia to pray for the bishops as we gather. We will certainly be praying for them in this strange and troubled time,” Archbishop Coleridge said.....(more). Photo: The bishops plenary agenda ACBC CNS Bigstock Hobart Archdiocese, CathNews 20201123
We are called to be ‘Neighbours without Borders’
Extract from Patty Fawkner, Pearls & Irritations, John Menadue website, 22 November 2020
In his encyclical Fratelli Tutti Francis says that being a neighbour without borders is how Christians are called to respond to the challenges faced by our world. First there were Doctors without Borders or Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), those medicos who go where others fear to tread. Then came Engineers without Borders followed by Teachers, Architects, Journalists and even Clowns without Borders! These organisations have a common commitment to reach across national boundaries irrespective of race, religion or political affiliation. Pope Francis has now added another all-encompassing category, that of ‘Neighbours without Borders’. In his encyclical Fratelli Tutti Francis says that being a neighbour without borders is how Christians are called to respond to the challenges faced by our world – challenges exposed and magnified during the COVID-19 pandemic. What does a neighbour without borders look like? Look no further than the biblical Good Samaritan, says Francis. The Samaritan traveller of Luke’s Gospel is the exemplar of the neighbour without borders. Francis devotes an entire chapter of his encyclical to the parable of the Good Samaritan and its relevance for all people, irrespective of race and creed. As someone who has pondered and prayed this parable for decades, I find this simple metaphor of being a neighbour without a border both a challenge and a refreshing stimulus for head and heart. Little wonder that Francis loves this parable, so attuned as it is to his own mode of teaching. Neither Jesus’ parable nor Francis’ encyclical indulge in abstract moralising about how to respond when one chances upon a person in need. Trusting in the best of the human spirit, both call for a simple human response of love. Love “does not care if a brother or sister in need comes from one place or another. For love shatters the chains that keep us isolated and separate; in their place, it builds bridges.” (#62) Building bridges, rather than walls is a familiar theme of Francis’ teaching. Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan in answer to the question asked of him: Who is my neighbour? In Jesus’ time, as in ours, a neighbour usually meant someone like us, ‘one of us’. Samaritans were not neighbours of the Jews. “Jesus, himself a Jew, completely transforms this approach. He asks us not to decide who is close enough to be our neighbour, but rather that we ourselves become neighbours to all.” (#80).....(more)
Extract from Patty Fawkner, Pearls & Irritations, John Menadue website, 22 November 2020
In his encyclical Fratelli Tutti Francis says that being a neighbour without borders is how Christians are called to respond to the challenges faced by our world. First there were Doctors without Borders or Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), those medicos who go where others fear to tread. Then came Engineers without Borders followed by Teachers, Architects, Journalists and even Clowns without Borders! These organisations have a common commitment to reach across national boundaries irrespective of race, religion or political affiliation. Pope Francis has now added another all-encompassing category, that of ‘Neighbours without Borders’. In his encyclical Fratelli Tutti Francis says that being a neighbour without borders is how Christians are called to respond to the challenges faced by our world – challenges exposed and magnified during the COVID-19 pandemic. What does a neighbour without borders look like? Look no further than the biblical Good Samaritan, says Francis. The Samaritan traveller of Luke’s Gospel is the exemplar of the neighbour without borders. Francis devotes an entire chapter of his encyclical to the parable of the Good Samaritan and its relevance for all people, irrespective of race and creed. As someone who has pondered and prayed this parable for decades, I find this simple metaphor of being a neighbour without a border both a challenge and a refreshing stimulus for head and heart. Little wonder that Francis loves this parable, so attuned as it is to his own mode of teaching. Neither Jesus’ parable nor Francis’ encyclical indulge in abstract moralising about how to respond when one chances upon a person in need. Trusting in the best of the human spirit, both call for a simple human response of love. Love “does not care if a brother or sister in need comes from one place or another. For love shatters the chains that keep us isolated and separate; in their place, it builds bridges.” (#62) Building bridges, rather than walls is a familiar theme of Francis’ teaching. Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan in answer to the question asked of him: Who is my neighbour? In Jesus’ time, as in ours, a neighbour usually meant someone like us, ‘one of us’. Samaritans were not neighbours of the Jews. “Jesus, himself a Jew, completely transforms this approach. He asks us not to decide who is close enough to be our neighbour, but rather that we ourselves become neighbours to all.” (#80).....(more)
US bishops urge Trump, Barr to stop federal executions
Extract from CathNews, UCA News, 20 November 2020
Two United States bishops’ committee chairs have called on President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr to stop upcoming federal executions and to end the practice altogether. A planned federal execution of Orlando Hall is scheduled to take at 6pm in Indiana (10am AEDT) and two more federal executions are set to occur next month. “We ask President (Donald) Trump and Attorney General (William) Barr, as an act of witness to the dignity of all human life: stop these executions,” said Archbishop Paul Coakley and Archbishop Joseph Naumann, who respectively chair bishops’ committee on domestic justice and human development and pro-life activities. “Sadly, we must call on the administration yet again to stop an execution,” the archbishops said, noting the country is “now on pace for 10 federal executions in 2020, more than double the previous record of four in 1938”. The archbishops’ statement said the death penalty is “not necessary to protect society. It is not necessary to hold people accountable for grave crimes. The decision not to execute someone, even someone who has done something terrible, is not ‘soft on crime’; rather, it is strong on the dignity of life”.......(more). Photo: Federal Correctional Complex Indiana death penalty CNS Andy Clark, Reuters, CathNews UCA News 20201120
Extract from CathNews, UCA News, 20 November 2020
Two United States bishops’ committee chairs have called on President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr to stop upcoming federal executions and to end the practice altogether. A planned federal execution of Orlando Hall is scheduled to take at 6pm in Indiana (10am AEDT) and two more federal executions are set to occur next month. “We ask President (Donald) Trump and Attorney General (William) Barr, as an act of witness to the dignity of all human life: stop these executions,” said Archbishop Paul Coakley and Archbishop Joseph Naumann, who respectively chair bishops’ committee on domestic justice and human development and pro-life activities. “Sadly, we must call on the administration yet again to stop an execution,” the archbishops said, noting the country is “now on pace for 10 federal executions in 2020, more than double the previous record of four in 1938”. The archbishops’ statement said the death penalty is “not necessary to protect society. It is not necessary to hold people accountable for grave crimes. The decision not to execute someone, even someone who has done something terrible, is not ‘soft on crime’; rather, it is strong on the dignity of life”.......(more). Photo: Federal Correctional Complex Indiana death penalty CNS Andy Clark, Reuters, CathNews UCA News 20201120
Nuclear weapons are illegal: 50 nations ratify historic UN treaty
Extract from Art Laffin, National Catholic Reporter, 19 November 2020
Seventy-five years after the U.S. committed the unspeakable crime of using nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945, a historic milestone has finally been achieved: Nuclear weapons have been declared illegal under a new United Nations treaty. On Oct. 24, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) reached the 50-nation ratification threshold needed for entry into force. In 90 days, on Jan. 22, 2021, the treaty will go into effect. Eighty-four countries have signed the TPNW, and legislatures of 50 countries have now ratified it. Advocates are confident that the remaining signatories will continue to add their ratifications to the agreement. However, the TPNW is not binding on those nations that refuse to sign it. The U.S. and the world's eight other nuclear-armed countries — Russia, China, Britain, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — boycotted the negotiations that created the TPNW and have shown no inclination to accept it. Three years ago, 122 nations adopted this landmark treaty. According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize recipient who helped spearhead the TPNW:.....(more). Photo: Dongfeng-41 intercontinental strategic nuclear missile CNS Reuters Weng Qiyu NCR 20201119
Extract from Art Laffin, National Catholic Reporter, 19 November 2020
Seventy-five years after the U.S. committed the unspeakable crime of using nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945, a historic milestone has finally been achieved: Nuclear weapons have been declared illegal under a new United Nations treaty. On Oct. 24, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) reached the 50-nation ratification threshold needed for entry into force. In 90 days, on Jan. 22, 2021, the treaty will go into effect. Eighty-four countries have signed the TPNW, and legislatures of 50 countries have now ratified it. Advocates are confident that the remaining signatories will continue to add their ratifications to the agreement. However, the TPNW is not binding on those nations that refuse to sign it. The U.S. and the world's eight other nuclear-armed countries — Russia, China, Britain, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — boycotted the negotiations that created the TPNW and have shown no inclination to accept it. Three years ago, 122 nations adopted this landmark treaty. According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize recipient who helped spearhead the TPNW:.....(more). Photo: Dongfeng-41 intercontinental strategic nuclear missile CNS Reuters Weng Qiyu NCR 20201119
Anti-abuse crusader says McCarrick Report sends clear message to the hierarchy
Exclusive interview with Hans Zollner SJ, one the Church's top experts on preventing clergy sex abuse
Limited extract from Loup Besmond de Senneville, Vatican City, Subscription jopurnal La Croix Intetrnational. 19 Nov 2020
Father Hans Zollner says the Vatican's recent investigation into how the former US cardinal, Theodore McCarrick, was able to rise to the top of the hierarchy despite sexually abusing youngsters marks an important step in the Catholic Church's ongoing awareness of clergy abuse. The 54-year-old Jesuit is president of the Center for Child Protection at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and has been a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors since Pope Francis established it in 2014. He told La Croix's Loup Besmond de Senneville that the so-called "McCarrick Report", which was published on November 10, is not likely to be the last such investigation into Church leaders. La Croix: What will be the impact of this report? Father Hans Zollner: The McCarrick Report is a very clear message to the entire hierarchy: if Rome demonstrates such transparency, everyone must do the same, including at lower levels. Additionally, if the process is flawed, it will sooner or later be made public. Two years ago, no one imagined that such a report would be possible. This investigation, which notably reveals that three American bishops did not say everything they knew about McCarrick's actions, has the merit of asking very concrete questions: who is involved in the choice of future bishops? Who decides? How? What questions should be put to him and his entourage? How can we ensure the highest degree of sincerity and transparency within this process itself? Will more reports of this type be published in the future? I suppose this is the first report, but it won't be the last. This type of work should not only be carried out by the Vatican, but at all levels of the institution. From this point of view, the McCarrick Report is a model to be followed. One of the outstanding phenomena described in this document is a culture of "small omissions", leading to a failure to report McCarrick's behavior. Is this a common practice in the Church? Yes, this culture is deeply rooted in certain circles, including the Catholic Church. But this report helps to raise awareness of it and thus to change that mentality. It's by highlighting these failings that we make it possible for them to stop happening......(source). Photo: Father Hans Zollner, one of the Vatican's specialists on the issue of sexual abuse, GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP, La Croix
Exclusive interview with Hans Zollner SJ, one the Church's top experts on preventing clergy sex abuse
Limited extract from Loup Besmond de Senneville, Vatican City, Subscription jopurnal La Croix Intetrnational. 19 Nov 2020
Father Hans Zollner says the Vatican's recent investigation into how the former US cardinal, Theodore McCarrick, was able to rise to the top of the hierarchy despite sexually abusing youngsters marks an important step in the Catholic Church's ongoing awareness of clergy abuse. The 54-year-old Jesuit is president of the Center for Child Protection at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and has been a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors since Pope Francis established it in 2014. He told La Croix's Loup Besmond de Senneville that the so-called "McCarrick Report", which was published on November 10, is not likely to be the last such investigation into Church leaders. La Croix: What will be the impact of this report? Father Hans Zollner: The McCarrick Report is a very clear message to the entire hierarchy: if Rome demonstrates such transparency, everyone must do the same, including at lower levels. Additionally, if the process is flawed, it will sooner or later be made public. Two years ago, no one imagined that such a report would be possible. This investigation, which notably reveals that three American bishops did not say everything they knew about McCarrick's actions, has the merit of asking very concrete questions: who is involved in the choice of future bishops? Who decides? How? What questions should be put to him and his entourage? How can we ensure the highest degree of sincerity and transparency within this process itself? Will more reports of this type be published in the future? I suppose this is the first report, but it won't be the last. This type of work should not only be carried out by the Vatican, but at all levels of the institution. From this point of view, the McCarrick Report is a model to be followed. One of the outstanding phenomena described in this document is a culture of "small omissions", leading to a failure to report McCarrick's behavior. Is this a common practice in the Church? Yes, this culture is deeply rooted in certain circles, including the Catholic Church. But this report helps to raise awareness of it and thus to change that mentality. It's by highlighting these failings that we make it possible for them to stop happening......(source). Photo: Father Hans Zollner, one of the Vatican's specialists on the issue of sexual abuse, GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP, La Croix
Head of US bishops foresees conflict with the Biden Administration
Archbishop José H. Gomez announces creation of ad hoc commission to anticipate trouble spots with the next president
Limited Extracts from subscription Journal La Croix International, 18 November 2020
The head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops while announcing the setting up of a special working group to address President-elect Joe Biden's policy positions spoke of "certain challenges" between the church and only the second Catholic to be elected as president of the United States. "We are facing a unique moment in the history of our country…. This presents certain opportunities but also certain challenges" USCCB president Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles said while announcing the working group at the end of the public portion of the bishops' Nov. 16-17 meeting, held this year completely online. "The president-elect has given us reason to believe his faith commitments will lead to certain policies that we favor," Archbishop Gomez said welcoming Biden's position on issues such as immigration, aid to refugees and the poor, racial justice, capital punishment and climate change. But there is the expectation that "he will support policies that are against some fundamental values we hold dear as Catholics" Gomez said listing the "repeal of the Hyde Amendment and his support for Roe v. Wade" as expected disagreements. The Hyde Amendment is a legislative provision barring the use of federal funds to pay for abortion except to save the life of the woman, or if the pregnancy arises from incest or rape. The landmark 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision allowed a pregnant woman liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. "These policies pose a serious threat to the common good," said Gomez, reiterating that the USCCB has "a preeminent priority of elimination of abortion." "When politicians who profess the Catholic faith support them ... it creates confusion among the faithful about what the church actually teaches on these questions", said Archbishop Gomez who is completing his first year as USCCB president. In reply, Michael Sean Winters in his opinion piece for National Catholic Reporter wrote: "Does it? Could Gomez produce a single Catholic who does not know what the church teaches on these issues? Has Biden ever claimed he was speaking on behalf of the church when addressing these issues? It is nonsense. Gomez announced the formation of a working group to study the nonexistent problem." He also quoted Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio, who speaking to the bishops as they began their virtual plenary meeting, said: "In a pluralistic, fragmented world, we are invited to dialogue. What is the method proposed in Fratelli tutti? In chapter six, Pope Francis speaks of dialogue. But, when we speak of dialogue, what are we really talking about? It cannot be like those on the news who shout past each other, demonstrating that they are more interested in power and their own ideas than the common good. Dialogue must be related to truth." Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit, vice president of the USCCB will head the special working group that was set up to deal with disagreement expected between the church and President-elect Biden.....(source). Photo: Archbishop Jose Gomez ETIENNE LAURENT EFE Newscom MaxPPP La Croix Int 20201118
Archbishop José H. Gomez announces creation of ad hoc commission to anticipate trouble spots with the next president
Limited Extracts from subscription Journal La Croix International, 18 November 2020
The head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops while announcing the setting up of a special working group to address President-elect Joe Biden's policy positions spoke of "certain challenges" between the church and only the second Catholic to be elected as president of the United States. "We are facing a unique moment in the history of our country…. This presents certain opportunities but also certain challenges" USCCB president Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles said while announcing the working group at the end of the public portion of the bishops' Nov. 16-17 meeting, held this year completely online. "The president-elect has given us reason to believe his faith commitments will lead to certain policies that we favor," Archbishop Gomez said welcoming Biden's position on issues such as immigration, aid to refugees and the poor, racial justice, capital punishment and climate change. But there is the expectation that "he will support policies that are against some fundamental values we hold dear as Catholics" Gomez said listing the "repeal of the Hyde Amendment and his support for Roe v. Wade" as expected disagreements. The Hyde Amendment is a legislative provision barring the use of federal funds to pay for abortion except to save the life of the woman, or if the pregnancy arises from incest or rape. The landmark 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision allowed a pregnant woman liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. "These policies pose a serious threat to the common good," said Gomez, reiterating that the USCCB has "a preeminent priority of elimination of abortion." "When politicians who profess the Catholic faith support them ... it creates confusion among the faithful about what the church actually teaches on these questions", said Archbishop Gomez who is completing his first year as USCCB president. In reply, Michael Sean Winters in his opinion piece for National Catholic Reporter wrote: "Does it? Could Gomez produce a single Catholic who does not know what the church teaches on these issues? Has Biden ever claimed he was speaking on behalf of the church when addressing these issues? It is nonsense. Gomez announced the formation of a working group to study the nonexistent problem." He also quoted Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio, who speaking to the bishops as they began their virtual plenary meeting, said: "In a pluralistic, fragmented world, we are invited to dialogue. What is the method proposed in Fratelli tutti? In chapter six, Pope Francis speaks of dialogue. But, when we speak of dialogue, what are we really talking about? It cannot be like those on the news who shout past each other, demonstrating that they are more interested in power and their own ideas than the common good. Dialogue must be related to truth." Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit, vice president of the USCCB will head the special working group that was set up to deal with disagreement expected between the church and President-elect Biden.....(source). Photo: Archbishop Jose Gomez ETIENNE LAURENT EFE Newscom MaxPPP La Croix Int 20201118
Media matters for the good of the Church
The Christian faithful have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful. (Canon 212 §3)
Extract from Peter Donnan, Eureka Street, 19 November 2020
Eureka Street columnist John Warhurst suggests Australian bishops prefer to deal with individuals rather than Catholics who organise themselves independently of official church structures. An increasing number of Catholics have low expectations that significant reform will be adopted at the Plenary Council in 2021. Issues such as inclusion and the role of women were prominent in the original 17,457 Plenary Council submissions but have been obscured in the discernment papers. The selection of diocesan delegates has been opaque, and most tellingly only bishops have a deliberative vote. Following a dark period of sexual abuse in the Church, coupled with declining Church membership since the 1950s, there is clearly a case for urgent reform. Only 8 per cent to 10 per cent of those who identify as Catholics are regular mass attenders; and almost a third of these are aged between 60 and 74. The Catholic Church in Australia is in crisis. A number of bishops have already expressed public views critiquing reform agendas in ‘The Catholic Weekly’. Bishop Umbers, for instance, is concerned about ‘the effects (or grumblings) of mere sociological change.’ Archbishop Porteous has noted the creeping ‘clericalisation of the laity,’ and the blurring of ecclesial borders. Author Gideon Goosen estimates the percentage of those involved in reform groups in Australia is 5 per cent or less. Given the passivity of the laity, his view is that reform proponents should seek to engage the 40 to 45 per cent who might change their thinking. What forums or media, with sufficient audience reach and influence, facilitate respectful discussion of change in the Catholic Church?.....(more)
The Christian faithful have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful. (Canon 212 §3)
Extract from Peter Donnan, Eureka Street, 19 November 2020
Eureka Street columnist John Warhurst suggests Australian bishops prefer to deal with individuals rather than Catholics who organise themselves independently of official church structures. An increasing number of Catholics have low expectations that significant reform will be adopted at the Plenary Council in 2021. Issues such as inclusion and the role of women were prominent in the original 17,457 Plenary Council submissions but have been obscured in the discernment papers. The selection of diocesan delegates has been opaque, and most tellingly only bishops have a deliberative vote. Following a dark period of sexual abuse in the Church, coupled with declining Church membership since the 1950s, there is clearly a case for urgent reform. Only 8 per cent to 10 per cent of those who identify as Catholics are regular mass attenders; and almost a third of these are aged between 60 and 74. The Catholic Church in Australia is in crisis. A number of bishops have already expressed public views critiquing reform agendas in ‘The Catholic Weekly’. Bishop Umbers, for instance, is concerned about ‘the effects (or grumblings) of mere sociological change.’ Archbishop Porteous has noted the creeping ‘clericalisation of the laity,’ and the blurring of ecclesial borders. Author Gideon Goosen estimates the percentage of those involved in reform groups in Australia is 5 per cent or less. Given the passivity of the laity, his view is that reform proponents should seek to engage the 40 to 45 per cent who might change their thinking. What forums or media, with sufficient audience reach and influence, facilitate respectful discussion of change in the Catholic Church?.....(more)
NZ cardinal opens inquiry into dead bishop’s abuse response
Extract from CathNews, Crux, 19 November 2020
Cardinal John Dew of Wellington has asked for an independent investigator to determine whether the late bishop of Dunedin took proper action when he received complaints of sexual abuse. The Church in New Zealand’s National Office for Professional Standards has appointed Christchurch senior investigator Micky Earl of the firm Corporate Risks to conduct the investigation into Bishop John Kavanagh, who led the Dunedin Diocese from 1957 to 1985. A statement from the New Zealand bishops conference said Cardinal Dew reported a number of victims of abuse in the Dunedin Diocese had complained that Bishop Kavanagh, who died in 1985, had not properly dealt with their complaints of sexual abuse by priests. Cardinal Dew referred the concerns about Kavanagh to Rome under Pope Francis’s 2019 decree, Vos estis lux mundi. “I was advised by Rome that the complaints about Bishop Kavanagh’s handling of abuse complaints do not come within Rome’s scope because he is deceased. I therefore instructed NOPS to undertake an investigation under our Church protocol for matters of abuse, A Path to Healing,” the cardinal said in his statement. He said Mr Earl would investigate “what information Bishop Kavanagh held regarding complaints of sexual abuse and whether he met his obligations as bishop in how he responded to and managed those complaints”. .....(More). Photo: Cardinal John Dew CNS Paul Haring CathNews 20201119
Extract from CathNews, Crux, 19 November 2020
Cardinal John Dew of Wellington has asked for an independent investigator to determine whether the late bishop of Dunedin took proper action when he received complaints of sexual abuse. The Church in New Zealand’s National Office for Professional Standards has appointed Christchurch senior investigator Micky Earl of the firm Corporate Risks to conduct the investigation into Bishop John Kavanagh, who led the Dunedin Diocese from 1957 to 1985. A statement from the New Zealand bishops conference said Cardinal Dew reported a number of victims of abuse in the Dunedin Diocese had complained that Bishop Kavanagh, who died in 1985, had not properly dealt with their complaints of sexual abuse by priests. Cardinal Dew referred the concerns about Kavanagh to Rome under Pope Francis’s 2019 decree, Vos estis lux mundi. “I was advised by Rome that the complaints about Bishop Kavanagh’s handling of abuse complaints do not come within Rome’s scope because he is deceased. I therefore instructed NOPS to undertake an investigation under our Church protocol for matters of abuse, A Path to Healing,” the cardinal said in his statement. He said Mr Earl would investigate “what information Bishop Kavanagh held regarding complaints of sexual abuse and whether he met his obligations as bishop in how he responded to and managed those complaints”. .....(More). Photo: Cardinal John Dew CNS Paul Haring CathNews 20201119
Judge reserves ruling on media over trial reporting
Extract from CathNews, News, 19 November 2020
A judge has reserved his decision on whether Australian media companies and journalists have a case to answer over the way Cardinal George Pell’s conviction was reported. Source: News.com.au.
Prosecutors have already withdrawn 13 of 100 contempt charges over the reporting of Cardinal Pell trial’s in 2018 and lawyers have applied to have the remaining cases thrown out. Fifteen journalists face potential jail terms after Victorian Director of Public Prosecutions Kerri Judd QC launched an extraordinary prosecution over the way in which information was published and broadcast about the conviction of a high-profile Australian. That person was later revealed as Cardinal Pell. A court non-publication order prevented any reporting on his trial in Australia because it could have impacted the jury in the second trial against Cardinal Pell — which was later dropped. Prosecutors allege the articles and broadcasts by Australian media encouraged people to conduct online searches to find the person’s identity, at a time when overseas media were naming Cardinal Pell. Will Houghton QC, representing News Corp Australia outlets and journalists, argued yesterday the crown failed to show the articles could have led any would-be juror to search for and find any of 35 overseas articles that revealed Cardinal Pell’s identity. Judge John Dixon said his ruling on the no case submissions would likely take “a few days” and reserved his decision....(more)
Extract from CathNews, News, 19 November 2020
A judge has reserved his decision on whether Australian media companies and journalists have a case to answer over the way Cardinal George Pell’s conviction was reported. Source: News.com.au.
Prosecutors have already withdrawn 13 of 100 contempt charges over the reporting of Cardinal Pell trial’s in 2018 and lawyers have applied to have the remaining cases thrown out. Fifteen journalists face potential jail terms after Victorian Director of Public Prosecutions Kerri Judd QC launched an extraordinary prosecution over the way in which information was published and broadcast about the conviction of a high-profile Australian. That person was later revealed as Cardinal Pell. A court non-publication order prevented any reporting on his trial in Australia because it could have impacted the jury in the second trial against Cardinal Pell — which was later dropped. Prosecutors allege the articles and broadcasts by Australian media encouraged people to conduct online searches to find the person’s identity, at a time when overseas media were naming Cardinal Pell. Will Houghton QC, representing News Corp Australia outlets and journalists, argued yesterday the crown failed to show the articles could have led any would-be juror to search for and find any of 35 overseas articles that revealed Cardinal Pell’s identity. Judge John Dixon said his ruling on the no case submissions would likely take “a few days” and reserved his decision....(more)
New place-based centre for research and action will support marginalised communities to flourish:
Extract fom Cathnews, Media Release, 18 November 2020
Jesuit Social ServicesPutting local communities at the heart of decision making, and empowering communities to give them the resources they need to reach their potential, will be key focus areas of Jesuit Social Services͛ place-based centre for research and action, which will launch in early 2021.͞The place-based centre for research and action will be a new national research, advocacy and capacity-building centre into place-based approaches to ensure all Australian communities have opportunities to flourish. The place-based centre will lift up communities that have experienced entrenched disadvantage often over many years,͟says Jesuit Social Services CEO Julie Edwards.The place-based centre will draw on Jesuit Social Services͛ research into locational disadvantage͕ which includes five reports conducted over more than 20 years. The centre will produce another major Dropping off the Edgereport, to map disadvantage in each state and territory, in 2021.....(more)
Extract fom Cathnews, Media Release, 18 November 2020
Jesuit Social ServicesPutting local communities at the heart of decision making, and empowering communities to give them the resources they need to reach their potential, will be key focus areas of Jesuit Social Services͛ place-based centre for research and action, which will launch in early 2021.͞The place-based centre for research and action will be a new national research, advocacy and capacity-building centre into place-based approaches to ensure all Australian communities have opportunities to flourish. The place-based centre will lift up communities that have experienced entrenched disadvantage often over many years,͟says Jesuit Social Services CEO Julie Edwards.The place-based centre will draw on Jesuit Social Services͛ research into locational disadvantage͕ which includes five reports conducted over more than 20 years. The centre will produce another major Dropping off the Edgereport, to map disadvantage in each state and territory, in 2021.....(more)
Bishop Peter Elliott in serious but stable condition
Extract from Melbopurne Catholic, Wednesday 18 November 2020
On Friday 13 November, Bishop Peter Elliott, retired auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese Melbourne, was admitted to hospital following a serious heart episode. By Saturday evening, his condition had worsened and Archbishop Peter A Comensoli asked the community to pray for the retired bishop: "Friends, especially in Melbourne, I ask for your prayers for our retired Auxiliary Bishop, Peter Elliott, who is fighting for his life after suffering a heart episode yesterday. May the tender Lord hold him close, may our Blessed Mother accompany him.' The bishop remains in hospital but Archbishop Comensoli today shared that his condition had slightly improved. "Thank you for your ongoing prayers for Bishop Peter Elliott ... he would be humbled to know how cared for and valued he is across the community."
"He has had a comfortable couple of days and has been stable though remains in a serious condition. The episodes he experienced have taken a great toll on his health, and we can only wait, in prayer, to see how things progress.' Since the weekend, prayers and messages of support flowed in from around the country for Bishop Elliott, who retired in 2018 after decades of priestly ministry and 11 years as bishop. At the time of his retirement, he shared that one of the great joys of his role as bishop was administering the sacrament of Confirmation.....(more). Photo: Melbourne Catholic
Extract from Melbopurne Catholic, Wednesday 18 November 2020
On Friday 13 November, Bishop Peter Elliott, retired auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese Melbourne, was admitted to hospital following a serious heart episode. By Saturday evening, his condition had worsened and Archbishop Peter A Comensoli asked the community to pray for the retired bishop: "Friends, especially in Melbourne, I ask for your prayers for our retired Auxiliary Bishop, Peter Elliott, who is fighting for his life after suffering a heart episode yesterday. May the tender Lord hold him close, may our Blessed Mother accompany him.' The bishop remains in hospital but Archbishop Comensoli today shared that his condition had slightly improved. "Thank you for your ongoing prayers for Bishop Peter Elliott ... he would be humbled to know how cared for and valued he is across the community."
"He has had a comfortable couple of days and has been stable though remains in a serious condition. The episodes he experienced have taken a great toll on his health, and we can only wait, in prayer, to see how things progress.' Since the weekend, prayers and messages of support flowed in from around the country for Bishop Elliott, who retired in 2018 after decades of priestly ministry and 11 years as bishop. At the time of his retirement, he shared that one of the great joys of his role as bishop was administering the sacrament of Confirmation.....(more). Photo: Melbourne Catholic
Australians are disillusioned with the Church but are spiritually hungry
Edited Extract from Grant Duusting, Melbourne Catholic, 17 November 2020
Christian leaders (from various faith traditions) feel Australians have become disillusioned with the church as an institution. They point to public breaches of trust from church leadership and church culture often being detached from the everyday Australian experience as key causes of this disillusionment and apathy. While the Census data shows a decline of Australians identifying with Christianity (from 64% in 2006 to 52% in the 2016 Census), data collected by the National Church Life Survey shows the proportion of Australians regularly going to church has remained steady in this same period (15% in 2006; 16% in 2016). Even amidst this context of disillusionment, Church leaders are seeing a spiritual hunger in Australia consistent with the research data. Despite Australia’s relative wealth and stability (by global standards), Church leaders believe people are searching for meaning and fulfillment that isn’t being found elsewhere. The Church needs to engage the community. While Australia is full of churches large and small, leaders believe the size of a church is of less importance than whether a church is seeking to truly understand and engage their own local community and bring a unique contribution to their neighbourhood. This means reflecting the diversity of their own geographic context and considering what a church can be doing ‘between Sundays’ to serve the needs of their community. The Church needs to embrace digital disruption: Just as Australians have shifted to virtual meetings for business and social occasions, churches too have been forced to adapt to new digital technologies. Many have been using platforms like Zoom and livestreams for their services to operate ‘church online’, and this has presented opportunities to engage new audiences such as those who may not be comfortable entering a physical church building, or those in new geographic areas who can now engage in a digital form of community. Much like the future of office space and large public events, there is broad recognition that the Church of the future will be hybrid, combining a physical gathering with digital platforms to engage as many people as possible. The Church may be seeing a ‘new reformation’ moment: The Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century was enabled by the invention of the printing press, putting scripture into the hands of church members for the first time. Church leaders now sense we are seeing a similar 'reformation' moment, with COVID-19 acting as a catalyst for people taking more responsibility for things like evangelisation and community-building. This year has seen churchgoers rely less on clergy, and has prompted the average churchgoer to take more initiative and responsibility for their own spiritual growth. We found that 38% of churchgoers say they have been more active in ministry during COVID-19 and 47% have invited more people to church online than when they were attending church in person pre-COVID. The Church is raising up diverse leaders: Church leaders agree there is work to do in improving diversity among church leadership. As Australia becomes increasingly diverse, the Church needs to reflect the diversity of age, gender and culture in the community it seeks to serve. Females and indigenous people are specific groups that are currently under-represented in Church leadership, and we've seen efforts over the last few years to ensure that role models exist to inspire new generations that there is a place for them in the Church...........(more) Download The Future of the Church in Australia report here.
Edited Extract from Grant Duusting, Melbourne Catholic, 17 November 2020
Christian leaders (from various faith traditions) feel Australians have become disillusioned with the church as an institution. They point to public breaches of trust from church leadership and church culture often being detached from the everyday Australian experience as key causes of this disillusionment and apathy. While the Census data shows a decline of Australians identifying with Christianity (from 64% in 2006 to 52% in the 2016 Census), data collected by the National Church Life Survey shows the proportion of Australians regularly going to church has remained steady in this same period (15% in 2006; 16% in 2016). Even amidst this context of disillusionment, Church leaders are seeing a spiritual hunger in Australia consistent with the research data. Despite Australia’s relative wealth and stability (by global standards), Church leaders believe people are searching for meaning and fulfillment that isn’t being found elsewhere. The Church needs to engage the community. While Australia is full of churches large and small, leaders believe the size of a church is of less importance than whether a church is seeking to truly understand and engage their own local community and bring a unique contribution to their neighbourhood. This means reflecting the diversity of their own geographic context and considering what a church can be doing ‘between Sundays’ to serve the needs of their community. The Church needs to embrace digital disruption: Just as Australians have shifted to virtual meetings for business and social occasions, churches too have been forced to adapt to new digital technologies. Many have been using platforms like Zoom and livestreams for their services to operate ‘church online’, and this has presented opportunities to engage new audiences such as those who may not be comfortable entering a physical church building, or those in new geographic areas who can now engage in a digital form of community. Much like the future of office space and large public events, there is broad recognition that the Church of the future will be hybrid, combining a physical gathering with digital platforms to engage as many people as possible. The Church may be seeing a ‘new reformation’ moment: The Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century was enabled by the invention of the printing press, putting scripture into the hands of church members for the first time. Church leaders now sense we are seeing a similar 'reformation' moment, with COVID-19 acting as a catalyst for people taking more responsibility for things like evangelisation and community-building. This year has seen churchgoers rely less on clergy, and has prompted the average churchgoer to take more initiative and responsibility for their own spiritual growth. We found that 38% of churchgoers say they have been more active in ministry during COVID-19 and 47% have invited more people to church online than when they were attending church in person pre-COVID. The Church is raising up diverse leaders: Church leaders agree there is work to do in improving diversity among church leadership. As Australia becomes increasingly diverse, the Church needs to reflect the diversity of age, gender and culture in the community it seeks to serve. Females and indigenous people are specific groups that are currently under-represented in Church leadership, and we've seen efforts over the last few years to ensure that role models exist to inspire new generations that there is a place for them in the Church...........(more) Download The Future of the Church in Australia report here.
Diwali
Edited extract from Wikipedia, 12 November 2020Deepavali (Diwali) is the Indian festival of lights, usually lasting five days and celebrated during the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika. One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, Diwali symbolizes the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance".
We wish our neighbours a happy Diwali on Saturday 14 November.
Parish Redevelopment Milestone
Pat Kelly, Friday 13 November 2020
Following consultation with the Archdiocese, six contractors have been invited to tender for our redevelopment project. The tenders closes later this month and will be evaluated by the Archdiocesan Building and Property Committee, the architects and ourselves. Advice of the selected contractor will be provided following approval by the Archdiocese.
Joe Biden thanked Pope Francis for ‘extending blessings and congratulations’ this morning
Extract from Michael J. O’Loughlin. America: The Jesuit Review, November 12, 2020
Extract from Michael J. O’Loughlin. America: The Jesuit Review, November 12, 2020
President-elect Joe Biden, the second Catholic elected president of the United States, spoke this morning with Pope Francis, the latest world leader to congratulate Mr. Biden even as his opponent refuses to concede the election. According to a statement from Mr. Biden’s transition team, the former vice president thanked the pope for his “leadership in promoting peace, reconciliation, and the common bonds of humanity around the world.” Mr. Biden also said he hopes to work with the Vatican “on issues such as caring for the marginalized and the poor, addressing the crisis of climate change, and welcoming and integrating immigrants and refugees into our communities.” Biden said he hoped the United States and the Holy See might find common ground and be able to “work together on the basis of a shared belief in the dignity and equality of all humankind.” Mr. Biden said he hoped the United States and the Holy See might find common ground and be able to “work together on the basis of a shared belief in the dignity and equality of all humankind.” Pope Francis met Mr. Biden in 2013, when the then-vice president led a delegation from the United States at the pope’s installation. Writing about that experience for Time magazine in 2015, Mr. Biden recalled, “When it was my turn to greet Pope Francis, he reached out his hand and embraced mine. Then he said warmly, ‘Mr. Vice President, you’re always welcome here.’ That’s the message Pope Francis is sending to the world. He’s put a welcome sign on the front door of the Church.”.....(More) *See 2015 Biden Interview below - 8 November.
The end of the Trumpian captivity of the American Church
The defeat of Donald Trump and the fight for the "religious soul" of America
Limited Extract from Massimo Faggioli, subscription journal La Croix International, 12 November 2020
..............Catholics and the neo-conservative movement: However, in the mid-1980s there was the emergence of the neo-conservative movement in the United States, in which Catholics have played a central role. They include people and publications like the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus and First Things magazine. From the early 2000s, and then in a crescendo after the election of Benedict XVI in 2005, the neo-conservative and theo-conservative movements have been mutating into a single neo-integralist and neo-traditionalist movement. Its creed was the rejection of Vatican II as a way to reject theological and political modernity. At a time when the WASP establishment was collapsing, conservative America called for a Catholicism that was no longer just conservative or post-liberal, but openly anti-liberal. The model is no longer John Paul II or Joseph Ratzinger. It is now Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian Prime Minister and self-avowed champion of "illiberal democracy". The USCCB's constitutional agnosticism has stifled the bishops' ability to confront Donald Trump's open threats to the democratic system. US Catholics had rightfully expected their bishops to say something. Instead, it was women religious – the nuns – who spoke out! A Catholic Church trying to protect its own freedom, while disregarding the rights of others, will end up losing its own freedom – after having lost that minimum of respect and self-respect necessary to act in the public square. A president that threatens the foundations of the political and civil community is also a threat to the freedom of religion and of the Church. The moral authority, cultural prestige and cohesion of American Catholicism have been severely damaged in the eyes of a country that is becoming more secular. Especially when the ongoing sex abuse crisis continues to be identified as a uniquely Catholic scandal – unfair as it that may be, given that abuse is a problem that affects all institutions dealing with the youth and the vulnerable......(Source). Photo: La Croix International 20201112 La Croix Internatiopnal 20201112
The defeat of Donald Trump and the fight for the "religious soul" of America
Limited Extract from Massimo Faggioli, subscription journal La Croix International, 12 November 2020
..............Catholics and the neo-conservative movement: However, in the mid-1980s there was the emergence of the neo-conservative movement in the United States, in which Catholics have played a central role. They include people and publications like the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus and First Things magazine. From the early 2000s, and then in a crescendo after the election of Benedict XVI in 2005, the neo-conservative and theo-conservative movements have been mutating into a single neo-integralist and neo-traditionalist movement. Its creed was the rejection of Vatican II as a way to reject theological and political modernity. At a time when the WASP establishment was collapsing, conservative America called for a Catholicism that was no longer just conservative or post-liberal, but openly anti-liberal. The model is no longer John Paul II or Joseph Ratzinger. It is now Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian Prime Minister and self-avowed champion of "illiberal democracy". The USCCB's constitutional agnosticism has stifled the bishops' ability to confront Donald Trump's open threats to the democratic system. US Catholics had rightfully expected their bishops to say something. Instead, it was women religious – the nuns – who spoke out! A Catholic Church trying to protect its own freedom, while disregarding the rights of others, will end up losing its own freedom – after having lost that minimum of respect and self-respect necessary to act in the public square. A president that threatens the foundations of the political and civil community is also a threat to the freedom of religion and of the Church. The moral authority, cultural prestige and cohesion of American Catholicism have been severely damaged in the eyes of a country that is becoming more secular. Especially when the ongoing sex abuse crisis continues to be identified as a uniquely Catholic scandal – unfair as it that may be, given that abuse is a problem that affects all institutions dealing with the youth and the vulnerable......(Source). Photo: La Croix International 20201112 La Croix Internatiopnal 20201112
NAIDOC Week and Remembrance Day at Saint Ignatius College Drysdale
Extract from Brendan Nicholls, Saint Ignatius College. Melbourne Catholic, 12 November 2020
Saint Ignatius College Geelong this week is celebrating NAIDOC as a school community. The theme for this year, 'Always Was, Always Will Be', recognises that First Nations People have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years. Throughout NAIDOC Week, students have had the chance to learn the stories of Indigenous Australians who have contributed enormously to the fabric of Australian society through literature, science, music, sport and art. Through their words, findings, lyrics, actions and art, people like Anita Heiss, Bruce Pascoe, Stan Grant, Marcia Langton, A.P. Elkin, Christine Anu, Jessica Mauboy, Emily Wurramara, Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, Adam Goodes, Lionel Rose, Nova Peris, Albert Namitjira, Browyn Bancroft, Richard Bell and Clifford Possum Tjapeltjarri have passed down their ancient cultural knowledge and have helped us to understand the proud history and connection to Country they have and always will have. On Remembrance Day we especially honour those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander veterans who fought and have fallen in wars dating back to 1901, and the service they gave to an Australian cause. As Remembrance Day fell within NAIDOC Week this year, we had students create crosses with Indigenous symbols to explicitly acknowledge the sacrifice of Indigenous servicemen and women throughout our history......(More). Photo: St Ignatius College Drysdale, Melbourne Catholic, 20201112
Extract from Brendan Nicholls, Saint Ignatius College. Melbourne Catholic, 12 November 2020
Saint Ignatius College Geelong this week is celebrating NAIDOC as a school community. The theme for this year, 'Always Was, Always Will Be', recognises that First Nations People have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years. Throughout NAIDOC Week, students have had the chance to learn the stories of Indigenous Australians who have contributed enormously to the fabric of Australian society through literature, science, music, sport and art. Through their words, findings, lyrics, actions and art, people like Anita Heiss, Bruce Pascoe, Stan Grant, Marcia Langton, A.P. Elkin, Christine Anu, Jessica Mauboy, Emily Wurramara, Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, Adam Goodes, Lionel Rose, Nova Peris, Albert Namitjira, Browyn Bancroft, Richard Bell and Clifford Possum Tjapeltjarri have passed down their ancient cultural knowledge and have helped us to understand the proud history and connection to Country they have and always will have. On Remembrance Day we especially honour those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander veterans who fought and have fallen in wars dating back to 1901, and the service they gave to an Australian cause. As Remembrance Day fell within NAIDOC Week this year, we had students create crosses with Indigenous symbols to explicitly acknowledge the sacrifice of Indigenous servicemen and women throughout our history......(More). Photo: St Ignatius College Drysdale, Melbourne Catholic, 20201112
Pope Francis vows to end sexual abuse after McCarrick report
Exttract from Nicole Winfield, Crux, 11 November 2020
ROME — Pope Francis pledged Wednesday to rid the Catholic Church of sexual abuse and offered prayers to victims of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a day after the Vatican released a detailed report into the decades-long church cover-up of his sexual misconduct. The Vatican report blamed a host of bishops, cardinals and popes for downplaying and dismissing mountains of evidence of McCarrick’s misconduct starting in the 1990s — but largely spared Francis. Instead, it laid the lion’s share of the blame on St. John Paul II, a former pope, for having appointed McCarrick archbishop of Washington in 2000, and making him a cardinal, despite having commissioned an inquiry that found he had slept with seminarians. Francis concluded his weekly general audience Wednesday by recalling that the report into the “painful case” of the former high-ranking American cardinal had been released the previous day. “I renew my closeness to victims of any abuse and commitment of the church to eradicate this evil,” Francis said. He then paused silently for nearly a minute, apparently in prayer.....(more)
Exttract from Nicole Winfield, Crux, 11 November 2020
ROME — Pope Francis pledged Wednesday to rid the Catholic Church of sexual abuse and offered prayers to victims of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a day after the Vatican released a detailed report into the decades-long church cover-up of his sexual misconduct. The Vatican report blamed a host of bishops, cardinals and popes for downplaying and dismissing mountains of evidence of McCarrick’s misconduct starting in the 1990s — but largely spared Francis. Instead, it laid the lion’s share of the blame on St. John Paul II, a former pope, for having appointed McCarrick archbishop of Washington in 2000, and making him a cardinal, despite having commissioned an inquiry that found he had slept with seminarians. Francis concluded his weekly general audience Wednesday by recalling that the report into the “painful case” of the former high-ranking American cardinal had been released the previous day. “I renew my closeness to victims of any abuse and commitment of the church to eradicate this evil,” Francis said. He then paused silently for nearly a minute, apparently in prayer.....(more)
Keeper of Shrine's 11/11/11 light vows to keep 'bending the beam' on love
Extract from Carolyn Webb, The Age, 11 November 2020
........Every year, at 11am on November 11, a beam of sunlight streams into the Shrine's sanctuary to mark the anniversary of the signing of the armistice to end World War I. The light moves across the word "love" in the phrase "Greater Love Hath No Man" engraved on the Stone of Remembrance set into the sanctuary floor. Inspired by similar solar ceremonies in ancient temples, the Shrine was designed with apertures specifically for this purpose. However, in 1971, the introduction of daylight saving meant the light hit the stone at noon, instead of 11am. For a few years, artificial light was used, but the Shrine’s original surveyor, Frank Doolan, decided this wouldn't do. And so, in the lead-up to the 1975 ceremony, Mr Doolan asked Mr Johnston, then an RMIT surveying lecturer, and some colleagues to restore the use of sunlight. Mr Johnston devised a two-mirror system, using mathematical calculations to determine their angles. A 70-centimetre pillar was built on the Shrine's upper walkway, and on that pillar sits the first mirror. The sun shines on the mirror, which directs the sunlight up onto a second mirror fixed into the Shrine's outer aperture. The second mirror deflects the beam down through the Shrine's inner-wall aperture and onto the stone. And so, once again, the light shines on the stone at 11am, on the 11th day of the 11th month......(more) Photo:The Age 20201111
Extract from Carolyn Webb, The Age, 11 November 2020
........Every year, at 11am on November 11, a beam of sunlight streams into the Shrine's sanctuary to mark the anniversary of the signing of the armistice to end World War I. The light moves across the word "love" in the phrase "Greater Love Hath No Man" engraved on the Stone of Remembrance set into the sanctuary floor. Inspired by similar solar ceremonies in ancient temples, the Shrine was designed with apertures specifically for this purpose. However, in 1971, the introduction of daylight saving meant the light hit the stone at noon, instead of 11am. For a few years, artificial light was used, but the Shrine’s original surveyor, Frank Doolan, decided this wouldn't do. And so, in the lead-up to the 1975 ceremony, Mr Doolan asked Mr Johnston, then an RMIT surveying lecturer, and some colleagues to restore the use of sunlight. Mr Johnston devised a two-mirror system, using mathematical calculations to determine their angles. A 70-centimetre pillar was built on the Shrine's upper walkway, and on that pillar sits the first mirror. The sun shines on the mirror, which directs the sunlight up onto a second mirror fixed into the Shrine's outer aperture. The second mirror deflects the beam down through the Shrine's inner-wall aperture and onto the stone. And so, once again, the light shines on the stone at 11am, on the 11th day of the 11th month......(more) Photo:The Age 20201111
Origins of Remembrance Day 11 November. Why is this day special to Australians?
Extract from Australian War Memorial, 11 November 2020
At 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns on the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare. The allied armies had driven the German invaders back, having inflicted heavy defeats upon them over the preceding four months. In November the Germans called for an armistice (suspension of fighting) in order to secure a peace settlement. They accepted allied terms that amounted to unconditional surrender. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month attained a special significance in the post-war years. The moment when hostilities ceased on the Western Front became universally associated with the remembrance of those who had died in the war. This first modern world conflict had brought about the mobilisation of over 70 million people and left between 9 and 13 million dead, perhaps as many as one-third of them with no known grave. The allied nations chose this day and time for the commemoration of their war dead.....(more). Photo: Armistice Day 11 November 1919 Sydney, NSW, Australian War Memorial
Extract from Australian War Memorial, 11 November 2020
At 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns on the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare. The allied armies had driven the German invaders back, having inflicted heavy defeats upon them over the preceding four months. In November the Germans called for an armistice (suspension of fighting) in order to secure a peace settlement. They accepted allied terms that amounted to unconditional surrender. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month attained a special significance in the post-war years. The moment when hostilities ceased on the Western Front became universally associated with the remembrance of those who had died in the war. This first modern world conflict had brought about the mobilisation of over 70 million people and left between 9 and 13 million dead, perhaps as many as one-third of them with no known grave. The allied nations chose this day and time for the commemoration of their war dead.....(more). Photo: Armistice Day 11 November 1919 Sydney, NSW, Australian War Memorial
Deep Dive: The McCarrick Report,
Extracts from Gerard O’Connell, America: The Jesuit Review, 10 November 2020
In a long awaited act of transparency, fulfilling a commitment from Pope Francis, the Vatican has today published a report based on a two-year internal investigation into the career of former cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick. The report reveals hitherto top-secret information that explains how and why McCarrick, who abused minors and young adults, rose to become a leading figure in the Catholic Church in the United States. According to the report’s executive summary, Vatican authorities, the U.S. bishops conference and the apostolic nuncio to the United States had heard scattered allegations about misconduct by McCarrick—some U.S. church leaders even received an anonymous report alleging his abuse of a minor—but discounted them because their sources were considered unreliable. Advised by the nuncio that there was no proof to back up misconduct allegations, John Paul II accepted McCarrick’s complete denial of wrongdoing when making the decision to appoint him as archbishop of Washington. Pope Francis ordered the internal investigation in October 2018 after the review board of the Archdiocese of New York declared “credible” an allegation against then-Cardinal McCarrick of the sexual abuse of a minor in the early 1970s. Pope Francis authorized the publication of the full report today, despite internal resistance, because, according to a Vatican source, he believes American Catholics, who have been shocked and deeply wounded by this whole affair, have a right to know the unadulterated truth. (Full disclosure: Cardinal McCarrick was a longtime friend of this magazine and delivered the homily at our centennial celebration in 2009). Vatican authorities, the U.S. bishops conference and the apostolic nuncio heard scattered allegations about misconduct by McCarrick but discounted them because their sources were considered unreliable........A key factor in McCarrick’s ascent was Pope John Paul II’s willingness to give total credence to an extraordinary letter from McCarrick, whom he had known since 1976, that denied all the allegations of sexual abuse against him. The report suggests that the pope could have also been influenced by his experience in Poland, where the communists used all kinds of false accusations to discredit bishops and priests.....(More). Photo: Cardinals Mahony & McCarrick CNS photo Paul Haring America The Jesuit Review 20201110
Extracts from Gerard O’Connell, America: The Jesuit Review, 10 November 2020
In a long awaited act of transparency, fulfilling a commitment from Pope Francis, the Vatican has today published a report based on a two-year internal investigation into the career of former cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick. The report reveals hitherto top-secret information that explains how and why McCarrick, who abused minors and young adults, rose to become a leading figure in the Catholic Church in the United States. According to the report’s executive summary, Vatican authorities, the U.S. bishops conference and the apostolic nuncio to the United States had heard scattered allegations about misconduct by McCarrick—some U.S. church leaders even received an anonymous report alleging his abuse of a minor—but discounted them because their sources were considered unreliable. Advised by the nuncio that there was no proof to back up misconduct allegations, John Paul II accepted McCarrick’s complete denial of wrongdoing when making the decision to appoint him as archbishop of Washington. Pope Francis ordered the internal investigation in October 2018 after the review board of the Archdiocese of New York declared “credible” an allegation against then-Cardinal McCarrick of the sexual abuse of a minor in the early 1970s. Pope Francis authorized the publication of the full report today, despite internal resistance, because, according to a Vatican source, he believes American Catholics, who have been shocked and deeply wounded by this whole affair, have a right to know the unadulterated truth. (Full disclosure: Cardinal McCarrick was a longtime friend of this magazine and delivered the homily at our centennial celebration in 2009). Vatican authorities, the U.S. bishops conference and the apostolic nuncio heard scattered allegations about misconduct by McCarrick but discounted them because their sources were considered unreliable........A key factor in McCarrick’s ascent was Pope John Paul II’s willingness to give total credence to an extraordinary letter from McCarrick, whom he had known since 1976, that denied all the allegations of sexual abuse against him. The report suggests that the pope could have also been influenced by his experience in Poland, where the communists used all kinds of false accusations to discredit bishops and priests.....(More). Photo: Cardinals Mahony & McCarrick CNS photo Paul Haring America The Jesuit Review 20201110
Joseph R Biden on on his Catholic Faith, Politics and Pope Francis.
John Costa, 8 November 2020
There's a compelling 2015 video Interview with then Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. by Fr Matt Malone, S.J. editor in chief of America:The Jesuit Review. It's very direct, personal and provides Clear insights into what based on recent public statements appears highly consistent with Biden's thinking and values expressed in this interview. He speaks particularly favourably of Pope Francis, who he has met (as with earlier popes), and recognises his challenges. Among many issues covered in the interview are State/Church relationships, gender equality, and issues such as abortion and gay rights. His responses closely reflect his description of Christ's mission and values, which he also points out are not entirely unique to Christianity. He spoke of fundamental principles that underlie but don't directly spell out actions stemming from them, but also depend on context, conscience, and need to reflect the times. Dignity, respect and inclusion are key manifestations whose values are shared with various other religions and non-religious belief systems. He said that while Institutions are necessary, in themselves they cannot fully define the manifestations of their value systems which vary with circumstances, and need to respect and take into account different, perspectives. He said that while differences of opinion are normal and healthy, dealing with them respectfully is paramount. As an atheist friend I shared this video with commented "I was impressed with him. The depth of his faith was never in doubt, but he made the abundant point very well that exercising it in a multicultural, diverse and pluralistic society was not a simple-minded thing. It requires nuance and understanding of the society into which the individual is immersed, and it is not the role of a person of faith to impose their particular doctrine on fellow members of the society." The (30 minute) video interview from America: The Jesuit Review may be viewed HERE.
John Costa, 8 November 2020
There's a compelling 2015 video Interview with then Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. by Fr Matt Malone, S.J. editor in chief of America:The Jesuit Review. It's very direct, personal and provides Clear insights into what based on recent public statements appears highly consistent with Biden's thinking and values expressed in this interview. He speaks particularly favourably of Pope Francis, who he has met (as with earlier popes), and recognises his challenges. Among many issues covered in the interview are State/Church relationships, gender equality, and issues such as abortion and gay rights. His responses closely reflect his description of Christ's mission and values, which he also points out are not entirely unique to Christianity. He spoke of fundamental principles that underlie but don't directly spell out actions stemming from them, but also depend on context, conscience, and need to reflect the times. Dignity, respect and inclusion are key manifestations whose values are shared with various other religions and non-religious belief systems. He said that while Institutions are necessary, in themselves they cannot fully define the manifestations of their value systems which vary with circumstances, and need to respect and take into account different, perspectives. He said that while differences of opinion are normal and healthy, dealing with them respectfully is paramount. As an atheist friend I shared this video with commented "I was impressed with him. The depth of his faith was never in doubt, but he made the abundant point very well that exercising it in a multicultural, diverse and pluralistic society was not a simple-minded thing. It requires nuance and understanding of the society into which the individual is immersed, and it is not the role of a person of faith to impose their particular doctrine on fellow members of the society." The (30 minute) video interview from America: The Jesuit Review may be viewed HERE.
Pope Francis moves financial admin out of Secretariat of State
Extract from CathNews, CNA, 6 November 2020
Pope Francis has requested that responsibility for financial funds and real estate assets, including a controversial London property, be transferred out of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State. The Pope asked for the management and administration of the funds and investments to be given instead to APSA, which functions as the Holy See treasury and sovereign wealth manager, and also administers payroll and operating expenses for Vatican City. Pope Francis’ decision, outlined in an August 25 letter to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, was made as the Secretariat of State continues to be at the centre of unfolding Vatican financial scandals. In the letter, made public by the Vatican yesterday, the Pope asked for “particular attention” to be paid to two specific financial matters: “investments made in London” and the Centurion Global investment fund. Pope Francis requested that the Vatican “exit as soon as possible” from the investments, or “at least dispose of them in such a way as to eliminate all reputational risks”. He also wrote in the letter that, given the changes he has requested, the role of the Secretariat of State’s Administrative Office, which managed the financial assets, should be redefined or the necessity for its existence evaluated....(more)
Extract from CathNews, CNA, 6 November 2020
Pope Francis has requested that responsibility for financial funds and real estate assets, including a controversial London property, be transferred out of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State. The Pope asked for the management and administration of the funds and investments to be given instead to APSA, which functions as the Holy See treasury and sovereign wealth manager, and also administers payroll and operating expenses for Vatican City. Pope Francis’ decision, outlined in an August 25 letter to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, was made as the Secretariat of State continues to be at the centre of unfolding Vatican financial scandals. In the letter, made public by the Vatican yesterday, the Pope asked for “particular attention” to be paid to two specific financial matters: “investments made in London” and the Centurion Global investment fund. Pope Francis requested that the Vatican “exit as soon as possible” from the investments, or “at least dispose of them in such a way as to eliminate all reputational risks”. He also wrote in the letter that, given the changes he has requested, the role of the Secretariat of State’s Administrative Office, which managed the financial assets, should be redefined or the necessity for its existence evaluated....(more)
Patchwork quilt church inhibits national action
Extract from John Warhurst, Eureka street, 5 November 2020
There is a good reason why the term Australian Catholic Church is frowned upon in official circles. It does not exist. Instead, it is a patchwork quilt of fiefdoms called dioceses. It lacks an energising central authority which, when it needs to, can generate and shape a national church response. The kindest thing we can say about the Catholic Church in Australia in this regard is that we celebrate diocesan and other differences. The quilt shines forth in different colors and patterns. That has benefits, but it also has limitations. It can reduce the Catholic experience in Australia to a lucky dip. During the pandemic Australians have learned a lot about federalism, including the strength of state borders and the limitations of central authority. The national cabinet has worked to respect the independence of the eight state and territory jurisdictions while maintaining some semblance of national cohesion. Similarly, Australian Catholics are learning a lot about the territorial divisions within our church as it attempts to pull together in the lead up to our greatest contemporary challenge, the national Plenary Council (PC). If Scott Morrison finds national leadership difficult then so must Mark Coleridge, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops conference (ACBC) and Tim Costelloe, chair of the Bishops Commission for the Plenary Council. They wouldn’t even identify with the term national leader. There are 28 territorial dioceses in Australia, plus five Eastern Rite dioceses. Imagine if the Australian federal system was dismantled and replaced by that many states and territories. How well would we have dealt with the pandemic and how would we have managed borders? That is the situation we are dealing with within the church. We have national church institutions, such as the ACBC, and in this instance a Bishops Commission and a Facilitation Team for the PC, but they must direct by persuasion and education......(More). Patchwork quilt Raul Cacho Oses Unsplash, Eureka Street 20201105
Extract from John Warhurst, Eureka street, 5 November 2020
There is a good reason why the term Australian Catholic Church is frowned upon in official circles. It does not exist. Instead, it is a patchwork quilt of fiefdoms called dioceses. It lacks an energising central authority which, when it needs to, can generate and shape a national church response. The kindest thing we can say about the Catholic Church in Australia in this regard is that we celebrate diocesan and other differences. The quilt shines forth in different colors and patterns. That has benefits, but it also has limitations. It can reduce the Catholic experience in Australia to a lucky dip. During the pandemic Australians have learned a lot about federalism, including the strength of state borders and the limitations of central authority. The national cabinet has worked to respect the independence of the eight state and territory jurisdictions while maintaining some semblance of national cohesion. Similarly, Australian Catholics are learning a lot about the territorial divisions within our church as it attempts to pull together in the lead up to our greatest contemporary challenge, the national Plenary Council (PC). If Scott Morrison finds national leadership difficult then so must Mark Coleridge, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops conference (ACBC) and Tim Costelloe, chair of the Bishops Commission for the Plenary Council. They wouldn’t even identify with the term national leader. There are 28 territorial dioceses in Australia, plus five Eastern Rite dioceses. Imagine if the Australian federal system was dismantled and replaced by that many states and territories. How well would we have dealt with the pandemic and how would we have managed borders? That is the situation we are dealing with within the church. We have national church institutions, such as the ACBC, and in this instance a Bishops Commission and a Facilitation Team for the PC, but they must direct by persuasion and education......(More). Patchwork quilt Raul Cacho Oses Unsplash, Eureka Street 20201105
Community ‘journeying together’ to Plenary Council
Extract from Melbourne Catholic, The Southern Cross, 5 November 2020
Representatives from Adelaide parishes and communities gathered last month to reflect on the continuing journey to the Plenary Council.
Acting chancellor and Plenary Council local coordinator Sarah Moffatt said the forum was also an opportunity to start preparing for Adelaide’s Diocesan Assembly next year and the re-engagement of a Diocesan Pastoral Council. Ms Moffatt gave an update to the gathering on the Plenary Council discernment process, following the rescheduling of the two Council assemblies due to COVID-19. Adelaide theologian Fr James McEvoy, from the Australian Catholic University, provided a presentation on “Synodality in practice”. Drawing on the insights of Pope Francis, Fr McEvoy outlined the three phases of a synod or assembly: a preparatory phase, consulting the people of God on the concerns of the synod/assembly; the celebratory phase – the meeting itself; and the implementation phase, through which the synod/assembly’s conclusions are accepted by the wider Church. “Each of these phases requires a participatory style – each is an act of discernment,” Fr McEvoy said. “Key to this process is the participants’ understanding that, as a diocese, we are a community journeying together and, therefore, can’t remake the Church from scratch, nor fulfil the ‘wish list’ that every person brings.” Fr McEvoy said the Diocesan Assembly should integrate what has been learned about synodal processes from the national Plenary Council experience and take into account the preparatory documents. The Diocesan Assembly is expected to take place prior to the first Plenary Council assembly which is being held in Adelaide from October 3-10 next year.......(more)
Extract from Melbourne Catholic, The Southern Cross, 5 November 2020
Representatives from Adelaide parishes and communities gathered last month to reflect on the continuing journey to the Plenary Council.
Acting chancellor and Plenary Council local coordinator Sarah Moffatt said the forum was also an opportunity to start preparing for Adelaide’s Diocesan Assembly next year and the re-engagement of a Diocesan Pastoral Council. Ms Moffatt gave an update to the gathering on the Plenary Council discernment process, following the rescheduling of the two Council assemblies due to COVID-19. Adelaide theologian Fr James McEvoy, from the Australian Catholic University, provided a presentation on “Synodality in practice”. Drawing on the insights of Pope Francis, Fr McEvoy outlined the three phases of a synod or assembly: a preparatory phase, consulting the people of God on the concerns of the synod/assembly; the celebratory phase – the meeting itself; and the implementation phase, through which the synod/assembly’s conclusions are accepted by the wider Church. “Each of these phases requires a participatory style – each is an act of discernment,” Fr McEvoy said. “Key to this process is the participants’ understanding that, as a diocese, we are a community journeying together and, therefore, can’t remake the Church from scratch, nor fulfil the ‘wish list’ that every person brings.” Fr McEvoy said the Diocesan Assembly should integrate what has been learned about synodal processes from the national Plenary Council experience and take into account the preparatory documents. The Diocesan Assembly is expected to take place prior to the first Plenary Council assembly which is being held in Adelaide from October 3-10 next year.......(more)
Reminder: Plenary Council Prayer
5 November 2020
Plenary Council Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit of Pentecost. Come, Holy Spirit of the great South Land. O God, bless and unite all your people in Australia and guide us on the pilgrim way of the Plenary Council. Give us the grace to see your face in one another and to recognise Jesus, our companion on the road. Give us the courage to tell our storiesand to speak boldly of your truth. Give us ears to listen humbly to each other and a discerning heart to hear what you are saying.Lead your Church into a hope-filled future,that we may live the joy of the Gospel. Through Jesus Christ our Lord,bread for the journey from age to age. Amen. Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us.St Mary MacKillop, pray for us.
5 November 2020
Plenary Council Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit of Pentecost. Come, Holy Spirit of the great South Land. O God, bless and unite all your people in Australia and guide us on the pilgrim way of the Plenary Council. Give us the grace to see your face in one another and to recognise Jesus, our companion on the road. Give us the courage to tell our storiesand to speak boldly of your truth. Give us ears to listen humbly to each other and a discerning heart to hear what you are saying.Lead your Church into a hope-filled future,that we may live the joy of the Gospel. Through Jesus Christ our Lord,bread for the journey from age to age. Amen. Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us.St Mary MacKillop, pray for us.
Megachurches continue to grow and diversify
Extracts from CathNews NZ, 5 November 2020
America’s megachurches have continued to thrive over the past five years, attracting more worshippers, becoming more diverse and opening new locations. A pre-pandemic, national survey of megachurches from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research found the median megachurch draws about 4,100 attenders to its worship services, up from about 3,700 in 2015. The average megachurch budget is $5.3 million, up from $4.7 million in 2015. Seven out of 10 have more than one location. Six out of 10 (58%) say they have a multiracial congregation. Despite the decline among Christian groups overall, most megachurches seem to be doing well, said Scott Thumma, professor of sociology of religion at Hartford Seminary and director of Hartford Institute. “They continue to do things that other congregations should be doing,” Thumma said. Thumma said the use of contemporary worship — along with a focus on small groups and international diversity — has helped megachurches continue to grow. Megachurches, in general, he said, also tend to steer clear of controversy, staying away from culture wars or political battles........“Megachurches are one of the few groups of churches that have a wide representation of people under 45,” he said. People in that age group, he said, tend to be more demographically diverse and more open to diversity. More than three-quarters of the churches (78%) in the survey said they were intentionally trying to become more diverse. Still, Thumma pointed out, megachurch pastors themselves are not a diverse group. The average megachurch pastor is a 53-year-old white man who has been in place for 15 years. And many are in danger of losing effectiveness as leaders, he said......“The gist is that the period between 10 and 15 years of a pastor’s tenure produces the most spiritually vital congregational dynamic,” according to the report. “Prior to and after that point, it is a less robust picture, on average.”.......Thumma said that after 10 or 15 years, megachurches need to reassess to see if the way they are operating still meets the needs of the community around them. After that much time, things have likely changed and the church may have fallen into a rut.......(More). Photo: Megachurch CathNews NZ 20201106
Extracts from CathNews NZ, 5 November 2020
America’s megachurches have continued to thrive over the past five years, attracting more worshippers, becoming more diverse and opening new locations. A pre-pandemic, national survey of megachurches from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research found the median megachurch draws about 4,100 attenders to its worship services, up from about 3,700 in 2015. The average megachurch budget is $5.3 million, up from $4.7 million in 2015. Seven out of 10 have more than one location. Six out of 10 (58%) say they have a multiracial congregation. Despite the decline among Christian groups overall, most megachurches seem to be doing well, said Scott Thumma, professor of sociology of religion at Hartford Seminary and director of Hartford Institute. “They continue to do things that other congregations should be doing,” Thumma said. Thumma said the use of contemporary worship — along with a focus on small groups and international diversity — has helped megachurches continue to grow. Megachurches, in general, he said, also tend to steer clear of controversy, staying away from culture wars or political battles........“Megachurches are one of the few groups of churches that have a wide representation of people under 45,” he said. People in that age group, he said, tend to be more demographically diverse and more open to diversity. More than three-quarters of the churches (78%) in the survey said they were intentionally trying to become more diverse. Still, Thumma pointed out, megachurch pastors themselves are not a diverse group. The average megachurch pastor is a 53-year-old white man who has been in place for 15 years. And many are in danger of losing effectiveness as leaders, he said......“The gist is that the period between 10 and 15 years of a pastor’s tenure produces the most spiritually vital congregational dynamic,” according to the report. “Prior to and after that point, it is a less robust picture, on average.”.......Thumma said that after 10 or 15 years, megachurches need to reassess to see if the way they are operating still meets the needs of the community around them. After that much time, things have likely changed and the church may have fallen into a rut.......(More). Photo: Megachurch CathNews NZ 20201106
Zoom series trains priests to minister to transgender people
ExtraCT FROM Madeleine Davison, National Catholic Reporter, 5 Nov 2020,
James Scott P. Pignatella has known he was male since he was 3 years old. Getting other Catholics to recognize him as such has been a struggle, he said. People at church tried to keep him from taking "Patrick" as his confirmation name. He was barred from being an altar boy. And even now, he can't officially be a godfather to his best friend's children, who have called him "Uncle" since they learned to talk. Because he is transgender, Pignatella said he's also had to deal with decades of painful statements from clergy and laypeople that he believes stem from many Catholics' lack of knowledge about trans people and their lives. Pignatella is one of the speakers in a three-part series of Zoom sessions — which began Oct. 27 and will also be held Nov. 18 and Dec. 15 — to educate Catholic priests on how to better serve their trans parishioners. The sessions are hosted by Stan "JR" Zerkowski, director of LGBT ministry for the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, and executive director of Fortunate Families....(more)
ExtraCT FROM Madeleine Davison, National Catholic Reporter, 5 Nov 2020,
James Scott P. Pignatella has known he was male since he was 3 years old. Getting other Catholics to recognize him as such has been a struggle, he said. People at church tried to keep him from taking "Patrick" as his confirmation name. He was barred from being an altar boy. And even now, he can't officially be a godfather to his best friend's children, who have called him "Uncle" since they learned to talk. Because he is transgender, Pignatella said he's also had to deal with decades of painful statements from clergy and laypeople that he believes stem from many Catholics' lack of knowledge about trans people and their lives. Pignatella is one of the speakers in a three-part series of Zoom sessions — which began Oct. 27 and will also be held Nov. 18 and Dec. 15 — to educate Catholic priests on how to better serve their trans parishioners. The sessions are hosted by Stan "JR" Zerkowski, director of LGBT ministry for the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, and executive director of Fortunate Families....(more)
Vatican Secretary of State clarifies pope's comments on civil unions
Sources tell "La Croix" that Pope Francis instructed Cardinal Parolin to send letter to all papal nuncios around the world
Limited extract fom By Loup Besmond de Senneville, subscription Journal La Croix International, 3 November 2020
Just days after Pope Francis captured the world's attention last month by speaking in favor of gay civil unions, the Vatican quietly released an unusual clarification of his words through diplomatic channels. The Holy See's Secretariat of State sent a two-page missive to all apostolic nuncios posted abroad. "The Holy Father has directed that these observations be offered in order to permit an adequate understanding of his words," the note said. The Secretariat asked the papal ambassadors to share the text with the bishops of the country's where they are posted. The nuncio to Mexico even posted the note of clarification on Facebook. Sources told La Croix that Francis had specifically directed the Secretary of State to send the letter in order to clarify his position and to respond to questions being raised by some Catholics. Rather than making the clarifications through the Vatican's media department, the pope has opted to communicate through its diplomatic services. Recalling the context. The whole incident concerning his alleged views on gay civil unions occurred after a documentary called "Francesco" was screened on October 21 at the Rome Film Festival. "Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They're children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it," says Francis at one point in the two-hour film. "What we have to have is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. That is what I have been defending," he adds immediately after those previous comments. The recording was taken from a 2019 interview conducted by the Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki, Vatican correspondent for Noticieros Televisa. The clarification issued by the Secretariat of State puts the comments into context and how they were used in the new documentary. "Pope Francis responded to two distinct questions at two different moments that, in the said documentary, were edited and published as a single response without the necessary context, which has resulted in confusion," the explainer points out....(Source)
Sources tell "La Croix" that Pope Francis instructed Cardinal Parolin to send letter to all papal nuncios around the world
Limited extract fom By Loup Besmond de Senneville, subscription Journal La Croix International, 3 November 2020
Just days after Pope Francis captured the world's attention last month by speaking in favor of gay civil unions, the Vatican quietly released an unusual clarification of his words through diplomatic channels. The Holy See's Secretariat of State sent a two-page missive to all apostolic nuncios posted abroad. "The Holy Father has directed that these observations be offered in order to permit an adequate understanding of his words," the note said. The Secretariat asked the papal ambassadors to share the text with the bishops of the country's where they are posted. The nuncio to Mexico even posted the note of clarification on Facebook. Sources told La Croix that Francis had specifically directed the Secretary of State to send the letter in order to clarify his position and to respond to questions being raised by some Catholics. Rather than making the clarifications through the Vatican's media department, the pope has opted to communicate through its diplomatic services. Recalling the context. The whole incident concerning his alleged views on gay civil unions occurred after a documentary called "Francesco" was screened on October 21 at the Rome Film Festival. "Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They're children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it," says Francis at one point in the two-hour film. "What we have to have is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. That is what I have been defending," he adds immediately after those previous comments. The recording was taken from a 2019 interview conducted by the Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki, Vatican correspondent for Noticieros Televisa. The clarification issued by the Secretariat of State puts the comments into context and how they were used in the new documentary. "Pope Francis responded to two distinct questions at two different moments that, in the said documentary, were edited and published as a single response without the necessary context, which has resulted in confusion," the explainer points out....(Source)
Imam says Prophet Mohammad has nothing to do with sick Islamic terrorists
French Muslim leader says the Prophet cannot be used to justify acts of terrorism
Limited extract from By Claire Lesegretain, subscription journal La Croix International, 2 November 2020
Imam Tareq Oubrou, the director of the Bordeaux Mosque in southwest France, has condemned terrorist acts in the name of Islam and the Prophet Mohammad. The Moroccan born scholar has done pioneering work on formulating Islamic law for minorities in order to help Muslims adapt to the requirements of France's secular society. He told La Croix's Claire Lesegretain that the Prophet Mohammad was often ridiculed during his lifetime, but never responded to his detractors. La Croix: What does the figure of the Prophet Mohammad represent in Islam? Imam Tareq Oubrou: In Islam, the Prophet is an embodiment of the Quran. A bit like for Christians, Christ is the incarnation of the Word of God. In Islam, God did not incarnate in the human person of the Prophet, but in a Word that became Written. There is, therefore, a historical dimension to the Book revealed by God because it was incarnated by the person who was best able to transmit and teach it. In this sense, the Prophet is part of divine Revelation. He is not just a passive vector who passively transmits the Quran, but he also incarnates and translates it. There is always a back and forth between the given that was revealed and its transmission and interpretation. Nevertheless, Mohammad remains an accessible human example, with his weaknesses and his qualities. He is not infallible by himself, but he is "infallibilized" by Revelation. Why is it forbidden to make images of him? There is no text that forbids it. This prohibition is justified by a theological principle of precaution that has been put in place over time. Islam is an "aniconical" religion because it is feared that representations of the Prophet would lead to idolization. The ban on depicting the Prophet is therefore not formally canonized, but it is spontaneously accepted by all Muslims out of respect for the Prophet.....(source) Photo: Imman Sick Terrorists GUILLAUME BONNAUD SUD OUEST MAXPPP La Croix Int 20201102
French Muslim leader says the Prophet cannot be used to justify acts of terrorism
Limited extract from By Claire Lesegretain, subscription journal La Croix International, 2 November 2020
Imam Tareq Oubrou, the director of the Bordeaux Mosque in southwest France, has condemned terrorist acts in the name of Islam and the Prophet Mohammad. The Moroccan born scholar has done pioneering work on formulating Islamic law for minorities in order to help Muslims adapt to the requirements of France's secular society. He told La Croix's Claire Lesegretain that the Prophet Mohammad was often ridiculed during his lifetime, but never responded to his detractors. La Croix: What does the figure of the Prophet Mohammad represent in Islam? Imam Tareq Oubrou: In Islam, the Prophet is an embodiment of the Quran. A bit like for Christians, Christ is the incarnation of the Word of God. In Islam, God did not incarnate in the human person of the Prophet, but in a Word that became Written. There is, therefore, a historical dimension to the Book revealed by God because it was incarnated by the person who was best able to transmit and teach it. In this sense, the Prophet is part of divine Revelation. He is not just a passive vector who passively transmits the Quran, but he also incarnates and translates it. There is always a back and forth between the given that was revealed and its transmission and interpretation. Nevertheless, Mohammad remains an accessible human example, with his weaknesses and his qualities. He is not infallible by himself, but he is "infallibilized" by Revelation. Why is it forbidden to make images of him? There is no text that forbids it. This prohibition is justified by a theological principle of precaution that has been put in place over time. Islam is an "aniconical" religion because it is feared that representations of the Prophet would lead to idolization. The ban on depicting the Prophet is therefore not formally canonized, but it is spontaneously accepted by all Muslims out of respect for the Prophet.....(source) Photo: Imman Sick Terrorists GUILLAUME BONNAUD SUD OUEST MAXPPP La Croix Int 20201102
Parish Office Opens - And our New Office Administrator Starts
Friday 30 October 2020
After four months of no parish secretary, and a closed parish office, the office is open again and Teana is now at work and finding her way around our new office at Mother of God Church. Our office hours are Tuesday - Friday 9.30am - 2.30pm. Please make Teana welcome to our parish family.
Catholics, Jews meet online for interfaith dialogue
Extract from CathNews, Australian Jewish News, 29 October 2020
Extract from CathNews, Australian Jewish News, 29 October 2020
Members
of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and the Executive Council
of Australian Jewry met online for their 22nd annual “Conversation”
last week. The
Catholic delegation was led by Bathurst Bishop Michael McKenna, the
chair of the Bishops Commission for Christian Unity and Interreligious
Dialogue, while the Jewish delegation was chaired by Jeremy Jones,
former president of the ECAJ, who is the director of international and
community affairs at the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs
Council. Mr Jones told the meeting
that this year’s Conversation marked the 55th anniversary of Nostra
Aetate, the Vatican document that “heralded a dramatically different
relationship between Catholics and Jews, which has led to the
flourishing of dialogue and cooperation”. Issues
discussed included the transmission of faith, timeless messages which
transcend temporal circumstances, what it means to choose life,
challenges which are specific to women and men respectively and
universal messages from specific teachings.....(more). Photo: Bigstock CathNews 20201029
"Take fresh courage" a good Plenary Council exhortation
Extract from by Marion Gambin RSJ, Plenary Post, Edition 29, October 29, 2020
Greetings to all of you in these days of finding our way into the light from the dark COVID months of uncertainty as together we face the challenge to hold on to the God of hope. In an October CathNews item, I was delighted to read of Pope Francis’ foreword to a recent publication in which he encourages laity to "take a step forward" in carrying out the Church’s mission. He goes on to say that “The time is now. The mission of the laity is not a privilege of a few, and it involves total dedication." Further on, he calls us, as he has so many times, to be "a more synodal and outgoing Church". These words of Pope Francis resonated with me because in the past two months the Facilitation Team has met several times with the Plenary Council Local Coordinators Network from across Australia. It has been such a privilege to engage in conversation with them about how the Plenary Council journey continues to unfold in their local diocese. These 65 coordinators have been working away at the "grassroots" to encourage the participation of all in our discernment journey towards the first Council assembly and beyond. In this edition of the Plenary Post you will be able to read of many "good news stories" that the local coordinators have shared with us. Meanwhile, the Facilitation Team has also been connecting with the instrumentum laboris (working paper) writing team as a draft of this document continues to take shape and we move towards another milestone in the Plenary Council journey. As well as this, the Facilitation Team has recently been engaged in generating a list of possible facilitators who will have a significant role at the two assemblies as they use their skills to work with the delegates in the discernment process. With that in mind, if you haven’t yet taken up the opportunity to use the guide for reflecting on the six Thematic Discernment papers, I encourage you to do so. (from: Plenary Post, Edition 29, 2020)
Extract from by Marion Gambin RSJ, Plenary Post, Edition 29, October 29, 2020
Greetings to all of you in these days of finding our way into the light from the dark COVID months of uncertainty as together we face the challenge to hold on to the God of hope. In an October CathNews item, I was delighted to read of Pope Francis’ foreword to a recent publication in which he encourages laity to "take a step forward" in carrying out the Church’s mission. He goes on to say that “The time is now. The mission of the laity is not a privilege of a few, and it involves total dedication." Further on, he calls us, as he has so many times, to be "a more synodal and outgoing Church". These words of Pope Francis resonated with me because in the past two months the Facilitation Team has met several times with the Plenary Council Local Coordinators Network from across Australia. It has been such a privilege to engage in conversation with them about how the Plenary Council journey continues to unfold in their local diocese. These 65 coordinators have been working away at the "grassroots" to encourage the participation of all in our discernment journey towards the first Council assembly and beyond. In this edition of the Plenary Post you will be able to read of many "good news stories" that the local coordinators have shared with us. Meanwhile, the Facilitation Team has also been connecting with the instrumentum laboris (working paper) writing team as a draft of this document continues to take shape and we move towards another milestone in the Plenary Council journey. As well as this, the Facilitation Team has recently been engaged in generating a list of possible facilitators who will have a significant role at the two assemblies as they use their skills to work with the delegates in the discernment process. With that in mind, if you haven’t yet taken up the opportunity to use the guide for reflecting on the six Thematic Discernment papers, I encourage you to do so. (from: Plenary Post, Edition 29, 2020)
Australian bishops get it right on mental health
Extract from Daniel P Horan, National Catholic Reporter (US), 28 Oct 2020
While the American hierarchy continues to lose its collective moral authority in the public square with increasingly narrow and often partisan interests, other conferences of bishops around the globe are taking important steps to address what Vatican II called the "griefs and anxieties" of the people in their communities. A great example of this is the recent document by the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference titled "To Live Life to the Full: Mental Health in Australia Today," published in August as the focus of their annual social justice statement.....The document's directness, honesty and humility make an important contribution to the de-stigmatizing of mental illness and models for Catholics — and all people of goodwill — a way of discussing, sharing and responding to the needs of sufferers without shame. The significance of this cannot be understated. As Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge states in the document's forward, "People experiencing mental ill health are not some 'other' people, they are 'us.' ........(more)
Extract from Daniel P Horan, National Catholic Reporter (US), 28 Oct 2020
While the American hierarchy continues to lose its collective moral authority in the public square with increasingly narrow and often partisan interests, other conferences of bishops around the globe are taking important steps to address what Vatican II called the "griefs and anxieties" of the people in their communities. A great example of this is the recent document by the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference titled "To Live Life to the Full: Mental Health in Australia Today," published in August as the focus of their annual social justice statement.....The document's directness, honesty and humility make an important contribution to the de-stigmatizing of mental illness and models for Catholics — and all people of goodwill — a way of discussing, sharing and responding to the needs of sufferers without shame. The significance of this cannot be understated. As Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge states in the document's forward, "People experiencing mental ill health are not some 'other' people, they are 'us.' ........(more)
Francis Sullivan appointed chair of Catholic Social Services Australia
Extract from Melbourne Catholic, ACBC 27 October 2020
Francis Sullivan has been elected the new chair of Catholic Social Services Australia Ltd during the first meeting of the entity since its recent consolidation. Mr Sullivan has held a number of significant roles within and beyond the Catholic Church, including as chief executive officer of Catholic Health Australia and as secretary general of the Australian Medical Association. As CEO of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council, he led the Catholic Church’s engagement with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. He is currently the executive chair of the board at Mater Group, which comprises several hospitals, health centres, an education provider and a research institute. Mr Sullivan takes over the role from Maria Harries, who had served as chair of Catholic Social Services Australia for the past seven years. Paying tribute to Dr Harries, Mr Sullivan said ‘Catholic Social Services Australia has been led with great commitment and determination in recent years, and I know her legacy in this organisation is profound’. ‘What I can promise is that I will bring a similar passion for the Church’s outreach to the people our social service agencies support and for whom CSSA advocates,’ he said. ‘The rich Catholic understanding of the dignity of every person, the preferential option for the poor and the pursuit of the common good will continue to motivate the work of the CSSA board.’....(more)
Extract from Melbourne Catholic, ACBC 27 October 2020
Francis Sullivan has been elected the new chair of Catholic Social Services Australia Ltd during the first meeting of the entity since its recent consolidation. Mr Sullivan has held a number of significant roles within and beyond the Catholic Church, including as chief executive officer of Catholic Health Australia and as secretary general of the Australian Medical Association. As CEO of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council, he led the Catholic Church’s engagement with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. He is currently the executive chair of the board at Mater Group, which comprises several hospitals, health centres, an education provider and a research institute. Mr Sullivan takes over the role from Maria Harries, who had served as chair of Catholic Social Services Australia for the past seven years. Paying tribute to Dr Harries, Mr Sullivan said ‘Catholic Social Services Australia has been led with great commitment and determination in recent years, and I know her legacy in this organisation is profound’. ‘What I can promise is that I will bring a similar passion for the Church’s outreach to the people our social service agencies support and for whom CSSA advocates,’ he said. ‘The rich Catholic understanding of the dignity of every person, the preferential option for the poor and the pursuit of the common good will continue to motivate the work of the CSSA board.’....(more)
Will I go back to Mass?
Now that the lockdown has eased and public worship is resuming, a prominent Catholic in Australia wonders if it's really worth going back to church
Limited extract from Chris Sodoti, Australia, subscription journal La Croix International, 27 October 2020
For almost 70 years I went to Mass virtually every Sunday. The only times I can remember when I didn't were when I was in a conservative Islamic country where churches were either non-existent or very hard to find. All that changed in March, when the COVID-19 lockdown closed churches in Sydney. I haven't been inside a church since then. Now they are open again and the number allowed to attend makes returning possible. So, after more than seven months, I am confronted with the question: Will I go back to Mass? The first thing I need to say is that my absence seems to have made no difference to God whatsoever. God is neither happier nor sadder that I haven't been there. I acknowledge that I have been going for years and years for my own sake, not for God's. The second question, therefore, is what has been the effect on me of going? I firmly believe that I need to worship God as part of a worshipping community. The problem is that the experience of worshipping in community is so bad.....(Source)
Now that the lockdown has eased and public worship is resuming, a prominent Catholic in Australia wonders if it's really worth going back to church
Limited extract from Chris Sodoti, Australia, subscription journal La Croix International, 27 October 2020
For almost 70 years I went to Mass virtually every Sunday. The only times I can remember when I didn't were when I was in a conservative Islamic country where churches were either non-existent or very hard to find. All that changed in March, when the COVID-19 lockdown closed churches in Sydney. I haven't been inside a church since then. Now they are open again and the number allowed to attend makes returning possible. So, after more than seven months, I am confronted with the question: Will I go back to Mass? The first thing I need to say is that my absence seems to have made no difference to God whatsoever. God is neither happier nor sadder that I haven't been there. I acknowledge that I have been going for years and years for my own sake, not for God's. The second question, therefore, is what has been the effect on me of going? I firmly believe that I need to worship God as part of a worshipping community. The problem is that the experience of worshipping in community is so bad.....(Source)
Including women in the Catholic Church
Extract from Marilyn Hatton, Eureka Street, 27 October 2020
Phyllis Zagano’s latest book Women: Icons of Christ is a must read for all who desire equality for women in our world and an inclusive practice of Catholic faith. The critical issue Zagano presents in this book is that ordaining women to the deaconate is a not a new or forbidden act in Catholic history but rather a return to a practice that endured for hundreds of years. Zagano is Senior Research Associate in Residence and Adjunct Professor of Religion at Hofstra University, New York. Her scholarship on women and the deaconate is well-known and she is a respected contributor to international forums. From the new testament onwards Zagano shows that women were active members of the evolving Christian community, consistent with the culture and custom of the time, they were ordained in the same way as their male counterparts by the laying on of hands and calling the Holy Spirit. They ministered to people through baptism, teaching catechism, providing altar service, spiritual direction, confession, and anointing the sick until the twelfth century. With her usual rigorous scholarship Zagano cites literary, historical and epigraphical evidence that indicate the presence of women in the deaconate. She identifies how the clerical culture of the Catholic church developed from Christ’s time on, revealing how the appalling vilification of women increased to the extent that the clerical culture had snuffed out women’s voices and leadership in sacramental ministry by the twelfth century. Women deacons in western Christianity were barred from even entering the sanctuary and handling sacred vessels. This clerical culture, which Pope Francis calls ‘a cancer in our midst’, continues to destroy our church’s ability to bring Christ’s message of love and justice to our world. It impacts destructively on all women but particularly on women and children in countries whose governments have poor human rights records that do not recognise women’s equality.....(more). Photo: women icons of christ Phyllis Zagano Eureka Street 20201027
Extract from Marilyn Hatton, Eureka Street, 27 October 2020
Phyllis Zagano’s latest book Women: Icons of Christ is a must read for all who desire equality for women in our world and an inclusive practice of Catholic faith. The critical issue Zagano presents in this book is that ordaining women to the deaconate is a not a new or forbidden act in Catholic history but rather a return to a practice that endured for hundreds of years. Zagano is Senior Research Associate in Residence and Adjunct Professor of Religion at Hofstra University, New York. Her scholarship on women and the deaconate is well-known and she is a respected contributor to international forums. From the new testament onwards Zagano shows that women were active members of the evolving Christian community, consistent with the culture and custom of the time, they were ordained in the same way as their male counterparts by the laying on of hands and calling the Holy Spirit. They ministered to people through baptism, teaching catechism, providing altar service, spiritual direction, confession, and anointing the sick until the twelfth century. With her usual rigorous scholarship Zagano cites literary, historical and epigraphical evidence that indicate the presence of women in the deaconate. She identifies how the clerical culture of the Catholic church developed from Christ’s time on, revealing how the appalling vilification of women increased to the extent that the clerical culture had snuffed out women’s voices and leadership in sacramental ministry by the twelfth century. Women deacons in western Christianity were barred from even entering the sanctuary and handling sacred vessels. This clerical culture, which Pope Francis calls ‘a cancer in our midst’, continues to destroy our church’s ability to bring Christ’s message of love and justice to our world. It impacts destructively on all women but particularly on women and children in countries whose governments have poor human rights records that do not recognise women’s equality.....(more). Photo: women icons of christ Phyllis Zagano Eureka Street 20201027
The Vatican has excommunicated Tomislav Vlasic, a former Croatian Franciscan it had already thrown out of the priesthood
Limited extract from Subscription journal, La Croix International, 26 October 2020
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has excommunicated Tomislav Vlasic, a former Franciscan from Croatia who had been spiritual director of the alleged visionaries of the Virgin Mary at Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The news was made public on October 23 by the Diocese of Brescia, a diocese in northern Italy where Vlasic had been giving conferences and providing priestly service to various groups for years. He had previously provided spiritual guidance to the so-called visionaries of Medjugorje since 1981 when they first claimed to witness apparitions. Officials at the Vatican's doctrinal office had already stopped Vlasic's activities in 2008 by putting him under house arrest in the Franciscan convent in L'Aquila (in Abruzzo, Italy) for refusing to cooperate with them. The CDF had conducted a months-long investigation into the former friar "for spreading dubious doctrine, manipulation of consciences, suspicious mysticism, disobedience to legitimate orders". A document signed at the time by then-CDF prefect, the late Cardinal William Levada, also accused Vlasic of adultery, since the priest had had a child with a woman in 1987. In March 2009, by a decree of Benedict XVI, the priest had been reduced to the lay state after having asked to be released from his priestly obligations following an investigation by the CDF. He was also relieved of his religious vows and excluded from the Franciscan Order.....(Source). Photo: Our Lady of Medjugorje Bosnia Herzegovina Photo FEHIM DEMIR/EPA La Croix Int 20201026
Pope Francis names 13 new cardinals
Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington will become the United States' first-ever Black cardinal; Archbishop Antoine Kambanda of Kigali, the first from Rwanda
Limited extract from Subscription journal, La Croix International, 26 October 2020
Pope Francis has named 13 men who will become cardinals at a Vatican ceremony at the end of November. And among the nine of them who are under 80 years of age and eligible to vote in a conclave to elect his successor is Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington, who will become the United States' first-ever Black cardinal. Pope Francis also named Archbishop Antoine Kambanda of Kigali, making him the first Rwandan to be named cardinal. In all, Pope Francis chose as cardinal electors two officials of the Roman Curia and bishops from Italy, Rwanda, the Philippines, Chile and Brunei. He also named four other men who are already 80 years of age or older in recognition for their long service to the Church.....(Source)
Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington will become the United States' first-ever Black cardinal; Archbishop Antoine Kambanda of Kigali, the first from Rwanda
Limited extract from Subscription journal, La Croix International, 26 October 2020
Pope Francis has named 13 men who will become cardinals at a Vatican ceremony at the end of November. And among the nine of them who are under 80 years of age and eligible to vote in a conclave to elect his successor is Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington, who will become the United States' first-ever Black cardinal. Pope Francis also named Archbishop Antoine Kambanda of Kigali, making him the first Rwandan to be named cardinal. In all, Pope Francis chose as cardinal electors two officials of the Roman Curia and bishops from Italy, Rwanda, the Philippines, Chile and Brunei. He also named four other men who are already 80 years of age or older in recognition for their long service to the Church.....(Source)
Blessed Carlo Acutis watched ‘Pokémon.’ That’s my kind of saint.
Acutis’s beatification is a beacon to all those who live their lives, for better or for worse, increasingly online.
Extract from Mike Seay, America The Jesuit Review, 24 October 2020
Before I began preparing for the sacrament of confirmation, I had no strong connection to the saints. They seemed lofty and inaccessible—locked away behind a stained glass window, hanging high above my adolescent head. Their job was to be saints, my job was to be me. I never had any sense of a call to saintliness, and I never deeply considered the possibility that living saints walked among us. When I had to choose a patron saint for my confirmation, the list of saints I knew much about was short. I had not yet been educated by the Jesuits, so saints from the Society of Jesus were still unfamiliar. I had a vague idea of who Joan of Arc was. In the end, after less than thorough research, I chose St. Nicholas. He was the most familiar saint, though mainly through the commodified, secular version who runs a magical toy empire and sponsors Coca-Cola. Reading up on him in Wikipedia, I was inspired by his spirit of secret charity. I was touched by the image of St. Nicholas anonymously leaving coins for those in need. My choice of St. Nicholas was sincere, but I did not feel particularly connected to him. The idea that a saint could be interested in anything other than standing still and looking holy in a piece of art was foreign to me. What would have happened if I had encountered a saint I could connect to? Might I have had a better sense of how to live a Christ-like life? Enter Blessed Carlo Acutis. Acutis died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, but not before he had the chance to make an impact on this world. The Italian teenager was an example of holiness to those around him, and he used his computer skills to create an online database documenting eucharistic miracles. On Oct. 10 of this year, his beatification Mass was held in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy...........(more) Photo: Blessed Carlo Acutis CNS photo courtesy Sainthood Cause of Carlo Acutis America Jes rev 20201024
Acutis’s beatification is a beacon to all those who live their lives, for better or for worse, increasingly online.
Extract from Mike Seay, America The Jesuit Review, 24 October 2020
Before I began preparing for the sacrament of confirmation, I had no strong connection to the saints. They seemed lofty and inaccessible—locked away behind a stained glass window, hanging high above my adolescent head. Their job was to be saints, my job was to be me. I never had any sense of a call to saintliness, and I never deeply considered the possibility that living saints walked among us. When I had to choose a patron saint for my confirmation, the list of saints I knew much about was short. I had not yet been educated by the Jesuits, so saints from the Society of Jesus were still unfamiliar. I had a vague idea of who Joan of Arc was. In the end, after less than thorough research, I chose St. Nicholas. He was the most familiar saint, though mainly through the commodified, secular version who runs a magical toy empire and sponsors Coca-Cola. Reading up on him in Wikipedia, I was inspired by his spirit of secret charity. I was touched by the image of St. Nicholas anonymously leaving coins for those in need. My choice of St. Nicholas was sincere, but I did not feel particularly connected to him. The idea that a saint could be interested in anything other than standing still and looking holy in a piece of art was foreign to me. What would have happened if I had encountered a saint I could connect to? Might I have had a better sense of how to live a Christ-like life? Enter Blessed Carlo Acutis. Acutis died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, but not before he had the chance to make an impact on this world. The Italian teenager was an example of holiness to those around him, and he used his computer skills to create an online database documenting eucharistic miracles. On Oct. 10 of this year, his beatification Mass was held in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy...........(more) Photo: Blessed Carlo Acutis CNS photo courtesy Sainthood Cause of Carlo Acutis America Jes rev 20201024
New era for Catholic education in Melbourne
Thursday 22 October 2020
Extracts from Communications Office, Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, 22 October 2020
Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS) has been established to assume the governance and operation of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli says. The change in governance arrangements will see all 293 schools owned by the Archdiocese, its parishes or associations of parishes in the Archdiocese of Melbourne transferred to MACS, which will be responsible for the governance and operation of the schools. ‘Building on the significant legacy of parish priest led and governed schools, MACS will usher in a new era for Catholic education in the Archdiocese’, Archbishop Peter said. ‘Education is integral to the mission of the Catholic Church to proclaim the Good News, and Catholic schooling forms our young people so they may be equipped with the knowledge, skills and hope to live meaningful lives and enrich the world around them. ‘The establishment of MACS is a necessary and constructive change to the operations for schools that not only reflects community expectations about the operations of schools, but keeps our Christ-centred mission at the heart of all we do in Catholic education.’ A Steering Committee was established in November 2019 to consider changes in governance for Melbourne Catholic schools. The Steering Committee has overseen 11 months of significant consultation and deliberation which has culminated in today’s announcement, Archbishop Peter said. Archbishop Peter has appointed Mr Gerard Dalbosco as the inaugural Chair of MACS to lead this historic new path for Catholic education in Melbourne.....(more). Photo: St Peters Sunshine, Melbourne Catholic 20201022
Thursday 22 October 2020
Extracts from Communications Office, Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, 22 October 2020
Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS) has been established to assume the governance and operation of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli says. The change in governance arrangements will see all 293 schools owned by the Archdiocese, its parishes or associations of parishes in the Archdiocese of Melbourne transferred to MACS, which will be responsible for the governance and operation of the schools. ‘Building on the significant legacy of parish priest led and governed schools, MACS will usher in a new era for Catholic education in the Archdiocese’, Archbishop Peter said. ‘Education is integral to the mission of the Catholic Church to proclaim the Good News, and Catholic schooling forms our young people so they may be equipped with the knowledge, skills and hope to live meaningful lives and enrich the world around them. ‘The establishment of MACS is a necessary and constructive change to the operations for schools that not only reflects community expectations about the operations of schools, but keeps our Christ-centred mission at the heart of all we do in Catholic education.’ A Steering Committee was established in November 2019 to consider changes in governance for Melbourne Catholic schools. The Steering Committee has overseen 11 months of significant consultation and deliberation which has culminated in today’s announcement, Archbishop Peter said. Archbishop Peter has appointed Mr Gerard Dalbosco as the inaugural Chair of MACS to lead this historic new path for Catholic education in Melbourne.....(more). Photo: St Peters Sunshine, Melbourne Catholic 20201022
Wellington council considering a rent-a-grave scheme
Extract from CathNews NZ, 22 October 2020
Extract from CathNews NZ, 22 October 2020
As is the case with many other local authorities around the country, the Wellington council’s cemeteries are running out of room. In fact, Karori Cemetery has run out of room and Makara Cemetery is predicted to be full by 2038. One proposed solution is a rent-a-grave scheme, where the deceased can be buried for a period of time. Just how long this period would be has yet to be decided. Suggestions range between 15 and a hundred years. Once the “lease” expires, the proposal suggests exhuming the remains and either relocating or cremating them. The grave would then be repurposed for another person. Although nothing has yet been decided – the idea is still at its concept stage – preliminary research suggests some Wellingtonians would not be averse to the idea. Of 130 people surveyed for Wellington council’s report into the idea, 40 percent said they somewhat or strongly agreed with the idea while 50 percent either somewhat or strongly disagreed. If approved by the Council, the plan will be released for public feedback. It is expected that by May 2021 the a final plan will be ready for presentation to councillors. Wellington City councillor Fleur Fitzsimmons says she understands the proposed plan is “not for everybody.” “It’s not something I would be comfortable doing for my family but there has been interest from other [Wellington] residents.” If the scheme were to go ahead, it would not impact existing graves, she says. She says temporary ownership of a grave is “common” across other parts of the world and would need to be introduced “with real sensitivity and care.” The problem Wellington cemeteries are facing is echoed around the country, across the ditch in Australia and – in fact – throughout much of the world.....(more) Photo: Cemetery NZ CathNews NZ 20201022
Holy See, China renew provisional agreement
"The initial application has been positive, thanks to the good communication and cooperation between the parties"
Limited extract from International Staff, subscriptional Journal La Croix International, 22 October 2020
The Holy See and China have agreed to extend the experimental implementation phase of the Provisional Agreement for another two years, according to a statement issued by the Holy See Press Office. The agreement signed in 2018 ushered in a change. It allows dioceses, with the participation of State authorities, to select candidates for the episcopate. But the pope retains the final word in the appointment. Historically, the Communist government in China has refused to allow the Vatican to freely appoint bishops in the county. "The initial application has been positive, thanks to the good communication and cooperation between the parties", the announcement said. An article that will be published in today's edition of L'Osservatore Romano explains the motivations behind the decision. The unofficial working translation of that article in Italian was published by Vatican News.....(more). Photo: Holy See symbols La Croix International 20201022
"The initial application has been positive, thanks to the good communication and cooperation between the parties"
Limited extract from International Staff, subscriptional Journal La Croix International, 22 October 2020
The Holy See and China have agreed to extend the experimental implementation phase of the Provisional Agreement for another two years, according to a statement issued by the Holy See Press Office. The agreement signed in 2018 ushered in a change. It allows dioceses, with the participation of State authorities, to select candidates for the episcopate. But the pope retains the final word in the appointment. Historically, the Communist government in China has refused to allow the Vatican to freely appoint bishops in the county. "The initial application has been positive, thanks to the good communication and cooperation between the parties", the announcement said. An article that will be published in today's edition of L'Osservatore Romano explains the motivations behind the decision. The unofficial working translation of that article in Italian was published by Vatican News.....(more). Photo: Holy See symbols La Croix International 20201022
Grant us the grace to be more united and more fraternal, prays pope
Francis participated in an ecumenical prayer service and an interreligious meeting for peace with leaders of the world's major religions in Rome
Limited extract from interational staff, Subscription journal La Croix International, 21 October 2020
Pope Francis was for the first time seen wearing a mask during recent public events and when he attended prayer services for world peace with religious leaders. These events took place as the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus has risen steadily in Italy as well as in the Vatican when four members of the Swiss Guards tested positive for COVID-19. Francis had previously worn a mask only in a car taking him to his weekly audiences in the Vatican and was criticized in social media as well as in La Croix, concerned about his not wearing a mask at general audiences even when in relatively close contact with visitors. Pope Francis on October 20 participated in an ecumenical prayer service, followed by an interreligious meeting for peace with leaders of the world's major religions in Rome, organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio. Love alone extinguishes hatred. The ecumenical service at the Rome Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli was attended by Christian leaders, including the Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians. "Jesus' arms, outstretched on the cross, mark the turning point, for God points a finger at no one, but instead embraces all. For love alone extinguishes hatred, love alone can ultimately triumph over injustice. Love alone makes room for others. Love alone is the path towards full communion among us," Francis said. "The closer we become to the Lord Jesus, the more we will be open and "universal", since we will feel responsible for others. And others will become the means of our own salvation: all others, every human person, whatever his or her history and beliefs. Beginning with the poor, who are those most like Jesus," he said. Francis continued with his reflection, adding:.....(source). Photo: Stefano Spaziani MaxPPP La Croix Int 20201021
Francis participated in an ecumenical prayer service and an interreligious meeting for peace with leaders of the world's major religions in Rome
Limited extract from interational staff, Subscription journal La Croix International, 21 October 2020
Pope Francis was for the first time seen wearing a mask during recent public events and when he attended prayer services for world peace with religious leaders. These events took place as the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus has risen steadily in Italy as well as in the Vatican when four members of the Swiss Guards tested positive for COVID-19. Francis had previously worn a mask only in a car taking him to his weekly audiences in the Vatican and was criticized in social media as well as in La Croix, concerned about his not wearing a mask at general audiences even when in relatively close contact with visitors. Pope Francis on October 20 participated in an ecumenical prayer service, followed by an interreligious meeting for peace with leaders of the world's major religions in Rome, organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio. Love alone extinguishes hatred. The ecumenical service at the Rome Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli was attended by Christian leaders, including the Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians. "Jesus' arms, outstretched on the cross, mark the turning point, for God points a finger at no one, but instead embraces all. For love alone extinguishes hatred, love alone can ultimately triumph over injustice. Love alone makes room for others. Love alone is the path towards full communion among us," Francis said. "The closer we become to the Lord Jesus, the more we will be open and "universal", since we will feel responsible for others. And others will become the means of our own salvation: all others, every human person, whatever his or her history and beliefs. Beginning with the poor, who are those most like Jesus," he said. Francis continued with his reflection, adding:.....(source). Photo: Stefano Spaziani MaxPPP La Croix Int 20201021
Pope Francis declares support for same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope
Extract from Michael J. O’Loughlin October, A,erica, The Jesuit Review, 21 October 2020
Gay couples deserve legal protections for their relationships, Pope Francis said in a new documentary. Also in the film, which premiered in Rome on Oct. 21, less than two weeks before the U.S. presidential election, the pope condemns the Trump administration’s child separation policy at the U.S.-Mexico border, which he calls “cruelty of the highest form.” The filmmaker, Evgeny Afineevsky, asked Pope Francis during an interview for the documentary about the place of L.G.B.T. Catholics in the church. Francis reemphasized his belief that L.G.B.T. people should be made to feel welcome in the church. “Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family,” the pope said. “They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable because of it.” But Francis said for the first time as pope that gay couples deserve legal recognition for their relationships. Before he was elected pope, Francis served as archbishop of Buenos Aires, and in that role, he advocated for same-sex civil unions in an attempt to block a same-sex marriage law. Argentina legalized same-sex marriage in 2010, which then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio called a “destructive attack on God’s plan.” But in meetings with other Argentine bishops, Cardinal Bergoglio urged them to support civil unions as a way to keep marriage distinctly heterosexual. Bishops rejected the idea, but an L.G.B.T. activist in Argentina said the cardinal called him to say he personally supported the idea of civil unions. The comments in this new documentary represent his most public declaration of support for same-sex unions since becoming pope.....(More)
Extract from Michael J. O’Loughlin October, A,erica, The Jesuit Review, 21 October 2020
Gay couples deserve legal protections for their relationships, Pope Francis said in a new documentary. Also in the film, which premiered in Rome on Oct. 21, less than two weeks before the U.S. presidential election, the pope condemns the Trump administration’s child separation policy at the U.S.-Mexico border, which he calls “cruelty of the highest form.” The filmmaker, Evgeny Afineevsky, asked Pope Francis during an interview for the documentary about the place of L.G.B.T. Catholics in the church. Francis reemphasized his belief that L.G.B.T. people should be made to feel welcome in the church. “Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family,” the pope said. “They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable because of it.” But Francis said for the first time as pope that gay couples deserve legal recognition for their relationships. Before he was elected pope, Francis served as archbishop of Buenos Aires, and in that role, he advocated for same-sex civil unions in an attempt to block a same-sex marriage law. Argentina legalized same-sex marriage in 2010, which then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio called a “destructive attack on God’s plan.” But in meetings with other Argentine bishops, Cardinal Bergoglio urged them to support civil unions as a way to keep marriage distinctly heterosexual. Bishops rejected the idea, but an L.G.B.T. activist in Argentina said the cardinal called him to say he personally supported the idea of civil unions. The comments in this new documentary represent his most public declaration of support for same-sex unions since becoming pope.....(More)
The parish: to grieve or enter new life
Instead of giving up on the classic parish, let's reinvigorate it for radical discipleship
Limited extract from Justin Stanwix", Australia, Subscription journal La Croix International, 20 October 2020
Eric Hodgens recently painted a pandemic lament of the "grieving parish" – an institution on its knees. His article was not a maudlin piece of despondent personal opinion, but a reasoned expression of realism and sadness about what has occurred and how some see the outcome of isolation. Undoubtedly, the global closure of our churches, lockout from the House of God, silence in our prayer spaces and exclusion from the source and summit of the Christian life have been a trial for the living communion of the faithful. The People of God have a deeply ingrained need to worship God – in communion, in church – together. Not a casual occurrence or practice reliant on mere habit but a deep longing in the souls of women and men to worship their God. The appearance of the streamed Mass as a daily or weekly alternative suited many and for some continues to do so. But for most it is not the sacrifice of the Mass and has little connection with the people's celebration of the sacred mystery that they offer, together, in person – a living Mass and privileged reception of Holy Communion, in true communion. Has the parish as we've long known it "run its course"? But the deep question posed is whether the institutional parish "has run its course". There is no doubt things are different. There seems unanimity on a global scale that some old ways have gone and will never be the same. If the Christian spark is not extinguished what then is the new form? .....(Source). Photo: La Croix International 20201020
* Justin Stanwix is a deacon in Wollongong Diocese. He is passionate about Parish and full, conscious and active participation in the liturgy.
Instead of giving up on the classic parish, let's reinvigorate it for radical discipleship
Limited extract from Justin Stanwix", Australia, Subscription journal La Croix International, 20 October 2020
Eric Hodgens recently painted a pandemic lament of the "grieving parish" – an institution on its knees. His article was not a maudlin piece of despondent personal opinion, but a reasoned expression of realism and sadness about what has occurred and how some see the outcome of isolation. Undoubtedly, the global closure of our churches, lockout from the House of God, silence in our prayer spaces and exclusion from the source and summit of the Christian life have been a trial for the living communion of the faithful. The People of God have a deeply ingrained need to worship God – in communion, in church – together. Not a casual occurrence or practice reliant on mere habit but a deep longing in the souls of women and men to worship their God. The appearance of the streamed Mass as a daily or weekly alternative suited many and for some continues to do so. But for most it is not the sacrifice of the Mass and has little connection with the people's celebration of the sacred mystery that they offer, together, in person – a living Mass and privileged reception of Holy Communion, in true communion. Has the parish as we've long known it "run its course"? But the deep question posed is whether the institutional parish "has run its course". There is no doubt things are different. There seems unanimity on a global scale that some old ways have gone and will never be the same. If the Christian spark is not extinguished what then is the new form? .....(Source). Photo: La Croix International 20201020
* Justin Stanwix is a deacon in Wollongong Diocese. He is passionate about Parish and full, conscious and active participation in the liturgy.
'Fratelli Tutti': Papal dreams or Vatican diversion?
Extract from Ilia Delio, Global sisters report. 19 Oct. 2020
On Oct. 3, the feast of the transitus of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis signed his new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, on social order and universal brotherhood. As in his previous encyclical, "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home," the pope calls attention to the world's problems, the radical disparity between rich and poor, the bloated consumer culture that is enhancing global warming, and the rampant individualism associated with excess wealth. The encyclical aims to promote a universal movement toward fraternity and social friendship grounded in compassionate love, following the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). Who could argue against the valiant efforts of a world leader trying to restore a sense of moral goodness and rightness in the world? Indeed, my purpose is not to belie the pope, whose heart seems to be in the right place; however, it is to call attention to the deeper problem underlying the world's problems, namely, the evaporation of religion. On this note, the pope's encyclical is alarming. Jesus of Nazareth admonished his disciples not to take the splinter out of their brother's eye without first removing the plank from their own eye (Matthew 7:3-5). This admonition bears reflection in light of the pope's advice to the world. St. Clare of Assisi, who was the spiritual partner of Francis of Assisi and known as the strongest stone of the whole Franciscan movement, wrote to her sisters: "We must be mirrors and examples to one another so that we may be mirrors and examples to the world." If we preach the Gospel ideals of Jesus, then we must first be willing to put them into practice. After all, if we want the world to overcome its addiction to power, money and progress, then we must be willing to disengage ourselves from these things, for where else shall the world find its image? Francis of Assisi was aware that to live a God-filled life he would have to undergo conversion of heart. All the great world religions promote some type of self-discipline in order to reflect divinity. Each religion, in its own way, realizes that we do not change the world, we change ourselves and the way we see the world. A changed life changes the world. This is the essence of Francis of Assisi....(more). Photo: St Peters at night Unsplash Matthew Waring globalsisters report 20201019
Extract from Ilia Delio, Global sisters report. 19 Oct. 2020
On Oct. 3, the feast of the transitus of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis signed his new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, on social order and universal brotherhood. As in his previous encyclical, "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home," the pope calls attention to the world's problems, the radical disparity between rich and poor, the bloated consumer culture that is enhancing global warming, and the rampant individualism associated with excess wealth. The encyclical aims to promote a universal movement toward fraternity and social friendship grounded in compassionate love, following the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). Who could argue against the valiant efforts of a world leader trying to restore a sense of moral goodness and rightness in the world? Indeed, my purpose is not to belie the pope, whose heart seems to be in the right place; however, it is to call attention to the deeper problem underlying the world's problems, namely, the evaporation of religion. On this note, the pope's encyclical is alarming. Jesus of Nazareth admonished his disciples not to take the splinter out of their brother's eye without first removing the plank from their own eye (Matthew 7:3-5). This admonition bears reflection in light of the pope's advice to the world. St. Clare of Assisi, who was the spiritual partner of Francis of Assisi and known as the strongest stone of the whole Franciscan movement, wrote to her sisters: "We must be mirrors and examples to one another so that we may be mirrors and examples to the world." If we preach the Gospel ideals of Jesus, then we must first be willing to put them into practice. After all, if we want the world to overcome its addiction to power, money and progress, then we must be willing to disengage ourselves from these things, for where else shall the world find its image? Francis of Assisi was aware that to live a God-filled life he would have to undergo conversion of heart. All the great world religions promote some type of self-discipline in order to reflect divinity. Each religion, in its own way, realizes that we do not change the world, we change ourselves and the way we see the world. A changed life changes the world. This is the essence of Francis of Assisi....(more). Photo: St Peters at night Unsplash Matthew Waring globalsisters report 20201019
Appreciating and discovering hope in Pope Francis' 3rd Encyclical Fratelli Tutti: Seeking the common Good
John Costa, 16 October 2020
When human values around the world become increasingly diluted and polarised both by extreme 'Left wing' and extreme 'Right wing' politics, it's very timely to receive Pope Francis' 3rd encyclical Fratelli Tutti: Seeking the Common Good. For all peoples of the world regardless of beliefs trying to make sense of increasing conflict and confusion and looking for ways to move collectively towards something more morally and humanly based amidst the realities around us this encyclical offers a hopeful way forward. We can immediately start reading Fratelli Tutti as it is very accessible, however a little prior background reading can provide further context and fuller sense of its direction. I can suggest two background papers on the encyclical as a helpful lead-in. The first 'Saving liberalism from itself' is by Jesuit Damian Howard SJ and can be accessed HERE , from Thinking Faith. The Second, 'Pope Francis’s new encyclical On Human Fraternity and Social Friendship' is by Fr Bruce Duncan and can be accessed HERE from Peals & Irritations. Finally the (3rd) Encyclical Fratelli Tutti itself (with Index added) can be accessed HERE. The two prior
Encyclicals of Pope Francis are Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith, June
2013), and Laudato si (On Care For Our Common Home, May 2015). The Cardijn Institute and Social Policy Connections invite you to a (free) Zoom Seminar on Fratelli Tutti by Fr Bruce Duncan & Danusia Kaska on Thursday 22 October from 7:30 - 8:30 pm. Details and registration above or HERE
Columnist deeply wrong on Hiroshima
Extract from Christian Bergmann, Catholic Weekly, 16 October 2020
Extract from Christian Bergmann, Catholic Weekly, 16 October 2020
I didn’t live through the Second World War. I don’t know what it was like. I can’t even begin to imagine the gravity involved in making the kinds of decisions that would affect entire countries, to the point of even irrevocably impairing them. If I was in the shoes of President Harry Truman, would I have done any differently? Would I have decided to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? I don’t know. But what I can say with confidence is that, were my conscience formed according to Catholic moral principles, there would be no doubt in my mind that dropping those bombs would be unquestionably evil and in no way permitted by anything in the Catholic moral tradition. The only question left would be whether to listen to this conscience. I raise this point because I recently read George Weigel’s limp defence of Truman’s decision in First Things. I call the defence limp for two reasons. Firstly, because the moral argument boils down, at the end of the day, to one simple point: the decision saved lives. Incalculable lives. Maybe many more lives than would have been saved by taking other routes of action. Secondly, because even though he acknowledges it is almost impossible to defend the decision according to traditional just war reasoning, and the moral norms of Veritatis Splendor, his only counterpoint is that those norms had been broken long before anyway. By the end of the article, it seems as though Weigel has stared down the entire tradition of Catholic moral thought and said, ‘But he’s not Hitler’. As if that is a sufficient moral thought process. Weigel isn’t the only Catholic who holds this defence of the bombings. I have heard many faithful and devout Catholics, as morally uncompromising as they come, treat the bombings in the same way. It was a necessary evil, they’ll say (suddenly finding that language acceptable). The innocent lives were ‘collateral damage’. I find this sudden shift in morals bewildering. The Catholic Church has expended immense amounts of energy combating diverse forms of moral relativism – whether in blatant or more ‘situation-ethic’ guises – because we believe that regardless of the situation, we can and should make moral judgments about what is right and wrong that are universal and objective and binding, that no circumstance can alter....(More). Photo: Hiroshima 1945
Christian families ‘not immune’ to domestic violence
Extract from CathNews, The Catholic Leader, 16 October 2020
Surging domestic violence cases during the COVID-19 crisis is a pandemic within a pandemic, according to Church workers on the frontline of violence education and prevention. They say Church communities “provided no immunity” to the domestic violence scourge. Months of restrictions have created “a perfect storm” of conditions with stay-at-home orders, school closures, and many workers laid off or told to work from home. “Because people are isolated more it’s a perfect storm for people who already have control over a victim,” said Evangelisation Brisbane project officer Carole Danby, who is a member of the Joint Churches Domestic Violence Prevention Project (JCDVPP). “It just means they are isolated more from family support people.” The JCDVPP has launched a series of webinars aimed at increasing the awareness of clergy, church leaders and pastoral carers of domestic family violence. Ms Danby said Christian families were as prone as anyone else to domestic violence in all its forms – physical violence, economic abuse and coercive behaviour......(more) Photo: Bigstock CathNews 20201016
Extract from CathNews, The Catholic Leader, 16 October 2020
Surging domestic violence cases during the COVID-19 crisis is a pandemic within a pandemic, according to Church workers on the frontline of violence education and prevention. They say Church communities “provided no immunity” to the domestic violence scourge. Months of restrictions have created “a perfect storm” of conditions with stay-at-home orders, school closures, and many workers laid off or told to work from home. “Because people are isolated more it’s a perfect storm for people who already have control over a victim,” said Evangelisation Brisbane project officer Carole Danby, who is a member of the Joint Churches Domestic Violence Prevention Project (JCDVPP). “It just means they are isolated more from family support people.” The JCDVPP has launched a series of webinars aimed at increasing the awareness of clergy, church leaders and pastoral carers of domestic family violence. Ms Danby said Christian families were as prone as anyone else to domestic violence in all its forms – physical violence, economic abuse and coercive behaviour......(more) Photo: Bigstock CathNews 20201016
Pope Francis’s new encyclical On Human Fraternity and Social Friendship
Extract from Bruce Duncan, Pearls & Irritations, John Menadue website, 15 October 2020
The new social encyclical of Pope Francis not only renews his strong critique of ‘neoliberal’ forms of capitalism which result in growing and extreme inequality but is a plea for a return to the ideals of fraternity and solidarity, invoking the humanist ideals of France’s ‘liberty, equality and fraternity’. When one part of society exploits all that the world has to offer, acting as if the poor did not exist, there will eventually be consequences. Sooner or later, ignoring the existence and rights of others will erupt in some form of violence, often when least expected. Liberty, equality and fraternity can remain lofty ideals unless they apply to everyone.’. Francis does not speak as a politician of course, but highlights the social implications of the Gospel parable of the Good Samaritan, fleshing out the values needed for enhanced human solidarity. It is a message that people of all religions, and everyone of good will, including those who are not at all religious, could endorse. The implications are immense for believers, insisting on practical solidarity with everyone, especially strangers or foreigners. The Pope wrote that ‘by acknowledging the dignity of each human person, we can contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity. Fraternity between all men and women… Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travellers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.’ Not a rewrite of Laudato Si’....(more).
Extract from Bruce Duncan, Pearls & Irritations, John Menadue website, 15 October 2020
The new social encyclical of Pope Francis not only renews his strong critique of ‘neoliberal’ forms of capitalism which result in growing and extreme inequality but is a plea for a return to the ideals of fraternity and solidarity, invoking the humanist ideals of France’s ‘liberty, equality and fraternity’. When one part of society exploits all that the world has to offer, acting as if the poor did not exist, there will eventually be consequences. Sooner or later, ignoring the existence and rights of others will erupt in some form of violence, often when least expected. Liberty, equality and fraternity can remain lofty ideals unless they apply to everyone.’. Francis does not speak as a politician of course, but highlights the social implications of the Gospel parable of the Good Samaritan, fleshing out the values needed for enhanced human solidarity. It is a message that people of all religions, and everyone of good will, including those who are not at all religious, could endorse. The implications are immense for believers, insisting on practical solidarity with everyone, especially strangers or foreigners. The Pope wrote that ‘by acknowledging the dignity of each human person, we can contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity. Fraternity between all men and women… Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travellers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.’ Not a rewrite of Laudato Si’....(more).
Polarization and Public Morality
Extract from J.A.Dick, Another Voice, Being a Theologian, 15 October2020
There is no debate today….When I think about today’s extreme polarization in US society, however, I become concerned about public morality. It has nothing per se to do with being a Republican or a Democrat, or being left or right of center. It has everything to do, however, with our survival. Public morality – what some call civic virtue — refers to ethical standards for public behavior. The survival of democracy depends on it. A democracy is a social system in which citizens are bound to fellow citizens, with each individual bearing social as well as personal responsibilities. Public morality governs everyday life: the decisions we make, how we treat ourselves and others, and what we think about the world — about nature, business, culture, religion, family life, and so on. Openness is essential as well as serious reflection and engagement. Without a healthy public morality, democracy collapses into either chaos or authoritarian dictatorship. Those dangers are very real today. Public morality is often cast aside in authoritarian dictatorships because social order is maintained not by adherence to shared public values but by fidelity to the dictates and wishes of the authoritarian leader. Authoritarian leaders like chaotic situations in which people living in fear can be kept obedient and dependent on the leader. In a healthy democracy there are certain generally held moral principles. Key primary values, for example, are that murder is immoral, theft is immoral, harming innocent people is immoral, and lying is immoral. When these immoral actions are turned into social virtues or social normalities, society is in trouble. Think about contemporary militia and vigilante groups.....(more)
Extract from J.A.Dick, Another Voice, Being a Theologian, 15 October2020
There is no debate today….When I think about today’s extreme polarization in US society, however, I become concerned about public morality. It has nothing per se to do with being a Republican or a Democrat, or being left or right of center. It has everything to do, however, with our survival. Public morality – what some call civic virtue — refers to ethical standards for public behavior. The survival of democracy depends on it. A democracy is a social system in which citizens are bound to fellow citizens, with each individual bearing social as well as personal responsibilities. Public morality governs everyday life: the decisions we make, how we treat ourselves and others, and what we think about the world — about nature, business, culture, religion, family life, and so on. Openness is essential as well as serious reflection and engagement. Without a healthy public morality, democracy collapses into either chaos or authoritarian dictatorship. Those dangers are very real today. Public morality is often cast aside in authoritarian dictatorships because social order is maintained not by adherence to shared public values but by fidelity to the dictates and wishes of the authoritarian leader. Authoritarian leaders like chaotic situations in which people living in fear can be kept obedient and dependent on the leader. In a healthy democracy there are certain generally held moral principles. Key primary values, for example, are that murder is immoral, theft is immoral, harming innocent people is immoral, and lying is immoral. When these immoral actions are turned into social virtues or social normalities, society is in trouble. Think about contemporary militia and vigilante groups.....(more)
Women who ‘applied’ to be clergy say Vatican envoy is ‘open-minded’
Extract from Elise Ann Allen, Snr Correspondent, Crux Now, 15 October 2020
ROME – Seven women who recently turned in résumés at the Vatican embassy to France for ecclesial jobs open only to men were shocked not only when they got a response, but were offered one-on-one private meetings with Vatican’s nuncio to the country, Archbishop Celestino Migliore. These meetings took place between Sept. 14 and Oct. 2. Several of the women came out of their conversation describing it not only as “cordial” and pleasant, but praising Migliore – a longtime Vatican diplomat who from 2002-2010 served as the Vatican’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations – as kind, as an attentive listener, and as someone who is well-informed. Claire Conan-Vrinat, who applied to be a deaconess and who met with Migliore Sept. 28, told Crux that she found in the nuncio “an open mind and a sincere listening to my observations and suggestions.” Without going into details, she said the conversation “was active, interesting” and even “spiritual.” Similarly, Hélène Pichon, who applied to be a Vatican ambassador herself and who met with Migliore Oct. 1, said he was “very courteous and kind” and was “definitely very, very open and very attentive.” “He had done his research as well in terms of who we were individually,” she said, recalling how he knew who she was, was familiar with a book she had written and also knew about her work as director of institutional relations at the Center for Study and Strategic Prospective (CEPS). Both Pichon and Conan-Vrinat said their conversations, while private, were only the beginning, and said Migliore indicated there could be more meetings in the future......(more). Photo: Toutes Apotres Yong Chim CuxNow 20201015
Extract from Elise Ann Allen, Snr Correspondent, Crux Now, 15 October 2020
ROME – Seven women who recently turned in résumés at the Vatican embassy to France for ecclesial jobs open only to men were shocked not only when they got a response, but were offered one-on-one private meetings with Vatican’s nuncio to the country, Archbishop Celestino Migliore. These meetings took place between Sept. 14 and Oct. 2. Several of the women came out of their conversation describing it not only as “cordial” and pleasant, but praising Migliore – a longtime Vatican diplomat who from 2002-2010 served as the Vatican’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations – as kind, as an attentive listener, and as someone who is well-informed. Claire Conan-Vrinat, who applied to be a deaconess and who met with Migliore Sept. 28, told Crux that she found in the nuncio “an open mind and a sincere listening to my observations and suggestions.” Without going into details, she said the conversation “was active, interesting” and even “spiritual.” Similarly, Hélène Pichon, who applied to be a Vatican ambassador herself and who met with Migliore Oct. 1, said he was “very courteous and kind” and was “definitely very, very open and very attentive.” “He had done his research as well in terms of who we were individually,” she said, recalling how he knew who she was, was familiar with a book she had written and also knew about her work as director of institutional relations at the Center for Study and Strategic Prospective (CEPS). Both Pichon and Conan-Vrinat said their conversations, while private, were only the beginning, and said Migliore indicated there could be more meetings in the future......(more). Photo: Toutes Apotres Yong Chim CuxNow 20201015
How can we still be universal? The pope's new encyclical on human fraternity offers to a way out of selfish individualism
Limited extract from Isabelle de Gaulmyn subscription Journal La Croix International, 10 October 2020
ome coincidences make sense...Pope Francis published his encyclical Fratelli tutti just weeks before the American elections. Of course, he didn't write it for that; this text is not in any way an anti-Trump polemic. But just the same...The electoral campaign on the other side of the Atlantic is, like a distorted mirror, projecting back to us here in Europe the image of a democracy on the verge of collapse.
We see many taking refuge in a cynical "every man for himself" attitude, of a fractured society, polarized via social media, where hatred seems to prevail over reason. And then there's the pope, a religious leader, who finds courage -- or recklessness? -- to still believe in fraternity? It is as if he is out of time. Indeed, after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communism, a triumphant liberalism placed the most extreme form of individualism on a pedestal. This has provoked a disintegration of the sense of the collective good and of what brings us together. It has transformed our societies into a sum of narrow forms of communitarianism, leaving the field open to populist demagoguery, or even desperate violence. "In a society without transcendence, the denial of human universalism in favor of a multiplicity of closed communities contains a seed of death for democracy," worried the French historian Jacques Julliard in a recent article in Le Figaro. He was referring to Alex de Tocqueville, for which there can be no functioning democracy without a religion to provide a common framework. In our secularized societies, what can replace God in this role? he wondered. Paradoxically, it is precisely a man of religion who comes to him with the answer....(source). Source: Pope Francis signs 3rd encyclical Fratelli tutti EOA EFE Vatican Media Handout Max PPP La Croix Int 2020101
Limited extract from Isabelle de Gaulmyn subscription Journal La Croix International, 10 October 2020
ome coincidences make sense...Pope Francis published his encyclical Fratelli tutti just weeks before the American elections. Of course, he didn't write it for that; this text is not in any way an anti-Trump polemic. But just the same...The electoral campaign on the other side of the Atlantic is, like a distorted mirror, projecting back to us here in Europe the image of a democracy on the verge of collapse.
We see many taking refuge in a cynical "every man for himself" attitude, of a fractured society, polarized via social media, where hatred seems to prevail over reason. And then there's the pope, a religious leader, who finds courage -- or recklessness? -- to still believe in fraternity? It is as if he is out of time. Indeed, after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communism, a triumphant liberalism placed the most extreme form of individualism on a pedestal. This has provoked a disintegration of the sense of the collective good and of what brings us together. It has transformed our societies into a sum of narrow forms of communitarianism, leaving the field open to populist demagoguery, or even desperate violence. "In a society without transcendence, the denial of human universalism in favor of a multiplicity of closed communities contains a seed of death for democracy," worried the French historian Jacques Julliard in a recent article in Le Figaro. He was referring to Alex de Tocqueville, for which there can be no functioning democracy without a religion to provide a common framework. In our secularized societies, what can replace God in this role? he wondered. Paradoxically, it is precisely a man of religion who comes to him with the answer....(source). Source: Pope Francis signs 3rd encyclical Fratelli tutti EOA EFE Vatican Media Handout Max PPP La Croix Int 2020101
Sector warns ‘Budget failure’ will increase homelessness
Extract from CathNews, The Age, 9 October 2020
A sharp rise in homelessness during the coronavirus pandemic will be made worse by the federal Budget’s failure to directly invest in social housing, advocacy groups warn. Community Housing Industry Association of Victoria chief executive Lesley Dredge said the Budget was a “missed opportunity” to invest in desperately needed social housing and generate jobs in construction. The Budget included an additional $1 billion in low-cost finance to encourage the construction of affordable housing, but Ms Dredge described this “an additional $1 billion in debt”. Launch Housing chief executive Bevan Warner said Australia was staring at a homelessness crisis because not enough was being done to increase the supply of social housing. Research commissioned for the organisation shows that before the coronavirus pandemic, about 290,000 Australians were homeless, an increase of 14 per cent in the four years to 2018-19. Federal Housing Minister Michael Sukkar said while the delivery and construction of social housing was the responsibility of state and territories, the Morrison Government was making significant investments in the sector. He said the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation estimates that by providing an additional $1 billion of low-cost finance in this year’s Budget, 2500 new and existing affordable homes could be supported by community housing providers. Meanwhile, Melbourne Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli has supported calls for affordable housing calls from VMCH, Melbourne Catholic reports.....(more). Photo: Budget BigstockCathNews 20200911
Extract from CathNews, The Age, 9 October 2020
A sharp rise in homelessness during the coronavirus pandemic will be made worse by the federal Budget’s failure to directly invest in social housing, advocacy groups warn. Community Housing Industry Association of Victoria chief executive Lesley Dredge said the Budget was a “missed opportunity” to invest in desperately needed social housing and generate jobs in construction. The Budget included an additional $1 billion in low-cost finance to encourage the construction of affordable housing, but Ms Dredge described this “an additional $1 billion in debt”. Launch Housing chief executive Bevan Warner said Australia was staring at a homelessness crisis because not enough was being done to increase the supply of social housing. Research commissioned for the organisation shows that before the coronavirus pandemic, about 290,000 Australians were homeless, an increase of 14 per cent in the four years to 2018-19. Federal Housing Minister Michael Sukkar said while the delivery and construction of social housing was the responsibility of state and territories, the Morrison Government was making significant investments in the sector. He said the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation estimates that by providing an additional $1 billion of low-cost finance in this year’s Budget, 2500 new and existing affordable homes could be supported by community housing providers. Meanwhile, Melbourne Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli has supported calls for affordable housing calls from VMCH, Melbourne Catholic reports.....(more). Photo: Budget BigstockCathNews 20200911
German churches to continue talks on shared Communion
Extract from CathNews, Crux, 9 October 2020
The German Catholic bishops’ conference and the council of the Evangelical Church in Germany plan to continue their discussions about shared Communion. German Catholic and Protestant theologians and bishops had published an appraisal of the topic in May, and it was scheduled to be discussed at the German bishops’ plenary assembly in Fulda at the end of September. However, on September 18, the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith voiced strong objections to the appraisal, saying that differences between Catholics and Protestants in the understanding of the Eucharist and the ministry were “still so grave” that they ruled out the attendance of at each other’s services, German news agency KNA reported. On October 6, leaders of both churches identified questions that “still need to be clarified” and addressed by Catholic and Protestant sides in different ways, KNA reported. “For the Catholic Church, the open questions are so weighty that it does not feel able to allow mutual participation in general before they are clarified, especially since the question of the unity of the Catholic Church is affected here as well,” said the statement from the church leaders. Germany has many mixed marriages — Catholic and Protestant — and the issue of being able to receive Communion at each other’s churches has long been an issue of concern.....(more). Photo: CNS Harald Oppitz KNA CathNews 20201009
Vatican’s top diplomat defends China deal
Extract from CathNews, Crux, 8 October 2020
Despite criticism of a 2018 deal with China over the appointment of bishops, a senior Vatican diplomat is optimistic the accord will be renewed. Source: Crux.
Had Rome not granted Beijing a significant role in choosing bishops, said British Archbishop Paul Gallagher, “We would have found ourselves – not immediately, but 10 years down the line – with very few bishops, if any, still in communion with the pope.” “If we don’t begin now, that’s the future,” he said. Archbishop Gallagher is the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States and a former apostolic nuncio to Australia. He confirmed the Vatican has proposed a two-year extension of the deal. The terms of the accord have not been made public since it’s a provisional agreement rather than a formal treaty. He said the Vatican does not yet have a response from Beijing, and that if no answer is received by the end of the month, then the deal expires. “It would mean it wasn’t renewed,” he said, but implied the Vatican has reason to believe its proposal will be accepted: “You dip your toes in the water before you jump in,” he said. “We’re optimistic the Chinese authorities will wish to continue the dialogue with the Holy See within the agreed terms of the accord, and we move forward,” he said, adding that under the right conditions, it would be “desirable” for the deal eventually to be made permanent......(Source). Photo: ACBC CathNews 8 October 2020
Extract from CathNews, Crux, 8 October 2020
Despite criticism of a 2018 deal with China over the appointment of bishops, a senior Vatican diplomat is optimistic the accord will be renewed. Source: Crux.
Had Rome not granted Beijing a significant role in choosing bishops, said British Archbishop Paul Gallagher, “We would have found ourselves – not immediately, but 10 years down the line – with very few bishops, if any, still in communion with the pope.” “If we don’t begin now, that’s the future,” he said. Archbishop Gallagher is the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States and a former apostolic nuncio to Australia. He confirmed the Vatican has proposed a two-year extension of the deal. The terms of the accord have not been made public since it’s a provisional agreement rather than a formal treaty. He said the Vatican does not yet have a response from Beijing, and that if no answer is received by the end of the month, then the deal expires. “It would mean it wasn’t renewed,” he said, but implied the Vatican has reason to believe its proposal will be accepted: “You dip your toes in the water before you jump in,” he said. “We’re optimistic the Chinese authorities will wish to continue the dialogue with the Holy See within the agreed terms of the accord, and we move forward,” he said, adding that under the right conditions, it would be “desirable” for the deal eventually to be made permanent......(Source). Photo: ACBC CathNews 8 October 2020
Coronavirus pandemic puts huge financial strain on Vatican
Offices have been ordered to take cost-cutting measures, but Pope Francis forbids them from laying off employees
Limited Extract from Loup Besmond de Senneville, La Croix Internatiuonal, 7 October 2020
......In an unprecedented exercise of transparency, the Vatican last week presented its economic balance sheet for 2019. Yet it is towards the results for 2020 that all eyes have already turned. For here, as everywhere else around the globe, the financial crisis has weakened the world's smallest state. It is a fragility that has fueled growing concern about the size of the envelope allocated each year to the Roman Curia. Expenses in 2019 for the Catholic Church's central bureaucracy amounted to 318 million euros. But there were 307 million euros in revenues, leaving an 11 million euro shortfall. 100 million euro deficit foreseen for 2020 While the Vatican has not published precise figures, the crisis has in fact undermined three of its important sources of funding -- the museums (which have seen a drastic fall in the number of visitors), donations from the faithful (18% of the Curia's budget in 2019) and financial income (21%). "There is no doubt that there is a clear decrease in income, which obliges us to reduce expenses and to be very careful about the evolution of liquid assets," said Bishop Nunzio Galantino, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), the Curia's budget management body. He told La Croix he did not have figures on how much revenue the museums have lost, but admitted that they were "considerable". "As for Peter's Pence, it's too early to talk about it," the bishop continued, referring to the annual collection from among the world's Catholics......(source). Photo: St Peters Square deserted on April 10 LA Presse Panoramic Bestimage La Croix Int 20201007
Offices have been ordered to take cost-cutting measures, but Pope Francis forbids them from laying off employees
Limited Extract from Loup Besmond de Senneville, La Croix Internatiuonal, 7 October 2020
......In an unprecedented exercise of transparency, the Vatican last week presented its economic balance sheet for 2019. Yet it is towards the results for 2020 that all eyes have already turned. For here, as everywhere else around the globe, the financial crisis has weakened the world's smallest state. It is a fragility that has fueled growing concern about the size of the envelope allocated each year to the Roman Curia. Expenses in 2019 for the Catholic Church's central bureaucracy amounted to 318 million euros. But there were 307 million euros in revenues, leaving an 11 million euro shortfall. 100 million euro deficit foreseen for 2020 While the Vatican has not published precise figures, the crisis has in fact undermined three of its important sources of funding -- the museums (which have seen a drastic fall in the number of visitors), donations from the faithful (18% of the Curia's budget in 2019) and financial income (21%). "There is no doubt that there is a clear decrease in income, which obliges us to reduce expenses and to be very careful about the evolution of liquid assets," said Bishop Nunzio Galantino, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), the Curia's budget management body. He told La Croix he did not have figures on how much revenue the museums have lost, but admitted that they were "considerable". "As for Peter's Pence, it's too early to talk about it," the bishop continued, referring to the annual collection from among the world's Catholics......(source). Photo: St Peters Square deserted on April 10 LA Presse Panoramic Bestimage La Croix Int 20201007
Teetering on the Edge
A year after the Amazon Synod, the crisis continues
Limited extract from Bryan P. Galligan SJ, Subscription journal La Croix International, 7 October 2020
The Amazon Synod's final document and Pope Francis's post-synodal exhortation Querida Amazonia both describe a social and environmental crisis of historic proportions, a crisis Francis portrays as "provoking a cry that rises up to heaven." This crisis now threatens the Amazon region with ecocide and ethnic cleansing, and—because of the role the Amazon rainforest plays in regulating global climate patterns—it also threatens the planet as a whole. Yet the synod's urgent message was largely drowned out in the United States by ideological controversies about the ordination of (married) viri probati, the value of inculturation, and racist accusations of idolatry. A year later, the "dramatic state of destruction" to which the synod's final document refers has only gotten worse, and Catholics in the Global North still seem none the wiser. Many of the Amazon region's poorest residents live in rural communities and informal settlements. Development of the region has led to economic growth in recent years, but there is little evidence that living conditions are improving. Food security remains a persistent problem; workers in extractive industries are exposed to diseases like malaria and rabies; and there is a severe lack of health and sanitation infrastructure. The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated many of these preexisting problems, and indigenous communities have been hit the hardest. Celia Xakriaba, a Brazilian indigenous leader and activist, has described the public-health risk indigenous communities are facing as one of extermination......(source) Photo: Brazilian indigenous tribe 2018 Brasilia Photo EPA MAXPPP La Croix Int 20201007
A year after the Amazon Synod, the crisis continues
Limited extract from Bryan P. Galligan SJ, Subscription journal La Croix International, 7 October 2020
The Amazon Synod's final document and Pope Francis's post-synodal exhortation Querida Amazonia both describe a social and environmental crisis of historic proportions, a crisis Francis portrays as "provoking a cry that rises up to heaven." This crisis now threatens the Amazon region with ecocide and ethnic cleansing, and—because of the role the Amazon rainforest plays in regulating global climate patterns—it also threatens the planet as a whole. Yet the synod's urgent message was largely drowned out in the United States by ideological controversies about the ordination of (married) viri probati, the value of inculturation, and racist accusations of idolatry. A year later, the "dramatic state of destruction" to which the synod's final document refers has only gotten worse, and Catholics in the Global North still seem none the wiser. Many of the Amazon region's poorest residents live in rural communities and informal settlements. Development of the region has led to economic growth in recent years, but there is little evidence that living conditions are improving. Food security remains a persistent problem; workers in extractive industries are exposed to diseases like malaria and rabies; and there is a severe lack of health and sanitation infrastructure. The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated many of these preexisting problems, and indigenous communities have been hit the hardest. Celia Xakriaba, a Brazilian indigenous leader and activist, has described the public-health risk indigenous communities are facing as one of extermination......(source) Photo: Brazilian indigenous tribe 2018 Brasilia Photo EPA MAXPPP La Croix Int 20201007
Five keys to understanding the encyclical "Fratelli tutti"
"Fratelli tutti" calls for fraternity and "social friendship"; this relatively long magisterial document is a summary of Pope Francis's thoughts
Limited Extract from Xavier Le Normand , Subscription Journal La Croix International, 5 October 2020,
1. A sombre observation. The new magisterial document from Pope Francis -- the encyclical Fratelli tutti -- opens with a rather bleak assessment of the current state of the world. The pope makes no secret of this. The first chapter is titled "Dark Clouds over a Closed World" and the first section is called, "Shattered Dreams". "Our own days, however, seem to be showing signs of a certain regression," the pope warns. "Nowadays, what do certain words like democracy, freedom, justice or unity really mean? They have been bent and shaped to serve as tools for domination, as meaningless tags that can be used to justify any action," he notes. Francis says today's world is experiencing a period of inward-looking and xenophobia. And he laments that the first victims of this are the poor. 2. A cry of alarm against demagogic populism. "Closed populist groups distort the word 'people', since they are not talking about a true people," the pope writes in the encyclical. He then goes on to denounce the "unhealthy" and "irresponsible" populism of some political leaders. "At other times, they seek popularity by appealing to the basest and most selfish inclinations of certain sectors of the population," he states. This does not mean that Francis, a follower of "the theology of the people", disqualifies the people, a word which appears 95 times in the new encyclical. In number 182, he affirms that "each of us is fully a person when we are part of a people". 3. Social friendship ......(more). Photo: Riccardo Antimiani ELA La Croix Int 20201005
"Fratelli tutti" calls for fraternity and "social friendship"; this relatively long magisterial document is a summary of Pope Francis's thoughts
Limited Extract from Xavier Le Normand , Subscription Journal La Croix International, 5 October 2020,
1. A sombre observation. The new magisterial document from Pope Francis -- the encyclical Fratelli tutti -- opens with a rather bleak assessment of the current state of the world. The pope makes no secret of this. The first chapter is titled "Dark Clouds over a Closed World" and the first section is called, "Shattered Dreams". "Our own days, however, seem to be showing signs of a certain regression," the pope warns. "Nowadays, what do certain words like democracy, freedom, justice or unity really mean? They have been bent and shaped to serve as tools for domination, as meaningless tags that can be used to justify any action," he notes. Francis says today's world is experiencing a period of inward-looking and xenophobia. And he laments that the first victims of this are the poor. 2. A cry of alarm against demagogic populism. "Closed populist groups distort the word 'people', since they are not talking about a true people," the pope writes in the encyclical. He then goes on to denounce the "unhealthy" and "irresponsible" populism of some political leaders. "At other times, they seek popularity by appealing to the basest and most selfish inclinations of certain sectors of the population," he states. This does not mean that Francis, a follower of "the theology of the people", disqualifies the people, a word which appears 95 times in the new encyclical. In number 182, he affirms that "each of us is fully a person when we are part of a people". 3. Social friendship ......(more). Photo: Riccardo Antimiani ELA La Croix Int 20201005
Pope releases new encyclical, Fratelli tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship
Extract from Communicationsa Officem Melbourne Catholic, 4 October 2020
Pope Francis has written his third encyclical entitled Fratelli tutti (On Fraternity and Social Friendship), which he addresses to all people of goodwill and offers as a proposal for a way of life 'marked by the flavour of the Gospel’. While the pope's second encyclical, Laudato Si' (On care for our common home), focused on our relationship with the natural world, Fratelli tutti focuses on our relationships with each other. The document's release coincides with the conclusion of this year’s Season of Creation, and during this time of pandemic is offered as a contribution to ‘the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity by acknowledging the dignity of each and every human person’. (FT 8). Following the release of the new encyclical, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli encouraged the faithful to read the pope's words: 'Situated as we are in the latter stages of this Pandemic, Fratelli tutti offers much that we might embrace as we determine who we are as people of God in Melbourne, and how we might emerge from this time of exile to go on mission into the world with the beating heart of Jesus. I urge everyone to read it, and to then return to it with time and space to draw more deeply into the riches within.'....(more - including video by Arbishop Peter)
Extract from Communicationsa Officem Melbourne Catholic, 4 October 2020
Pope Francis has written his third encyclical entitled Fratelli tutti (On Fraternity and Social Friendship), which he addresses to all people of goodwill and offers as a proposal for a way of life 'marked by the flavour of the Gospel’. While the pope's second encyclical, Laudato Si' (On care for our common home), focused on our relationship with the natural world, Fratelli tutti focuses on our relationships with each other. The document's release coincides with the conclusion of this year’s Season of Creation, and during this time of pandemic is offered as a contribution to ‘the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity by acknowledging the dignity of each and every human person’. (FT 8). Following the release of the new encyclical, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli encouraged the faithful to read the pope's words: 'Situated as we are in the latter stages of this Pandemic, Fratelli tutti offers much that we might embrace as we determine who we are as people of God in Melbourne, and how we might emerge from this time of exile to go on mission into the world with the beating heart of Jesus. I urge everyone to read it, and to then return to it with time and space to draw more deeply into the riches within.'....(more - including video by Arbishop Peter)
Opening Up For Mass - Where, When and How!
Fr Bill, Friday 2 October 2020
Fr Bill, Friday 2 October 2020
Under the revised COVID 19 restrictions we are permitted to celebrate Mass OUTDOORS with only FIVE people present. Where & When? There will be TWO MASS LOCATIONS in the Parish and the new Mass timetable will begin on TUESDAY 6TH OCTOBER. The first location is at MARY IMMACULATE SCHOOL in the outdoor amphitheatre. Masses at MI school will be Tuesday to Friday inclusive at 9.30am and on Sundays at 9.00am and 10.30am. The second location is outside ST. BERNADETTE’S CHURCH in the area between the church, the presbytery garage and the community centre. Masses at St. Bernadette’s will be Tuesday to Saturday inclusive at 6pm. The 6pm Weekday Masses at St. Bernadette’s will be a trial and will only be continued if they are fulfilling a need. How? Those wishing to attend any Mass must ring my mobile (see full details in the Parish Newsletter HERE).
Image: massmoca
Pope Francis wants Catholics to dare to dream of a better way of doing politics
With the much-anticipated release of Pope Francis’s new encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti” on Oct. 4, Catholic Christians would do well to revisit his critique of false realism and false nostalgia, and his call for the church to foster a political attitude of faithful and daring dreaming.
Extract from David Albertson, Jason Blakely, America, The Jesuit Review, 1 October 2020
With the much-anticipated release of Pope Francis’s new encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti” on Oct. 4, Catholic Christians would do well to revisit his critique of false realism and false nostalgia, and his call for the church to foster a political attitude of faithful and daring dreaming.
Extract from David Albertson, Jason Blakely, America, The Jesuit Review, 1 October 2020
Politically, the United States is facing a crisis of the real. Yes, we confront political realities of an urgency and scale not witnessed in more than a generation—from ecological death and pandemic to the rise of authoritarian nationalism and militarized violence against Black citizens. In the midst of these calamities, millions of Americans struggle to discern real news from fake, science from conspiracy theory, political wisdom from magical thinking. As reality grows more and more menacing, fewer Americans are in touch with it. Politicians indulge nostalgic fantasies to distract our attention and shift the blame. But we also face a crisis of the real in a very different sense. Namely, the politics presented for decades by serious politicos and wonks as the only “realistic” way forward seems with every passing day more unsustainable. Our entire way of life seems at once unchangeable and yet in need of radical intervention, lest we continue the downward spiral. This paradoxical predicament was trenchantly observed by the British theorist Mark Fisher over a decade ago in his book Capitalist Realism. Fisher defines “capitalist realism” as “the widespread sense that not only is capitalism the only viable political and economic system, but also that it is now impossible even to imagine a coherent alternative.” Yet Fisher also suggests that the very crises generated by capitalism—if discerned properly—might awaken us from the trance. Once the realist fantasy is dispelled, the political imagination will be free to dream of quite different futures. This problem of imagining more hopeful futures amid a self-destructive, unrealistic “realism” provides a key to unlocking the politics of Pope Francis, whose pastoral letters and encyclicals have stirred confusion and controversy among conservatives and liberals alike. Unlike Marxists including Fisher, Pope Francis embraces a utopianism that is not grounded in violent struggle but in a deeply Christological hope for the transformation of people and communities—from the bottom up. With the much-anticipated release of Pope Francis’s new encyclical “Fratelli Tutti” on Oct. 4, Catholic Christians would do well to revisit his critique of false realism and false nostalgia, and his call for the church to foster a political attitude of faithful and daring dreaming. Unrealistic Realisms.....(more) Photo: CNS Paul Haring America Jesuit Review 20201001
Before release of encyclical 'Fratelli tutti', pope draws a sketch of post-COVID world
Francis has used his Wednesday general audience the past several weeks to offer his vision of creating a better world after the pandemic
Limited extract from Loup Besmond de Senneville, subscription journal La Croix International, 30 September 2020
Pope Francis these past two months has been trying to answer a thorny question that all of humanity must grapple with as it seeks to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic: how do we build a better, post-COVID world? The pope has offered a nine-week cycle of catechesis -- beginning in August -- to gradually unfold his thoughts on the way out of the crisis. During his weekly audiences, first recorded in the library and then held in the extraordinary setting of the San Damaso Courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, Francis has made clear his conviction that the pandemic provides historic opportunity to change the world. This is a conviction that should also be well reflected in his future encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, which will be released next Sunday (October 4). "We come out better or we come out worse" The Bishop of Rome has often repeated that it is certainly not a question of rebuilding the world afterwards by reproducing the world of before. "The pandemic is a crisis, and we don't come out of a crisis the same way: we come out better or we come out worse," he has repeated throughout his speeches. "After the crisis, will we continue with this economic system of social injustice and disregard for the environment, creation and our common home? Let's think about it," he has said. But how is this to be done? The pope says it is by relaying on "certain fundamental social principles. This is so as to heal both the world of the pandemic as well as the "wider social pathologies" that have emerged as a result of this crisis. "We must cure a great virus, that of social injustice, inequality of opportunity, marginalization and lack of protection for the vulnerable," Francis has insisted. The former Archbishop of Buenos Aires believes that "faith, hope and love necessarily lead us towards this preference for the most needy"....(source)
Francis has used his Wednesday general audience the past several weeks to offer his vision of creating a better world after the pandemic
Limited extract from Loup Besmond de Senneville, subscription journal La Croix International, 30 September 2020
Pope Francis these past two months has been trying to answer a thorny question that all of humanity must grapple with as it seeks to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic: how do we build a better, post-COVID world? The pope has offered a nine-week cycle of catechesis -- beginning in August -- to gradually unfold his thoughts on the way out of the crisis. During his weekly audiences, first recorded in the library and then held in the extraordinary setting of the San Damaso Courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, Francis has made clear his conviction that the pandemic provides historic opportunity to change the world. This is a conviction that should also be well reflected in his future encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, which will be released next Sunday (October 4). "We come out better or we come out worse" The Bishop of Rome has often repeated that it is certainly not a question of rebuilding the world afterwards by reproducing the world of before. "The pandemic is a crisis, and we don't come out of a crisis the same way: we come out better or we come out worse," he has repeated throughout his speeches. "After the crisis, will we continue with this economic system of social injustice and disregard for the environment, creation and our common home? Let's think about it," he has said. But how is this to be done? The pope says it is by relaying on "certain fundamental social principles. This is so as to heal both the world of the pandemic as well as the "wider social pathologies" that have emerged as a result of this crisis. "We must cure a great virus, that of social injustice, inequality of opportunity, marginalization and lack of protection for the vulnerable," Francis has insisted. The former Archbishop of Buenos Aires believes that "faith, hope and love necessarily lead us towards this preference for the most needy"....(source)
Grieving for the lost parish
The church as institution is in trouble but not the Church as the People of God
Limited extract from Eric Hodgens, Subscription journal La Croix International 30 September 2020
Some Church groups are pressing for a post-pandemic opening up, others, who have already opened up, are sounding a lament as they find it is not business as usual. There are signs of grieving for the parish – an institution on its knees. World War II changed Western history. The post-war Catholic parish was an institutional wonder. It took off with the baby boom, reached its peak in the 1980s, started its decline in the 1990s and may well be mortally wounded by the COVID-19 epidemic in the 2020s. The parish of my wartime infancy appeared timeless. It was an identifiable part of the wider culture but, for Catholics, it was a mainstay of life. Baptisms, marriages and funerals happened there. Most Catholics started formal schooling there. That is where you ritualised being a Catholic. Lifelong personal and family friends were made. It had its social oddities such as not eating meat on Friday, the practice of confession and regular Sunday Mass. Adherence was tribal. Post-war reconstruction for Catholics brought new vitality to the parish. With population growth came new parishes and schools. The baby boom brought not only a large new generation of members but increased vitality and vision to the whole of society. The times – they were a changin. Vatican II was in tune with that change. The fortress church lowered its drawbridge and out streamed the People of God on a march towards establishing a new Kingdom of God – a new world order marked by identification with the hopes and joys, the griefs and anxieties of all, mutual respect, the discarding of bygone enmities, diminished sectarianism an improved life for everybody and a fairer society. Parishes implemented that new vision. The laity moved into active mode. There were youth groups, senior citizens groups, social justice groups, parent groups, social groups sporting groups. And all had their formal coming together in the parish liturgy which, while led by clergy, was no longer a clerical preserve, and was in a language all could embrace and understand. Lay action and leadership became a top policy in the renewed Church – especially with the youth. The Young Christian Worker movement (YCW) formed a whole generation to see, judge and act. Loads of young priests who were mentors of this movement. The parish was a scene of action and vitality. But an undertow was forming under this enthusiasm.....(source). Photo:Parish La Croix International 20200930
The church as institution is in trouble but not the Church as the People of God
Limited extract from Eric Hodgens, Subscription journal La Croix International 30 September 2020
Some Church groups are pressing for a post-pandemic opening up, others, who have already opened up, are sounding a lament as they find it is not business as usual. There are signs of grieving for the parish – an institution on its knees. World War II changed Western history. The post-war Catholic parish was an institutional wonder. It took off with the baby boom, reached its peak in the 1980s, started its decline in the 1990s and may well be mortally wounded by the COVID-19 epidemic in the 2020s. The parish of my wartime infancy appeared timeless. It was an identifiable part of the wider culture but, for Catholics, it was a mainstay of life. Baptisms, marriages and funerals happened there. Most Catholics started formal schooling there. That is where you ritualised being a Catholic. Lifelong personal and family friends were made. It had its social oddities such as not eating meat on Friday, the practice of confession and regular Sunday Mass. Adherence was tribal. Post-war reconstruction for Catholics brought new vitality to the parish. With population growth came new parishes and schools. The baby boom brought not only a large new generation of members but increased vitality and vision to the whole of society. The times – they were a changin. Vatican II was in tune with that change. The fortress church lowered its drawbridge and out streamed the People of God on a march towards establishing a new Kingdom of God – a new world order marked by identification with the hopes and joys, the griefs and anxieties of all, mutual respect, the discarding of bygone enmities, diminished sectarianism an improved life for everybody and a fairer society. Parishes implemented that new vision. The laity moved into active mode. There were youth groups, senior citizens groups, social justice groups, parent groups, social groups sporting groups. And all had their formal coming together in the parish liturgy which, while led by clergy, was no longer a clerical preserve, and was in a language all could embrace and understand. Lay action and leadership became a top policy in the renewed Church – especially with the youth. The Young Christian Worker movement (YCW) formed a whole generation to see, judge and act. Loads of young priests who were mentors of this movement. The parish was a scene of action and vitality. But an undertow was forming under this enthusiasm.....(source). Photo:Parish La Croix International 20200930
Cafeteria anti-Catholicism: Trump, the Vatican and China
Limited extract from Massino Faggioli, Subscription journal La Croix International 30 September 2020
The US presidential campaign seems at times to have become an almost intra-Catholic affair, especially after President Donald Trump nominated a Catholic to be the next Justice on the Supreme Court. If confirmed, Amy Coney Barrett would be the sixth of the nine justices who are members of the Catholic Church. A seventh justice, Neil Gorsuch, was baptized and raised Catholic. Barrett's nomination shows that Trump's administration and campaign team have a Catholic agenda. It is aimed at capitalizing on the antipathy that sectors of the United States, including among vocal and influential Catholics, have shown towards Pope Francis since the beginning of this pontificate in 2013. Trump's Catholic agenda is a domestic strategy with an international dimension. Mike Pompeo attacks the Vatican's policy on China. The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets top Vatican officials this week in Rome – Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See's Secretary of State; and British Archbishop Paul Gallagher who, as deputy Secretary for Relations with States, is Pompeo's counterpart. One person Pompeo will not meet when he goes to the Vatican is Pope Francis. The pope must avoid any appearance that he is being used for political purposes just a few weeks before a presidential election. But he must also avoid being entangled in the serious crisis in the transatlantic relations that have to do with China.....(source). Photo:La Croix Int 20200930
Limited extract from Massino Faggioli, Subscription journal La Croix International 30 September 2020
The US presidential campaign seems at times to have become an almost intra-Catholic affair, especially after President Donald Trump nominated a Catholic to be the next Justice on the Supreme Court. If confirmed, Amy Coney Barrett would be the sixth of the nine justices who are members of the Catholic Church. A seventh justice, Neil Gorsuch, was baptized and raised Catholic. Barrett's nomination shows that Trump's administration and campaign team have a Catholic agenda. It is aimed at capitalizing on the antipathy that sectors of the United States, including among vocal and influential Catholics, have shown towards Pope Francis since the beginning of this pontificate in 2013. Trump's Catholic agenda is a domestic strategy with an international dimension. Mike Pompeo attacks the Vatican's policy on China. The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets top Vatican officials this week in Rome – Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See's Secretary of State; and British Archbishop Paul Gallagher who, as deputy Secretary for Relations with States, is Pompeo's counterpart. One person Pompeo will not meet when he goes to the Vatican is Pope Francis. The pope must avoid any appearance that he is being used for political purposes just a few weeks before a presidential election. But he must also avoid being entangled in the serious crisis in the transatlantic relations that have to do with China.....(source). Photo:La Croix Int 20200930
French Catholics want open talks with bishops in run-up to next Vatican Synod
Catholic organization calls on French bishops to include lay people in preparations for the Synod on Synodality, set for 2022 in Rome
Limited extract from Claire Lesegretain, Subscription journal La Croix International 28 September 2020
France. The Catholic Conference of the French-speaking Baptized (CCBF), a group founded in 2009 to promote the voice of the laity within the Church, has called on the bishops of France to open a dialogue with all Catholics as they prepare for the next assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome. How can we think of a Church of France that is entirely synodal yet only speaks to the 1.8% of regular practitioners? That was the main issue at the CCBF's first meeting of 2020, which took place on September 26 in a suburb of Paris. Because of ongoing measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, only about 60 people turned out for this first session, compared to 230 last year. The second session will take place between now and the end of the year and will discuss "the lockdown and liturgy" and "abuse in the Church, the damage of clericalism". Although the crowd at the first session was much smaller than hoped, dozens of others followed on YouTube. Five different speakers held conferences that explored ways to open up avenues for the future. The German synodal path: Among them were Julia Knop and Dorothea Sattler, two German theologians who are involved in the current "synodal path" of the Church in Germany. They explained to what extent this "path" could contribute to the universal Church since "it allows the exercise of a form of synodality not yet provided for in canon law". Knop noted that the Church in Germany has significant resources at its disposal (the rate of practice remains at 10%) with "lay people accustomed to democratic participation and interdisciplinary dialogue." But she admitted that such a synodal way seems difficult to envisage in France because of secularization and the absence of an official, united body of the laity (such as the Central Committee of German Catholics or ZdK)....(source)
Catholic organization calls on French bishops to include lay people in preparations for the Synod on Synodality, set for 2022 in Rome
Limited extract from Claire Lesegretain, Subscription journal La Croix International 28 September 2020
France. The Catholic Conference of the French-speaking Baptized (CCBF), a group founded in 2009 to promote the voice of the laity within the Church, has called on the bishops of France to open a dialogue with all Catholics as they prepare for the next assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome. How can we think of a Church of France that is entirely synodal yet only speaks to the 1.8% of regular practitioners? That was the main issue at the CCBF's first meeting of 2020, which took place on September 26 in a suburb of Paris. Because of ongoing measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, only about 60 people turned out for this first session, compared to 230 last year. The second session will take place between now and the end of the year and will discuss "the lockdown and liturgy" and "abuse in the Church, the damage of clericalism". Although the crowd at the first session was much smaller than hoped, dozens of others followed on YouTube. Five different speakers held conferences that explored ways to open up avenues for the future. The German synodal path: Among them were Julia Knop and Dorothea Sattler, two German theologians who are involved in the current "synodal path" of the Church in Germany. They explained to what extent this "path" could contribute to the universal Church since "it allows the exercise of a form of synodality not yet provided for in canon law". Knop noted that the Church in Germany has significant resources at its disposal (the rate of practice remains at 10%) with "lay people accustomed to democratic participation and interdisciplinary dialogue." But she admitted that such a synodal way seems difficult to envisage in France because of secularization and the absence of an official, united body of the laity (such as the Central Committee of German Catholics or ZdK)....(source)
Plenary Council 2021/2022
Talk Theology: A Journey of Discernment
Extract from a paper by Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, Plenary Post Edition 28, 30 September 2020
Talk Theology: A Journey of Discernment
Extract from a paper by Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, Plenary Post Edition 28, 30 September 2020
As I reflect on the extraordinary level of engagement with the work of the Plenary Council so far, it seems very clear to me that there is a hunger for change in the Church. If Cardinal [John Henry] Newman is correct, this hunger is really a desire for the Spirit to be alive and active in the Church today. It will be the task of the Plenary Council to discern which of the changes being called for in the Church really are legitimate developments and further “uncoverings” of the depths of the faith of the Church, and which instead are not in harmony with God’s intention in bringing the Church into being. This is a delicate and sensitive task, especially given the level of hope and expectation that the work of the Plenary Council has generated among the People of God in Australia. The sincerity, the deep yearning and, yes, the pain and distress evident in so many of the contributions to the Council so far should not and must not be disregarded or minimised. The Spirit of God is undoubtedly speaking in and through these voices. The invitation of the Plenary Council is to listen to what the Spirit is saying. The Council will be a success if we do indeed listen to the voice of the Spirit speaking in and to the Church over the last 2,000 years and remain faithful to our determination not to lose anything of the giftedness of the Spirit’s guidance over that time. If we fail to do so then we will not be the Church that God has created and is calling us to be. We will not be the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church of those who have gone before us, and which we have received from them through the work of the Holy Spirit........Link to Abp Costelloe full paper HERE Link to Plenary Post HERE
Why is Australia’s Cardinal Pell returning to Rome?
Extract from Gerard O'Connell, America. The Jesuit Review, 29 September 2020
Cardinal George Pell returns to the Vatican on Sept. 30 and is likely to remain there at least until June 8, when he turns 80. His long-term plan, however, is to return to Sydney, Australia, according to a source close to the cardinal, who asked not to be identified. “His return to Rome has been planned for the last three months. It was not a sudden decision,” the source said. He made clear the cardinal’s return was in no way linked to Cardinal Angelo Becciu’s recent renunciation, as suggested by Italian and other media in reports that recalled how the two had clashed strongly over the reform of Vatican finances. Cardinal Becciu had blocked some of Cardinal Pell’s initiatives. Some media even suggested that Francis had asked Cardinal Pell to return to Rome, but there is no evidence for this assertion. In fact, shortly after his acquittal and release from prison, Cardinal Pell had told Sky News Australia last April that “I think I might go to Rome for a while.” Cardinal Pell’s return was in no way linked to Cardinal Angelo Becciu’s recent renunciation, as suggested by Italian and other media in reports that recalled how the two had clashed strongly over the reform of Vatican finances. Pope Francis will receive Cardinal Pell in audience in due course, sources told America. Although the two differ significantly on some theological questions and on the vision of the church, Francis has always stood by him in these years when the pope saw that Cardinal Pell was already being judged guilty by much of the media. Francis insisted on Cardinal Pell’s right to be presumed innocent—“in dubio pro reo”—until the judicial process had reached its completion. After his release from prison in April, Cardinal Pell “received encouragement” from some high-level Vatican officials “to return to Rome,” the source said.....(more) Photo: CNS Screen grab America Jesuit Review 10100929
Extract from Gerard O'Connell, America. The Jesuit Review, 29 September 2020
Cardinal George Pell returns to the Vatican on Sept. 30 and is likely to remain there at least until June 8, when he turns 80. His long-term plan, however, is to return to Sydney, Australia, according to a source close to the cardinal, who asked not to be identified. “His return to Rome has been planned for the last three months. It was not a sudden decision,” the source said. He made clear the cardinal’s return was in no way linked to Cardinal Angelo Becciu’s recent renunciation, as suggested by Italian and other media in reports that recalled how the two had clashed strongly over the reform of Vatican finances. Cardinal Becciu had blocked some of Cardinal Pell’s initiatives. Some media even suggested that Francis had asked Cardinal Pell to return to Rome, but there is no evidence for this assertion. In fact, shortly after his acquittal and release from prison, Cardinal Pell had told Sky News Australia last April that “I think I might go to Rome for a while.” Cardinal Pell’s return was in no way linked to Cardinal Angelo Becciu’s recent renunciation, as suggested by Italian and other media in reports that recalled how the two had clashed strongly over the reform of Vatican finances. Pope Francis will receive Cardinal Pell in audience in due course, sources told America. Although the two differ significantly on some theological questions and on the vision of the church, Francis has always stood by him in these years when the pope saw that Cardinal Pell was already being judged guilty by much of the media. Francis insisted on Cardinal Pell’s right to be presumed innocent—“in dubio pro reo”—until the judicial process had reached its completion. After his release from prison in April, Cardinal Pell “received encouragement” from some high-level Vatican officials “to return to Rome,” the source said.....(more) Photo: CNS Screen grab America Jesuit Review 10100929
Congratulations
Friday 25 September 2020
Last Thursday Bernie and Elaine Jowett celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Married on grand final day at St. Anthony’s Alphington. As a Parish Family we rejoice with them and give thanks for the gift of the vocation of marriage.
May their witness to the gift of married love inspire all whose lives they touch.
May the God of love bless you both.
Putting lower value on older lives unethical
Extract from CathNews, 25 September 2020
Commentary on the pandemic that suggests some lives are worth more than others is troubling, write St Vincent’s Health Australia’s Toby Hall and Dr Daniel Fleming. Source: Sydney Morning Herald. At the weekend The Age published an article by the University of Melbourne’s vice-chancellor, Professor Duncan Maskell, asking Victorians to wrestle with uncomfortable questions about our future. He called on us to be ready to make tough calls, and to accept the unavoidable reality of mortality. No problems there. Any community with a grain of wisdom goes through that process. But at the centre of his approach, Maskell suggests a way of thinking that we should all find troubling. He asks: “What is the value of a 90-year-old’s life versus the value of the continuing livelihood and happiness of a 25-year-old?” His view appears to be that in a future pandemic, authorities should apply a “quality-adjusted life year” model to help them chart a way forward. This approach would say the 25-year-old's life is of much higher value than that of the 90-year-old. This is because a life nearer its end is allocated less QALYs than a healthy life closer to its beginning. Such a model would provide a justification for accepting risk – even mortality – for the 90-year-old and prioritising the 25-year-old because the latter's life is valued more...(more). Photo: COVID different value in different people CNS Benoit Tessier Reuters CathNews 20200925
Extract from CathNews, 25 September 2020
Commentary on the pandemic that suggests some lives are worth more than others is troubling, write St Vincent’s Health Australia’s Toby Hall and Dr Daniel Fleming. Source: Sydney Morning Herald. At the weekend The Age published an article by the University of Melbourne’s vice-chancellor, Professor Duncan Maskell, asking Victorians to wrestle with uncomfortable questions about our future. He called on us to be ready to make tough calls, and to accept the unavoidable reality of mortality. No problems there. Any community with a grain of wisdom goes through that process. But at the centre of his approach, Maskell suggests a way of thinking that we should all find troubling. He asks: “What is the value of a 90-year-old’s life versus the value of the continuing livelihood and happiness of a 25-year-old?” His view appears to be that in a future pandemic, authorities should apply a “quality-adjusted life year” model to help them chart a way forward. This approach would say the 25-year-old's life is of much higher value than that of the 90-year-old. This is because a life nearer its end is allocated less QALYs than a healthy life closer to its beginning. Such a model would provide a justification for accepting risk – even mortality – for the 90-year-old and prioritising the 25-year-old because the latter's life is valued more...(more). Photo: COVID different value in different people CNS Benoit Tessier Reuters CathNews 20200925
The first virtual Nuns on the Bus tour begins, highlighting voting rights, poverty and pro-life policies
Extract from Dan Stockman, Global Sisters Report, National Catholic Reporter Project, 24 September 2020
Saying they could not stay silent, the Nuns on the Bus began their virtual tour of the country Sept. 23 with a range of speakers talking about the need for a government that serves everyone. The online event by Catholic social justice lobby Network featured House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Cory Booker as well as several activists and clergy from various religious denominations. Social Service Sr. Simone Campbell, executive director of Network, began the event by noting it was being held in the shadow of more than 200,000 deaths caused by COVID-19 and the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She added that the kickoff also began as President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr were honored at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. "Our politicians are once again attempting to wrangle Catholics with the all-too-flawed, narrow and politically opportunistic view of our faith," Campbell said. "We need to be multi-issue voters in our complex reality."....(more). Photo: Nancy Pelosi virtual 2020 Nuns on Bus kickoff Netwok Screenshot Globa Sisters Report 20200923
Extract from Dan Stockman, Global Sisters Report, National Catholic Reporter Project, 24 September 2020
Saying they could not stay silent, the Nuns on the Bus began their virtual tour of the country Sept. 23 with a range of speakers talking about the need for a government that serves everyone. The online event by Catholic social justice lobby Network featured House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Cory Booker as well as several activists and clergy from various religious denominations. Social Service Sr. Simone Campbell, executive director of Network, began the event by noting it was being held in the shadow of more than 200,000 deaths caused by COVID-19 and the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She added that the kickoff also began as President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr were honored at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. "Our politicians are once again attempting to wrangle Catholics with the all-too-flawed, narrow and politically opportunistic view of our faith," Campbell said. "We need to be multi-issue voters in our complex reality."....(more). Photo: Nancy Pelosi virtual 2020 Nuns on Bus kickoff Netwok Screenshot Globa Sisters Report 20200923
People leaving Church in 'droves' warns McAleese
by Ruth Gledhill , Christa Pongratz-Lippitt, The Tablet, 24 September 2020
Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland, has warned that people are leaving the Catholic Church “in droves”, tired of “little old men” who continue to “beat the drum of obedience”. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour today, former President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, whose book Here's the Story: A Memoir is published today, said: “I am a person of faith but I am also a person with a thinking brain.” Describing the hierarchy of the Church as a small, self-serving hermetically-sealed group of men, she reminded listeners that she was actually banned from speaking at a conference on women at the Vatican, an exclusion that occurred during the papacy of Pope Francis. Both his predecessors had welcomed her to the Vatican. McAleese, a licensed canon lawyer as well as a civil lawyer, who has spoken out frequently against misogyny in the Church, admitted that nothing she had ever said had changed anything. “I am ignored completely by the Church's hierarchy. Utterly, absolutely ignored. But that's ok because they're only a tiny proportion of the Church. They're desperately powerful, yes, and they make the rules, yes, but the Church is 1.2 billion people which is why I stay.” She said the Church is the biggest NGO in the world, hugely influential and a permanent representative at the UN. “No other faith system has that power and influence in the world.” She said she remained in the Church in the hope that one day, her “tiny little voice” will permeate upwards, along with that of many others who are speaking out.....(more). Photo:Mary McAleese, Ruth GledhillThe Tablet 20200924
by Ruth Gledhill , Christa Pongratz-Lippitt, The Tablet, 24 September 2020
Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland, has warned that people are leaving the Catholic Church “in droves”, tired of “little old men” who continue to “beat the drum of obedience”. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour today, former President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, whose book Here's the Story: A Memoir is published today, said: “I am a person of faith but I am also a person with a thinking brain.” Describing the hierarchy of the Church as a small, self-serving hermetically-sealed group of men, she reminded listeners that she was actually banned from speaking at a conference on women at the Vatican, an exclusion that occurred during the papacy of Pope Francis. Both his predecessors had welcomed her to the Vatican. McAleese, a licensed canon lawyer as well as a civil lawyer, who has spoken out frequently against misogyny in the Church, admitted that nothing she had ever said had changed anything. “I am ignored completely by the Church's hierarchy. Utterly, absolutely ignored. But that's ok because they're only a tiny proportion of the Church. They're desperately powerful, yes, and they make the rules, yes, but the Church is 1.2 billion people which is why I stay.” She said the Church is the biggest NGO in the world, hugely influential and a permanent representative at the UN. “No other faith system has that power and influence in the world.” She said she remained in the Church in the hope that one day, her “tiny little voice” will permeate upwards, along with that of many others who are speaking out.....(more). Photo:Mary McAleese, Ruth GledhillThe Tablet 20200924
There will be no return to a pre-COVID world; it has changed forever
Extract from Peter Comensoli, Opinion Piece, The Age, 23 September 2020
Victorians have been in exile from the homeland of our humanity for six months now. Throughout this exile, hope has been hard to come by as fear, fatigue and frustration have taken hold. Now, a way out of captivity has been set before us. Every Victorian has an interest in the government’s road map towards a "COVID-normal" destination. But what do we actually want that destination to look like, and how might it shape the road ahead? People of faith have deep resources to share here. While the voice of religious communities has gone largely unheeded in recent years, at this time of great fear it turns out religious people are motivated by something positive and inspirational. In the middle of lockdown, and cut off from all kinds of human sources of inspiration, people of faith draw on something that does not depend entirely on other people. It might be unfashionable to say, but God has been helpful to lots of Victorians in 2020. All God’s people – whether believers or not – are my friends and fellow pilgrims on the journey ahead. From my Christian faith, this is a road that offers a horizon of hope and wellness. Some friends on this road have been lonely and isolated this year. Some of them have had a hard time stuck in high-rise public housing. Some have faced death and sickness apart from loved ones, and cried at a funeral without the tender presence of their nearest and dearest. Talking with our friends on the phone and via Zoom has been helpful. But all of them tell me that it’s God who has made all the difference.....(more). Photo: COVID Keep Calm Mask The Age 20200923 Getty
Extract from Peter Comensoli, Opinion Piece, The Age, 23 September 2020
Victorians have been in exile from the homeland of our humanity for six months now. Throughout this exile, hope has been hard to come by as fear, fatigue and frustration have taken hold. Now, a way out of captivity has been set before us. Every Victorian has an interest in the government’s road map towards a "COVID-normal" destination. But what do we actually want that destination to look like, and how might it shape the road ahead? People of faith have deep resources to share here. While the voice of religious communities has gone largely unheeded in recent years, at this time of great fear it turns out religious people are motivated by something positive and inspirational. In the middle of lockdown, and cut off from all kinds of human sources of inspiration, people of faith draw on something that does not depend entirely on other people. It might be unfashionable to say, but God has been helpful to lots of Victorians in 2020. All God’s people – whether believers or not – are my friends and fellow pilgrims on the journey ahead. From my Christian faith, this is a road that offers a horizon of hope and wellness. Some friends on this road have been lonely and isolated this year. Some of them have had a hard time stuck in high-rise public housing. Some have faced death and sickness apart from loved ones, and cried at a funeral without the tender presence of their nearest and dearest. Talking with our friends on the phone and via Zoom has been helpful. But all of them tell me that it’s God who has made all the difference.....(more). Photo: COVID Keep Calm Mask The Age 20200923 Getty
Suspended Irish priest Tony Flannery calls Vatican inquiry ‘unjust’
Extract from Gerard O’Connell. America The Jesuit Review, 22 September 2020
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has formally requested that the Rev. Tony Flannery, a well-known Irish Redemptorist suspended in May 2012, sign a statement affirming his acceptance of church teaching, as formulated by the C.D.F., on homosexuality, civil unions between persons of the same sex, the admission of women to the priesthood and “gender theory.” His signature on the C.D.F. document would allow him to return to public ministry. He declined to sign the document and made the C.D.F. letter public on Sept. 16. He described the process that brought him to this point as “unjust,” saying he had “no chance to defend myself, no appeal system, no direct communication, judgment passed and sentence decided before I even knew what was happening.” “Maybe I am deceiving myself,” he said to America by email, “but I believe I can do more for the church by exposing in every way I can the unjust process, rather than trying to get Francis to wave a wand and return me to the ministry.”.....(more). Photo: The Jesuit Review
Extract from Gerard O’Connell. America The Jesuit Review, 22 September 2020
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has formally requested that the Rev. Tony Flannery, a well-known Irish Redemptorist suspended in May 2012, sign a statement affirming his acceptance of church teaching, as formulated by the C.D.F., on homosexuality, civil unions between persons of the same sex, the admission of women to the priesthood and “gender theory.” His signature on the C.D.F. document would allow him to return to public ministry. He declined to sign the document and made the C.D.F. letter public on Sept. 16. He described the process that brought him to this point as “unjust,” saying he had “no chance to defend myself, no appeal system, no direct communication, judgment passed and sentence decided before I even knew what was happening.” “Maybe I am deceiving myself,” he said to America by email, “but I believe I can do more for the church by exposing in every way I can the unjust process, rather than trying to get Francis to wave a wand and return me to the ministry.”.....(more). Photo: The Jesuit Review
Iran sentenced three teenagers to have four fingers amputated
Extract from CathNews NZ Pacific, UK Dailt Mail, Monday, September 21st, 2020
Iran has sentenced three teenagers to have four fingers amputated each as a punishment for stealing. Hadi Rostami, Mehdi Sharafian and Mehdi Shahivand, whose exact ages are not known, were handed the punishment on Thursday after a failed attempt to appeal. They were originally tried on November 2 last year on four counts of robbery at a court in the city of Urmia, in northern Iran close to the border with Turkey....(more) Photo Iran finger amputation Is na dailymail uk Cathnews NZ 20200923
Extract from CathNews NZ Pacific, UK Dailt Mail, Monday, September 21st, 2020
Iran has sentenced three teenagers to have four fingers amputated each as a punishment for stealing. Hadi Rostami, Mehdi Sharafian and Mehdi Shahivand, whose exact ages are not known, were handed the punishment on Thursday after a failed attempt to appeal. They were originally tried on November 2 last year on four counts of robbery at a court in the city of Urmia, in northern Iran close to the border with Turkey....(more) Photo Iran finger amputation Is na dailymail uk Cathnews NZ 20200923
Gay children are 'children of God', Pope tells parents
Extract from Christopher Lamb, The Tablet, 18 September 2020
Pope Francis has told the parents of gay children that God loves them “as they are” because they are “the children of God”. His remarks came following the Wednesday General Audience where he had a brief meeting with members of an Italian group Tenda di Gionata (Jonathan’s Tent), which supports the parents of LGBT children. According to reports of the encounter, Francis said "God loves your children as they are." He also said: "The Pope loves your children as they are, because they are children of God." Mara Grassi, the vice-president of the support group, relayed details of what the Pope said following the audience, and that she had presented Francis with a book Genitori Fortunati (Blessed Parents). A copy of the book will soon be available in English. Speaking to Avvenire, the newspaper owned by the Italian Bishops’ Conference, she said: “I explained [to the Pope] that we consider ourselves lucky because we have been forced to change the way we have always looked at our children.
She added: “What we now have is a new gaze that has allowed us to see the beauty and love of God in them. We want to create a bridge with the Church... so that the Church too can change its gaze towards our children, no longer excluding them but welcoming them fully.” Francis’ remarks are consistent with what he said in 2018 to Juan Carlos Cruz, a survivor of clerical sexual abuse and who at that time had spent several days with the Pope. “He told me, ‘Juan Carlos, that you are gay does not matter. God made you like this and loves you like this and I don’t care. The Pope loves you like this. You have to be happy with who you are’,” Cruz recalled.....(more)
Extract from Christopher Lamb, The Tablet, 18 September 2020
Pope Francis has told the parents of gay children that God loves them “as they are” because they are “the children of God”. His remarks came following the Wednesday General Audience where he had a brief meeting with members of an Italian group Tenda di Gionata (Jonathan’s Tent), which supports the parents of LGBT children. According to reports of the encounter, Francis said "God loves your children as they are." He also said: "The Pope loves your children as they are, because they are children of God." Mara Grassi, the vice-president of the support group, relayed details of what the Pope said following the audience, and that she had presented Francis with a book Genitori Fortunati (Blessed Parents). A copy of the book will soon be available in English. Speaking to Avvenire, the newspaper owned by the Italian Bishops’ Conference, she said: “I explained [to the Pope] that we consider ourselves lucky because we have been forced to change the way we have always looked at our children.
She added: “What we now have is a new gaze that has allowed us to see the beauty and love of God in them. We want to create a bridge with the Church... so that the Church too can change its gaze towards our children, no longer excluding them but welcoming them fully.” Francis’ remarks are consistent with what he said in 2018 to Juan Carlos Cruz, a survivor of clerical sexual abuse and who at that time had spent several days with the Pope. “He told me, ‘Juan Carlos, that you are gay does not matter. God made you like this and loves you like this and I don’t care. The Pope loves you like this. You have to be happy with who you are’,” Cruz recalled.....(more)
Bishop condemns human rights abuses in Philippines
Extract from CathNews, Catholic Oiutlook, 18 September 2020
Parramatta Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv. has expressed his solidarity with people in the Philippines in their struggle for human rights. Source: Catholic Outlook. Bishop Long, chair of Bishops Commission for Social Justice – Mission and Service, took part in the “Church People's Prophetic Voices against State Terrorism in the Philippines” online forum on Wednesday. The forum aimed to highlight the response of Christians in the Philippines to the escalating attacks on human rights defenders and activists. Bishop Long said he joined other Christian leaders in “condemning acts of violence and terror that have escalated in intensity and frequency”. “These acts are even more deplorable when committed by the government institutions such as the police and the military, which are supposed to protect and defend the people.” Bishop Long said under the Duterte Government’s war against drugs “a spate of extrajudicial killings has continued unabated, causing a reign of terror in many communities”. “It is alarming that the poor are most vulnerable to the loss of life, as well as the destruction, violation and suppression of their rights. The government’s claim of ensuring and protecting those who have less in life appears to be merely a lip service when the state itself violates and disregards the rights of the poor. It seems like this is not so much a war against drugs but rather a war against the workers, farmers and the marginalised in society.” Bishop Long also spoke of the ongoing persecution of people defending human rights in the Philippines, particularly noting Archbishop Socrates Villegas, Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, Bishop Teodoro Bacani Jr and Bishop Honesto Ongtioco who face sedition charges....(more) Photo: Parramatta Diocese CathNews 20200918
Extract from CathNews, Catholic Oiutlook, 18 September 2020
Parramatta Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv. has expressed his solidarity with people in the Philippines in their struggle for human rights. Source: Catholic Outlook. Bishop Long, chair of Bishops Commission for Social Justice – Mission and Service, took part in the “Church People's Prophetic Voices against State Terrorism in the Philippines” online forum on Wednesday. The forum aimed to highlight the response of Christians in the Philippines to the escalating attacks on human rights defenders and activists. Bishop Long said he joined other Christian leaders in “condemning acts of violence and terror that have escalated in intensity and frequency”. “These acts are even more deplorable when committed by the government institutions such as the police and the military, which are supposed to protect and defend the people.” Bishop Long said under the Duterte Government’s war against drugs “a spate of extrajudicial killings has continued unabated, causing a reign of terror in many communities”. “It is alarming that the poor are most vulnerable to the loss of life, as well as the destruction, violation and suppression of their rights. The government’s claim of ensuring and protecting those who have less in life appears to be merely a lip service when the state itself violates and disregards the rights of the poor. It seems like this is not so much a war against drugs but rather a war against the workers, farmers and the marginalised in society.” Bishop Long also spoke of the ongoing persecution of people defending human rights in the Philippines, particularly noting Archbishop Socrates Villegas, Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, Bishop Teodoro Bacani Jr and Bishop Honesto Ongtioco who face sedition charges....(more) Photo: Parramatta Diocese CathNews 20200918
Edmund Rice supports push for Pacific synod
Extract from CathNews, 18 September 2020
Catholic human rights organisation the Edmund Rice Centre has applauded statements made by Australia’s new Ambassador to the Vatican supporting the push for a synod for the Pacific region. Ambassador Chiara Porro met Pope Francis last month to present her credentials as Australia’s representative to the Holy See. In an interview with Vatican TV news agency Rome Reports, Ms Porro supported the call from Catholic leaders in Oceania for a synod in the region. “One idea that I’ve been discussing with a few people is potentially pushing for a synod on the Pacific down the track – something along those lines because of the climate change issue, the anniversary of Laudato Si’ and also the fact it is one of the frontier regions that Pope Francis is so focused on,” Ms Porro said. Corinne Fagueret, coordinator of the Pacific Calling Partnership (PCP), an initiative of the Edmund Rice Centre for Justice & Community Education, said it was encouraging Australia’s representative to the Holy See was "raising the calls and concerns of Pacific leaders outside of our region”....(more) Photo: Chiara Porro Rome Reports CathNews 20200918
Extract from CathNews, 18 September 2020
Catholic human rights organisation the Edmund Rice Centre has applauded statements made by Australia’s new Ambassador to the Vatican supporting the push for a synod for the Pacific region. Ambassador Chiara Porro met Pope Francis last month to present her credentials as Australia’s representative to the Holy See. In an interview with Vatican TV news agency Rome Reports, Ms Porro supported the call from Catholic leaders in Oceania for a synod in the region. “One idea that I’ve been discussing with a few people is potentially pushing for a synod on the Pacific down the track – something along those lines because of the climate change issue, the anniversary of Laudato Si’ and also the fact it is one of the frontier regions that Pope Francis is so focused on,” Ms Porro said. Corinne Fagueret, coordinator of the Pacific Calling Partnership (PCP), an initiative of the Edmund Rice Centre for Justice & Community Education, said it was encouraging Australia’s representative to the Holy See was "raising the calls and concerns of Pacific leaders outside of our region”....(more) Photo: Chiara Porro Rome Reports CathNews 20200918
Melbournians suffering from 'deprivation in sacramental life’
Extract from CathNews, Melbourne Catholic, 17 September 2020
Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli has written to clergy and faithful in the Melbourne Archdiocese, acknowledging the many challenges facing the Catholic community during Victoria’s extended COVID-19 lockdown. The pastoral letter follows last week’s overturning of restrictions on spiritual ministry to the sick and the dying. “Throughout the pandemic, I have been advocating directly with the Government, reminding authorities continually of our respectful compliance with each stage of restrictions, and seeking a fair consideration in what is permitted,” Archbishop Comensoli said. He said it was essential that the Government "does not treat faith communities as an afterthought to the opening up of other sectors. Our churches are locations for communities of care and essential service, and must be treated fairly and reasonably”. In the letter, Archbishop Comensoli acknowledged the “profound loss” the Melbourne faithful are suffering from the “deprivation in sacramental life” since churches were first closed in March. He said the “sense of estrangement from the Eucharist has been a particular struggle for Catholics. He gave particular acknowledgement to “countless Catholic families” who are “awaiting Baptism, Reconciliation, Holy Communion and Confirmation for their children. Adults, too, have longed to be received into the life of the Church”. “We shall be exploring possibilities such as outdoor liturgies in parish and school settings to facilitate these crucial events of grace and welcome,” Archbishop Comensoli said.....(more) Photo: Melbourne Catholic, CathNews 202009017
Extract from CathNews, Melbourne Catholic, 17 September 2020
Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli has written to clergy and faithful in the Melbourne Archdiocese, acknowledging the many challenges facing the Catholic community during Victoria’s extended COVID-19 lockdown. The pastoral letter follows last week’s overturning of restrictions on spiritual ministry to the sick and the dying. “Throughout the pandemic, I have been advocating directly with the Government, reminding authorities continually of our respectful compliance with each stage of restrictions, and seeking a fair consideration in what is permitted,” Archbishop Comensoli said. He said it was essential that the Government "does not treat faith communities as an afterthought to the opening up of other sectors. Our churches are locations for communities of care and essential service, and must be treated fairly and reasonably”. In the letter, Archbishop Comensoli acknowledged the “profound loss” the Melbourne faithful are suffering from the “deprivation in sacramental life” since churches were first closed in March. He said the “sense of estrangement from the Eucharist has been a particular struggle for Catholics. He gave particular acknowledgement to “countless Catholic families” who are “awaiting Baptism, Reconciliation, Holy Communion and Confirmation for their children. Adults, too, have longed to be received into the life of the Church”. “We shall be exploring possibilities such as outdoor liturgies in parish and school settings to facilitate these crucial events of grace and welcome,” Archbishop Comensoli said.....(more) Photo: Melbourne Catholic, CathNews 202009017
US study a snapshot of teenage faith
Teen’s commitment roughly half of their parents’
Extract from Catholic Weekly' 17 September 2020A Pew Research Center study released in September shows that teens’ religious practice is the United States is less than that of their parents. The lessened observance cuts across all denominational lines. And religious practice by adults, the study noted, has itself declined in recent decades. One key finding of the report is that 43 per cent of parents said religion is “very important in their lives,” and that, of teens ages 13-17, only 24 per cent feel the same. Surveys were taken of 1,811 adults who had given Pew permission for one of their teen children to later take the same survey. The surveys were conducted in April-June 2019, long before the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “it’s hard to process what the statistics are saying with what we’re witnessing”. But Christina Lamas, executive director of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, told Catholic News Service that she finds it hard to square the figures in the Pew report with what she sees at her organisation’s biennial conventions in Indianapolis. “When you’re able to witness the fire and engagement of 20,000 young people … who are sharing on social media about their relationship with God, it’s hard to process what the statistics are saying with what we’re witnessing,” Ms Lamas said. She took some comfort in one finding from Pew than 47 per cent of Hispanic teens identify as Catholic. “Faith is very much embedded into the culture of the community,” Ms Lamas said. “In Hispanic families, God and religious practices are lived out daily. It’s part of who the individual is, not separate. I can see why the specifics are higher among Hispanic families, absolutely.” Still, she is cognisant of societal forces that can erode strength in Catholic belief and practice. NFCYM has had in its toolbox for the past 15 years an initiative called Strong Catholic Families, designed to combat secularising influences. Lamas said NFCYM collaborated with the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, the National Catholic Educational Association and the National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers in revisions to the program a few years ago.....(more)
Maitland-Newcastle Diocesan Synod calls for reforms
Extract from CathNews, MN news, 17 September 2020
The call for reform of diocesan and parish governance at the first session of the Maitland-Newcastle Diocesan Synod will strongly influence planning for future sessions.
A Governance Focus Group is evaluating diocesan governance structures and processes and will prepare documents and recommendations for the next Synod session in 2021. It is one of several working groups preparing documents for the Diocesan Synod’s 2021 sessions and is made up of clergy, senior diocesan staff and lay members. Lawrie Hallinan, chair of the Synod’s Governance Focus Group said the group had embraced the recently released national report on diocesan and parish governance, The Light from the Southern Cross: Promoting Co-Responsible Governance in the Catholic Church in Australia. This report was recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. “The concerns and hopes expressed at our Diocesan Synod are echoed in many of the themes and recommendations of The Light from the Southern Cross report,” Mr Hallinan said. “Some of the report’s recommendations are already established practice in the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese, such as a functioning diocesan pastoral council (locally known as the Council for Mission) and a publicly available annual report (including financial report).” Mr Hallinan said the focus group was grateful for the report’s theological explanations of governance, which emphasise all the baptised fulfilling their right and responsibility as missionary disciples. The Maitland-Newcastle Diocesan Synod will take place over three sessions. The first session was in November 2019, with further sessions planned for May and November 2021...(more) Photo: MNnewsToday
Extract from CathNews, MN news, 17 September 2020
The call for reform of diocesan and parish governance at the first session of the Maitland-Newcastle Diocesan Synod will strongly influence planning for future sessions.
A Governance Focus Group is evaluating diocesan governance structures and processes and will prepare documents and recommendations for the next Synod session in 2021. It is one of several working groups preparing documents for the Diocesan Synod’s 2021 sessions and is made up of clergy, senior diocesan staff and lay members. Lawrie Hallinan, chair of the Synod’s Governance Focus Group said the group had embraced the recently released national report on diocesan and parish governance, The Light from the Southern Cross: Promoting Co-Responsible Governance in the Catholic Church in Australia. This report was recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. “The concerns and hopes expressed at our Diocesan Synod are echoed in many of the themes and recommendations of The Light from the Southern Cross report,” Mr Hallinan said. “Some of the report’s recommendations are already established practice in the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese, such as a functioning diocesan pastoral council (locally known as the Council for Mission) and a publicly available annual report (including financial report).” Mr Hallinan said the focus group was grateful for the report’s theological explanations of governance, which emphasise all the baptised fulfilling their right and responsibility as missionary disciples. The Maitland-Newcastle Diocesan Synod will take place over three sessions. The first session was in November 2019, with further sessions planned for May and November 2021...(more) Photo: MNnewsToday
Synodality at the crossroads
Pope Francis's powerful gestures are urgently in need of a theological language
Extract from Massimo Faggioli, La Croix International, 16 September 2020
United States. Rarely does a journal article offer an X-ray of a particular moment in a pontificate, providing such depth and detail that it remains essential to understanding how a pope perceives his ministry in the life of the Church. But that's exactly what happened in September 2013 when Antonio Spadaro, editor of La Civiltà Cattolica, published his blockbuster interview with Pope Francis. It happened again earlier this month when the Italian Jesuit published another article in the venerable journal explaining his confrere's style of papal governance. The most recent piece is especially important because of what the Jesuit pope says in his own words. The pope says the driving force of his pontificate is not institutional reform. The pontificate is far from over, but this is a delicate moment of passage to understand what type of reform Francis can realistically expect to achieve within a timeframe that can be measured historically, rather than in geological eras. The Civiltà Cattolica article responds to a number of essays published in the last few months – one of them my own here – that analyzed the repercussions of the pope's interpretation of the 2019 Synod in the exhortation Querida Amazonia. They pointed out the gap between the proposals for institutional reform approved by the Synod (viri probati, ministries for women) and the non-reception of these proposals by Francis in his post-synodal exhortation.....(More)
Pope Francis's powerful gestures are urgently in need of a theological language
Extract from Massimo Faggioli, La Croix International, 16 September 2020
United States. Rarely does a journal article offer an X-ray of a particular moment in a pontificate, providing such depth and detail that it remains essential to understanding how a pope perceives his ministry in the life of the Church. But that's exactly what happened in September 2013 when Antonio Spadaro, editor of La Civiltà Cattolica, published his blockbuster interview with Pope Francis. It happened again earlier this month when the Italian Jesuit published another article in the venerable journal explaining his confrere's style of papal governance. The most recent piece is especially important because of what the Jesuit pope says in his own words. The pope says the driving force of his pontificate is not institutional reform. The pontificate is far from over, but this is a delicate moment of passage to understand what type of reform Francis can realistically expect to achieve within a timeframe that can be measured historically, rather than in geological eras. The Civiltà Cattolica article responds to a number of essays published in the last few months – one of them my own here – that analyzed the repercussions of the pope's interpretation of the 2019 Synod in the exhortation Querida Amazonia. They pointed out the gap between the proposals for institutional reform approved by the Synod (viri probati, ministries for women) and the non-reception of these proposals by Francis in his post-synodal exhortation.....(More)
'Church setback over confession in WA'
Extract from Marilyn Rodrigues, Catholic weekly, 16 September 2020
Both major parties to support law affecting sacrament. A push to force priests to report information on child sexual abuse gained during confession looks likely to continue in Western Australia despite a parliamentary committee’s recommendation that it would be an ineffective measure against abuse. The recommendation was made in a report by the Standing Committee on Legislation on the Children and Community Services Amendment Bill 2019, which passed the state’s Legislative Assembly in May and will be considered by the upper house. In its current form, the bill is in line with WA’s Premier Mark McGowan and Minister for Child Protection Simone McGurk’s commitment to require priests to break the sacrament’s absolute confidentiality in known or suspected cases of child sexual abuse. The five-member WA committee recommended last week that “ministers of religion be excused from criminal responsibility [of mandatory reporting] only when the grounds of their belief is based solely on information disclosed during religious confession.” But Liberal Opposition Leader Liza Harvey said on 15 September that her party had decided against supporting the recommendation.....(more)
Extract from Marilyn Rodrigues, Catholic weekly, 16 September 2020
Both major parties to support law affecting sacrament. A push to force priests to report information on child sexual abuse gained during confession looks likely to continue in Western Australia despite a parliamentary committee’s recommendation that it would be an ineffective measure against abuse. The recommendation was made in a report by the Standing Committee on Legislation on the Children and Community Services Amendment Bill 2019, which passed the state’s Legislative Assembly in May and will be considered by the upper house. In its current form, the bill is in line with WA’s Premier Mark McGowan and Minister for Child Protection Simone McGurk’s commitment to require priests to break the sacrament’s absolute confidentiality in known or suspected cases of child sexual abuse. The five-member WA committee recommended last week that “ministers of religion be excused from criminal responsibility [of mandatory reporting] only when the grounds of their belief is based solely on information disclosed during religious confession.” But Liberal Opposition Leader Liza Harvey said on 15 September that her party had decided against supporting the recommendation.....(more)
Appointment of bishops: the Vatican and China to renew their agreement
ANALYSIS: China and the Vatican have agreed to extend the historic agreement reached in 2018 for another two years
Limited Extract from Loup Besmond de Senneville, subscription journal La Croix International 16 September 2020
Two years ago, it was hailed as a historic agreement. And it was. After almost 70 years without diplomatic relations, the two-year agreement China and the Holy See, signed on September 22, 2018, on the appointment of bishops was widely welcomed. But the content of this text has always been kept secret and is due to expire in a few days. Until now, it was not clear whether it would be renewed. But La Croix has learned from a source close to the negotiators, who insisted on total anonymity, that the agreement will be extended for another two years under the same terms as the one signed in 2018. The very renewal of the Sino-Vatican is itself an event. While the question of the appointment of bishops may seem technical, what is at stake in the eyes of Rome is nothing less than the unity of Chinese Catholics and the avoidance of a possible schism. This is in a country where the Communist authorities have been appointing the bishops they wish for decades and without Rome's approval, while "clandestine" bishops loyal to the pope were being ordained at the same time. On two different occasions -- in 2016 and 2018 -- the authorities challenged the Holy See by appointing about 40 bishops independently. These were massive appointments that would have anchored the Chinese Church's separation from Rome, and would have made it difficult for them to be recognized later. What is known about the terms of the current agreement is that the pope has the last word on episcopal appointments -- that is, a kind of right of veto -- while Rome commits to no longer appointing clandestine bishops without Beijing's agreement....(source).
ANALYSIS: China and the Vatican have agreed to extend the historic agreement reached in 2018 for another two years
Limited Extract from Loup Besmond de Senneville, subscription journal La Croix International 16 September 2020
Two years ago, it was hailed as a historic agreement. And it was. After almost 70 years without diplomatic relations, the two-year agreement China and the Holy See, signed on September 22, 2018, on the appointment of bishops was widely welcomed. But the content of this text has always been kept secret and is due to expire in a few days. Until now, it was not clear whether it would be renewed. But La Croix has learned from a source close to the negotiators, who insisted on total anonymity, that the agreement will be extended for another two years under the same terms as the one signed in 2018. The very renewal of the Sino-Vatican is itself an event. While the question of the appointment of bishops may seem technical, what is at stake in the eyes of Rome is nothing less than the unity of Chinese Catholics and the avoidance of a possible schism. This is in a country where the Communist authorities have been appointing the bishops they wish for decades and without Rome's approval, while "clandestine" bishops loyal to the pope were being ordained at the same time. On two different occasions -- in 2016 and 2018 -- the authorities challenged the Holy See by appointing about 40 bishops independently. These were massive appointments that would have anchored the Chinese Church's separation from Rome, and would have made it difficult for them to be recognized later. What is known about the terms of the current agreement is that the pope has the last word on episcopal appointments -- that is, a kind of right of veto -- while Rome commits to no longer appointing clandestine bishops without Beijing's agreement....(source).
COMECE president all praise for German Catholic Church's Synodal Path
Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich mentioned the role of women in the Church as the most important question in the reform debate
Linuted extract from subscription journal La Croix International staff, 14 September 2020
COMECE president all praise for German Catholic Church's Synodal Path. The EU bishops' president said he very appreciative of the German Catholic Church's Synodal Path and that this process could be an inspiration for the Church in Europe. The Synodal Path reform project in Germany is viewed "with great respect because one is daring to ask very big questions," Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, president of the European Union Bishops' Commission COMECE, told Germany's Catholic News Agency (KNA). The process was launched on Dec. 1 and over the next two years some 230 bishops and lay delegates will engage in dialogue around four main themes — power in the Church, priestly celibacy, the place of women and sexuality. Cardinal Hollerich particularly mentioned the role of women in the Church as the most important question in the reform debate. "I am not saying that they have to become priests; I simply don't know that. But I am open towards that. It is clear however that the current situation does not suffice. One must see and realize that women have a say in the Church", he said. He praised the Synodal Path for being a path "of which you don't always know where it leads. One takes steps and together seeks out the next one." He said the local churches in Europe "often think too nationally, focused on the situation in their respective countries. We need to engage more with each other." The Catholic Church in Germany has begun its Synodal Path in an atmosphere of free and respectful dialogue. It held its first plenary assembly from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 in Frankfurt. German Catholics who are delegates for the Synodal Path have held their latest plenary assembly in several different cities across the country.....(source)
Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich mentioned the role of women in the Church as the most important question in the reform debate
Linuted extract from subscription journal La Croix International staff, 14 September 2020
COMECE president all praise for German Catholic Church's Synodal Path. The EU bishops' president said he very appreciative of the German Catholic Church's Synodal Path and that this process could be an inspiration for the Church in Europe. The Synodal Path reform project in Germany is viewed "with great respect because one is daring to ask very big questions," Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, president of the European Union Bishops' Commission COMECE, told Germany's Catholic News Agency (KNA). The process was launched on Dec. 1 and over the next two years some 230 bishops and lay delegates will engage in dialogue around four main themes — power in the Church, priestly celibacy, the place of women and sexuality. Cardinal Hollerich particularly mentioned the role of women in the Church as the most important question in the reform debate. "I am not saying that they have to become priests; I simply don't know that. But I am open towards that. It is clear however that the current situation does not suffice. One must see and realize that women have a say in the Church", he said. He praised the Synodal Path for being a path "of which you don't always know where it leads. One takes steps and together seeks out the next one." He said the local churches in Europe "often think too nationally, focused on the situation in their respective countries. We need to engage more with each other." The Catholic Church in Germany has begun its Synodal Path in an atmosphere of free and respectful dialogue. It held its first plenary assembly from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 in Frankfurt. German Catholics who are delegates for the Synodal Path have held their latest plenary assembly in several different cities across the country.....(source)
New poll: 36 percent of young Catholics say they will attend Mass less often after pandemic
Extract from Mark M. Gray, America. The Jesuit Review, 14 September 2020
Not many young adult Catholics are tuning into Masses on television or online, according to a survey conducted in July and August by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. A more troubling finding is that 36 percent said they plan to attend Mass less frequently when stay-at-home orders related to the Covid-19 pandemic end and churches fully reopen. Only 25 percent said they participated in Mass online or on television during the pandemic “somewhat” or “very” often. Another 51 percent say they will return to their normal pattern of attendance after the pandemic, and 14 percent said they plan to go to Mass more often. More than one-third of young Catholics said they would attend Mass less frequently even after the pandemic. We surveyed 2,214 self-identified Catholics between the ages of 18 and 35; only 25 percent said they participated in Mass online or on television during the pandemic “somewhat” or “very” often. (The CARA poll has a margin of error of 3.6 points.) Another 22 percent said they watched Mass “a little,” and 54 percent said they had not watched at all. This breakdown looks somewhat like actual Mass attendance before the pandemic, when 13 percent of Catholics said they attended Mass weekly, another 20 percent attended at least once a month, and 67 percent attended no more than a few times a year. Sixty-three percent of young adult Catholics who used to attend Mass weekly said they now watch Mass on television or online “somewhat” or “very often,” as did 36 percent of those who attended Mass at least once a month before the pandemic. Of those who used to attend no more than a few times a year, 13 percent said they watch Mass on television or online “somewhat” or “very” often. Most young Catholics said they have not watched Mass online or on television during the pandemic. The respondents saying that they plan to attend Mass less often in the future cut across all categories of prior attendance. Of the weekly attenders, 31 percent said they will be attending Mass less often when things return to normal, compared with 42 percent of monthly attenders and 35 percent of those who used to attend a few times a year or less often.....(More). Photo: America, Jes Rev 20200914
Extract from Mark M. Gray, America. The Jesuit Review, 14 September 2020
Not many young adult Catholics are tuning into Masses on television or online, according to a survey conducted in July and August by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. A more troubling finding is that 36 percent said they plan to attend Mass less frequently when stay-at-home orders related to the Covid-19 pandemic end and churches fully reopen. Only 25 percent said they participated in Mass online or on television during the pandemic “somewhat” or “very” often. Another 51 percent say they will return to their normal pattern of attendance after the pandemic, and 14 percent said they plan to go to Mass more often. More than one-third of young Catholics said they would attend Mass less frequently even after the pandemic. We surveyed 2,214 self-identified Catholics between the ages of 18 and 35; only 25 percent said they participated in Mass online or on television during the pandemic “somewhat” or “very” often. (The CARA poll has a margin of error of 3.6 points.) Another 22 percent said they watched Mass “a little,” and 54 percent said they had not watched at all. This breakdown looks somewhat like actual Mass attendance before the pandemic, when 13 percent of Catholics said they attended Mass weekly, another 20 percent attended at least once a month, and 67 percent attended no more than a few times a year. Sixty-three percent of young adult Catholics who used to attend Mass weekly said they now watch Mass on television or online “somewhat” or “very often,” as did 36 percent of those who attended Mass at least once a month before the pandemic. Of those who used to attend no more than a few times a year, 13 percent said they watch Mass on television or online “somewhat” or “very” often. Most young Catholics said they have not watched Mass online or on television during the pandemic. The respondents saying that they plan to attend Mass less often in the future cut across all categories of prior attendance. Of the weekly attenders, 31 percent said they will be attending Mass less often when things return to normal, compared with 42 percent of monthly attenders and 35 percent of those who used to attend a few times a year or less often.....(More). Photo: America, Jes Rev 20200914
Mary Immaculate Church Closes!
Fr Bill, Friday 11 September 2020
I hope that headline got your attention. In preparing for the renovation of the church and the construction of our new Parish Centre, Yarra Valley Water has decommissioned the sewer easement that crosses our property. Consequently the site cannot be occupied until the project is complete. We hope the project will go to tender early October with work commencing late November. Estimated completion is December 2021 but that will depend upon many things - not the least being the Covid-19 restrictions. While the site is closed the Parish Office will operate out of Mother of God Church where a temporary office has been established. Many thanks to Vince Marino who has painted out the office and Eugene Ballao who has assisted in moving office furniture. When we are able to resume Masses there will be a new schedule of Mass times at Mother of God and St. Bernadette’s which will remain in effect until our new Parish Centre at Mary Immaculate reopens. Photo: John Costa
Celebrating mission work of ‘people with a thousand faces’
Extract from CathNews, 11 September 2020
Inspired by Pope Francis, Catholic Mission has launched a global awareness campaign for World Mission Month in October, highlighting missionaries as “people with a thousand faces”. Earlier this year, Pope Francis highlighted his passion for the Pontifical Mission Societies, known in Australia as Catholic Mission, saying the mission is at the heart and identity of the Church. He said the worldwide network reflects the rich variety of the “people with a thousand faces”. “Catholic Mission is part of that global network. We are with all the communities, in every corner of the world,” said Catholic Mission national director Fr Brian Lucas. “World Mission Month is a time when Catholics all over the world join to support and celebrate global missionary work.” World Mission Month this year focuses on the essential work of priests, religious and lay missionaries in Cambodia, supporting people with disability and their families......(more) Photo: We are still here Cathnews 20200911
Extract from CathNews, 11 September 2020
Inspired by Pope Francis, Catholic Mission has launched a global awareness campaign for World Mission Month in October, highlighting missionaries as “people with a thousand faces”. Earlier this year, Pope Francis highlighted his passion for the Pontifical Mission Societies, known in Australia as Catholic Mission, saying the mission is at the heart and identity of the Church. He said the worldwide network reflects the rich variety of the “people with a thousand faces”. “Catholic Mission is part of that global network. We are with all the communities, in every corner of the world,” said Catholic Mission national director Fr Brian Lucas. “World Mission Month is a time when Catholics all over the world join to support and celebrate global missionary work.” World Mission Month this year focuses on the essential work of priests, religious and lay missionaries in Cambodia, supporting people with disability and their families......(more) Photo: We are still here Cathnews 20200911
Priests defy ban on last rites
Extract from CathNews, The Australian, 11 September 2020
Melbourne’s Catholic priests are taking a quiet stand, giving dying parishioners the last rites in defiance of the Andrews Government’s stage 4 restrictions. The Government has banned faith leaders from visiting patients at home, in a hospital or a care facility “for last rites or to perform other religious ceremonies in person”. The rules also state “last rites … can be provided using video or livestreaming”. That is impossible, said Msgr Charles Portelli, parish priest of St Mary of the Assumption Parish, Keilor Downs – a COVID-19 hotspot. Msgr Portelli said providing the sacraments to the dying was one of a priest’s most serious obligations and it can only be done in person. Fr Frank Brennan SJ – rector of Newman College at the University of Melbourne and a part-time chaplain to St Vincent’s Hospital – was unaware of the restriction. Fr Brennan has been giving the last rites in full PPE gear. Msgr Portelli said the Andrews Government’s restriction on administering the last rites, especially during a pandemic in which almost 700 Victorians had died, was an attack on “the free practice of religion”. Melbourne Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli knew nothing about the ban on the last rites when contacted by The Australian. After checking the DHSS rules he has sought “urgent clarification” from the Government....(more)
Extract from CathNews, The Australian, 11 September 2020
Melbourne’s Catholic priests are taking a quiet stand, giving dying parishioners the last rites in defiance of the Andrews Government’s stage 4 restrictions. The Government has banned faith leaders from visiting patients at home, in a hospital or a care facility “for last rites or to perform other religious ceremonies in person”. The rules also state “last rites … can be provided using video or livestreaming”. That is impossible, said Msgr Charles Portelli, parish priest of St Mary of the Assumption Parish, Keilor Downs – a COVID-19 hotspot. Msgr Portelli said providing the sacraments to the dying was one of a priest’s most serious obligations and it can only be done in person. Fr Frank Brennan SJ – rector of Newman College at the University of Melbourne and a part-time chaplain to St Vincent’s Hospital – was unaware of the restriction. Fr Brennan has been giving the last rites in full PPE gear. Msgr Portelli said the Andrews Government’s restriction on administering the last rites, especially during a pandemic in which almost 700 Victorians had died, was an attack on “the free practice of religion”. Melbourne Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli knew nothing about the ban on the last rites when contacted by The Australian. After checking the DHSS rules he has sought “urgent clarification” from the Government....(more)
Catholics push for more asylum-seeker support
Extract from CathNews, 10 September 2020
Catholic organisations have joined a campaign calling on the Morrison Government to extend support to asylum-seeker families adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Source: Jesuit Refugee Service Australia. The Refugee Council of Australia’s Nobody Left Behind campaign this year has the theme No Child Left Behind. Jesuit Refugee Service Australia, together with Catholic partners including the Catholic Alliance for People Seeking Asylum, Vinnies NSW, the House of Welcome, the Sydney Archdiocese Justice and Peace Office, Parramatta Diocese and Catholic schools around the country will this week acknowledge, pray for and act in solidarity with families seeking asylum and their children. There are approximately 16,000 children and young people seeking asylum in Australia. The impacts of COVID-19 have been particularly tough for people seeking asylum. Many have experienced job losses but have not had access to any form of ongoing government financial support. “Today, many hundreds of children seeking asylum are wholly reliant on JRS Australia’s food bank to eat healthy, nutritious meals. A significant number also depend on emergency relief payments to pay rent or buy life-saving medications,” JRS Australia said in a website statement on the campaign. “Children need love, care, safety, and education, not the stress of wondering where their next meal will come from or whether they will be homeless. “Join us in calling on the federal Government to extend ongoing financial support to the thousands of children seeking asylum who cannot leave Australia and need security.” .....(more). Image: children and young people seeking asylum in Australia JRS Australia CathNews 20200910
Extract from CathNews, 10 September 2020
Catholic organisations have joined a campaign calling on the Morrison Government to extend support to asylum-seeker families adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Source: Jesuit Refugee Service Australia. The Refugee Council of Australia’s Nobody Left Behind campaign this year has the theme No Child Left Behind. Jesuit Refugee Service Australia, together with Catholic partners including the Catholic Alliance for People Seeking Asylum, Vinnies NSW, the House of Welcome, the Sydney Archdiocese Justice and Peace Office, Parramatta Diocese and Catholic schools around the country will this week acknowledge, pray for and act in solidarity with families seeking asylum and their children. There are approximately 16,000 children and young people seeking asylum in Australia. The impacts of COVID-19 have been particularly tough for people seeking asylum. Many have experienced job losses but have not had access to any form of ongoing government financial support. “Today, many hundreds of children seeking asylum are wholly reliant on JRS Australia’s food bank to eat healthy, nutritious meals. A significant number also depend on emergency relief payments to pay rent or buy life-saving medications,” JRS Australia said in a website statement on the campaign. “Children need love, care, safety, and education, not the stress of wondering where their next meal will come from or whether they will be homeless. “Join us in calling on the federal Government to extend ongoing financial support to the thousands of children seeking asylum who cannot leave Australia and need security.” .....(more). Image: children and young people seeking asylum in Australia JRS Australia CathNews 20200910
Factions and ginger groups within the church
Extract from John Warhurst, Eureka Street, 10 September 2020
Knowing full well of the conservative-moderate split within the party and of the fractious relationship within the party between Turnbull and Tony Abbott, the Liberal Party delegates fell about laughing. The laughter was derisory. Facts can’t be papered over by sweet talk. The same is true of the church in Australia today. This fact of life must be spoken about openly in the lead up to the Plenary Council assemblies. What is happening at the moment is that certain bishops are condemning members of the church renewal movement as pressure groups pushing an agenda, while ignoring the well-known fact that groups with other agendas are widespread within the church. Condemnation of the renewal movement is a clear attempt to shut down legitimate engagement and debate from some quarters while allowing jockeying, factional politics and agenda-pushing by other conservative groups, including certain bishops, certain Catholic media and other groups embedded in the hierarchical structure of the church. My impression is that bishops prefer to deal with individuals. Catholics who organise themselves independently of official church structures to advance church renewal are frequently treated with suspicion by the hierarchy. Trying to shut down the renewal movement is not the work of the Holy Spirit. If it continues it will make for a very lop-sided Plenary Council. No amount of prayer and discernment will overcome a stacked assembly. The renewal movement is large and growing numerically and in regional diversity. It has engaged with the Plenary Council through submissions and public discussions from the very beginning. It has also tried, collectively and individually, to engage with bishops and other church leaders.....(more). Photo: St Patricks Cathedra Parramatta Leela kajonkij Getty Eureka Street 202009010
Extract from John Warhurst, Eureka Street, 10 September 2020
Knowing full well of the conservative-moderate split within the party and of the fractious relationship within the party between Turnbull and Tony Abbott, the Liberal Party delegates fell about laughing. The laughter was derisory. Facts can’t be papered over by sweet talk. The same is true of the church in Australia today. This fact of life must be spoken about openly in the lead up to the Plenary Council assemblies. What is happening at the moment is that certain bishops are condemning members of the church renewal movement as pressure groups pushing an agenda, while ignoring the well-known fact that groups with other agendas are widespread within the church. Condemnation of the renewal movement is a clear attempt to shut down legitimate engagement and debate from some quarters while allowing jockeying, factional politics and agenda-pushing by other conservative groups, including certain bishops, certain Catholic media and other groups embedded in the hierarchical structure of the church. My impression is that bishops prefer to deal with individuals. Catholics who organise themselves independently of official church structures to advance church renewal are frequently treated with suspicion by the hierarchy. Trying to shut down the renewal movement is not the work of the Holy Spirit. If it continues it will make for a very lop-sided Plenary Council. No amount of prayer and discernment will overcome a stacked assembly. The renewal movement is large and growing numerically and in regional diversity. It has engaged with the Plenary Council through submissions and public discussions from the very beginning. It has also tried, collectively and individually, to engage with bishops and other church leaders.....(more). Photo: St Patricks Cathedra Parramatta Leela kajonkij Getty Eureka Street 202009010
Queensland passes law to jail priests for not reporting confessions of child sexual abuse
Extrtact from Mark Bowling, Catholic Leader, 8 September 2020
Priests in Queensland will be forced to break the seal of confession to report child sex abuse to police. New laws passed through Queensland Parliament on Tuesday, September 8 mean religious institutions and their members are no longer able to use the sanctity of the confessional as a defence or excuse in child sex abuse matters. The laws passed with support from both major parties, and despite strong opposition from the Catholic Church. The new laws arose as a result of recommendations from the Royal Commission into child sexual abuse, and failure to comply will carry a three year jail sentence. Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge has maintained the Church commitment to the protection of children, however breaking the confessional seal would “not make a difference to the safety of young people”. In a formal submission to a parliamentary inquiry, Archbishop Coleridge explained that stripping Catholics of the seal made priests “less a servant of God than an agent of the state”. He said the proposed legislation raised “major questions about religious freedom” and was based on a “poor knowledge of how the sacrament actually works in practice”. Archbishop Coleridge said the seal “enables the penitent to speak openly before God, to stand open and honest before God, to hide nothing from the God who sees all and forgives all.” However, Police Minister Mark Ryan maintains the laws will ensure better protection for vulnerable children. “The requirement and quite frankly the moral obligation to report concerning behaviours towards everyone applies to everyone in this community,” he said. “No one group or occupation is being singled out. “Child protection is everyone’s responsibility.”....(more)
Extrtact from Mark Bowling, Catholic Leader, 8 September 2020
Priests in Queensland will be forced to break the seal of confession to report child sex abuse to police. New laws passed through Queensland Parliament on Tuesday, September 8 mean religious institutions and their members are no longer able to use the sanctity of the confessional as a defence or excuse in child sex abuse matters. The laws passed with support from both major parties, and despite strong opposition from the Catholic Church. The new laws arose as a result of recommendations from the Royal Commission into child sexual abuse, and failure to comply will carry a three year jail sentence. Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge has maintained the Church commitment to the protection of children, however breaking the confessional seal would “not make a difference to the safety of young people”. In a formal submission to a parliamentary inquiry, Archbishop Coleridge explained that stripping Catholics of the seal made priests “less a servant of God than an agent of the state”. He said the proposed legislation raised “major questions about religious freedom” and was based on a “poor knowledge of how the sacrament actually works in practice”. Archbishop Coleridge said the seal “enables the penitent to speak openly before God, to stand open and honest before God, to hide nothing from the God who sees all and forgives all.” However, Police Minister Mark Ryan maintains the laws will ensure better protection for vulnerable children. “The requirement and quite frankly the moral obligation to report concerning behaviours towards everyone applies to everyone in this community,” he said. “No one group or occupation is being singled out. “Child protection is everyone’s responsibility.”....(more)
Time to start telling – and doing – the truth in the liturgy
Pastors need to internalize the challenge: we cannot simply resume, we must renew
Limited extract from Thomas O'Loughlin, subscription journal La Croix International, 8 September 2020
United Kingdom. As parishes re-open to varying extents – and with a range of anti-viral measures from face-shields to people scattered by tape in near empty benches, many clergy note that the numbers have not returned to the pre-COVID-19 level. The preferred explanation seems to be that now is still not 'normality' and that many are fearful about a church gathering as a potential source of infection. I have no reason to doubt that this is a plausible explanation for some, but perhaps these clergy should be more circumspect in their optimism that parochial 'normality' will return. There are some worrying counter-indications. First, in the same localities the numbers who have returned to shopping is far closer to pre-pandemic levels, and people are going on holidays in one way or another trusting that masks, hand sanitizers and care will keep the enemy at bay. Second, there is a sizable group of Catholics – but I doubt if it can yet be quantified – who are asking if 'going back to Mass' will make all that much difference to them. For this group there is a real crisis in relation to the utility of liturgy within their lives. This is a new challenge to those whose task is to act as pastors within the Church.....(more). Image: Stained glass Last Supper La Croix Int 20200908
Pastors need to internalize the challenge: we cannot simply resume, we must renew
Limited extract from Thomas O'Loughlin, subscription journal La Croix International, 8 September 2020
United Kingdom. As parishes re-open to varying extents – and with a range of anti-viral measures from face-shields to people scattered by tape in near empty benches, many clergy note that the numbers have not returned to the pre-COVID-19 level. The preferred explanation seems to be that now is still not 'normality' and that many are fearful about a church gathering as a potential source of infection. I have no reason to doubt that this is a plausible explanation for some, but perhaps these clergy should be more circumspect in their optimism that parochial 'normality' will return. There are some worrying counter-indications. First, in the same localities the numbers who have returned to shopping is far closer to pre-pandemic levels, and people are going on holidays in one way or another trusting that masks, hand sanitizers and care will keep the enemy at bay. Second, there is a sizable group of Catholics – but I doubt if it can yet be quantified – who are asking if 'going back to Mass' will make all that much difference to them. For this group there is a real crisis in relation to the utility of liturgy within their lives. This is a new challenge to those whose task is to act as pastors within the Church.....(more). Image: Stained glass Last Supper La Croix Int 20200908
Pope reveals why he said 'no' to married priests
Extract from Christopher Lamb, The Tablet, 4 September 2020
Pope Francis decided against giving the green light to married priests after the Amazon synod because he was concerned the debate militated against true discernment. The pope felt that the discernment became impossible because debate became a parliamentary-style battle between different sides. He has revealed his thoughts in a note in which the 83-year-old Jesuit Pope also emphasises that the “synod is not over”, calling on the Church to “continue walking together”. These and other comments suggest the door is not closed on future reforms. In a personal note shared with the Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica, Francis says that during last year's synod there was “a rich discussion…a well-founded discussion, but no discernment”. The Pope continues: “We must understand that the synod is more than a parliament, and in this specific case, it could not escape this dynamic. On this subject it was a rich, productive and even necessary parliament; but no more than that. For me, this was decisive in the final discernment.” A majority of bishops attending the October 2019 synod gathering voted in favour of ordaining married men as priests for remote parts of the Amazon rainforest, where communities are unable to celebrate the sacraments regularly. But sources inside the synod say the proposal was strongly resisted by senior prelates in the Roman Curia who succeeded in blocking any immediate change....(more)
Extract from Christopher Lamb, The Tablet, 4 September 2020
Pope Francis decided against giving the green light to married priests after the Amazon synod because he was concerned the debate militated against true discernment. The pope felt that the discernment became impossible because debate became a parliamentary-style battle between different sides. He has revealed his thoughts in a note in which the 83-year-old Jesuit Pope also emphasises that the “synod is not over”, calling on the Church to “continue walking together”. These and other comments suggest the door is not closed on future reforms. In a personal note shared with the Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica, Francis says that during last year's synod there was “a rich discussion…a well-founded discussion, but no discernment”. The Pope continues: “We must understand that the synod is more than a parliament, and in this specific case, it could not escape this dynamic. On this subject it was a rich, productive and even necessary parliament; but no more than that. For me, this was decisive in the final discernment.” A majority of bishops attending the October 2019 synod gathering voted in favour of ordaining married men as priests for remote parts of the Amazon rainforest, where communities are unable to celebrate the sacraments regularly. But sources inside the synod say the proposal was strongly resisted by senior prelates in the Roman Curia who succeeded in blocking any immediate change....(more)
Holy See offers observations on inquiry’s recommendations
Extract from CathNews, 4 September 2020
The royal commission proposed that the Bishops Conference engage with the Holy See on those recommendations because they relate to universal Church law or practice. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin confirmed that the recommendations, and the entire final report of the royal commission, were studied closely by several Vatican dicasteries. The Holy See reiterated its commitment to child protection, and its desire to “spare no effort … in collaborating with civil authorities to pursue every avenue to end the scourge of sexual abuse”. “The Pope has sought to promote reform and vigilance at all levels within the Church and to encourage the efforts of local Churches in the same direction,” the response said. “That commitment has led to the adoption, both by the Holy See and by Dioceses, Episcopal Conferences and Religious Institutes, of a wide range of measures, designed to ensure a proper response to such cases, including at the canonical level, as well as encouraging cooperation with civil authorities, both domestic and international.” Many of the royal commission’s recommendations have already been addressed by the Holy See, including some of the matters related to priestly formation and the appointment of bishops. Others, such as having local tribunals to manage disciplinary cases, are still under consideration because they are part of a broader revision of Church laws that will be applicable worldwide. Bishops Conference president Archbishop Mark Coleridge said the commitment to child safety that underpins the Holy See’s observations is one the Church in Australia shares......(more) Photo: CathNews 20200904
Extract from CathNews, 4 September 2020
The royal commission proposed that the Bishops Conference engage with the Holy See on those recommendations because they relate to universal Church law or practice. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin confirmed that the recommendations, and the entire final report of the royal commission, were studied closely by several Vatican dicasteries. The Holy See reiterated its commitment to child protection, and its desire to “spare no effort … in collaborating with civil authorities to pursue every avenue to end the scourge of sexual abuse”. “The Pope has sought to promote reform and vigilance at all levels within the Church and to encourage the efforts of local Churches in the same direction,” the response said. “That commitment has led to the adoption, both by the Holy See and by Dioceses, Episcopal Conferences and Religious Institutes, of a wide range of measures, designed to ensure a proper response to such cases, including at the canonical level, as well as encouraging cooperation with civil authorities, both domestic and international.” Many of the royal commission’s recommendations have already been addressed by the Holy See, including some of the matters related to priestly formation and the appointment of bishops. Others, such as having local tribunals to manage disciplinary cases, are still under consideration because they are part of a broader revision of Church laws that will be applicable worldwide. Bishops Conference president Archbishop Mark Coleridge said the commitment to child safety that underpins the Holy See’s observations is one the Church in Australia shares......(more) Photo: CathNews 20200904
Forget millennials. How will churches reach Generation Z?
Extract from CathNews NZ, 3 September 2020
For the last decade, church experts have been wrestling over the best ways to reach and retain “millennials,” which is a phrase the describes individuals born from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s. Data shows that many millennials leave the church during their college years, and some never return. The fastest-growing religious identifier among this generation is “spiritual but not religious.” But as millennials age, get married, and start families, they are no longer the only “young people” that churches must consider. A new cohort has risen: “Generation Z” or individuals born between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. Generation Z diverges from millennials in many ways and presents unique challenges and opportunities for churches who hope to capture their attention. For this reason, I decided to speak with Pastor James Emery White about his new book, “Meet Generation Z: Understanding and Reaching the New Post-Christian World.” Here we discuss what sets these young people apart from their elders and what he believes it means for modern ministry, evangelism, and apologetics. What do you mean when you say that the church is at the beginning of a ‘seventh age?’ White: During my studies at Oxford, I was introduced to the writings of a Catholic historian named Christopher Dawson. He had an intriguing thesis he introduced just after WWII that I have come to appreciate: that the history of the Christian church can be divided into segments of 300-400 years, and that each of these “ages” began — and then ended — in crisis. The nature of each crisis was the same: intense attack by new challenges, if not enemies, from within and from without the church. .......(More) Photo: CathNews NZ 20200903
Extract from CathNews NZ, 3 September 2020
For the last decade, church experts have been wrestling over the best ways to reach and retain “millennials,” which is a phrase the describes individuals born from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s. Data shows that many millennials leave the church during their college years, and some never return. The fastest-growing religious identifier among this generation is “spiritual but not religious.” But as millennials age, get married, and start families, they are no longer the only “young people” that churches must consider. A new cohort has risen: “Generation Z” or individuals born between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. Generation Z diverges from millennials in many ways and presents unique challenges and opportunities for churches who hope to capture their attention. For this reason, I decided to speak with Pastor James Emery White about his new book, “Meet Generation Z: Understanding and Reaching the New Post-Christian World.” Here we discuss what sets these young people apart from their elders and what he believes it means for modern ministry, evangelism, and apologetics. What do you mean when you say that the church is at the beginning of a ‘seventh age?’ White: During my studies at Oxford, I was introduced to the writings of a Catholic historian named Christopher Dawson. He had an intriguing thesis he introduced just after WWII that I have come to appreciate: that the history of the Christian church can be divided into segments of 300-400 years, and that each of these “ages” began — and then ended — in crisis. The nature of each crisis was the same: intense attack by new challenges, if not enemies, from within and from without the church. .......(More) Photo: CathNews NZ 20200903
Demolition work starts on Christchurch Catholic cathedral
Extract from CathNews NZ, 3 Sept 2020
Demolition of the earthquake-damaged Catholic cathedral in Christchurch has begun, but heritage campaigners still hope to save it. The $1.8 million demolition project is expected to take a year and started this week with three workers salvaging two stone angels from the front of the historic building. Catholic Bishop Paul Martin said he was sad to demolish the cathedral. He said in a statement on Tuesday the building was still unstable. “Even though much work has occurred over many years to remove badly damaged sections of the cathedral as part of the stabilisation process, the site remains very hazardous and dangerous.” Some artefacts will be preserved. Martin said the cathedral’s angels and some stone columns would be salvaged as part of the demolition.
“But any other salvage activities will be opportunistic in nature, and subject to being able to safely access areas of the building. This also includes the recovery of other items such as stained glass windows and plaques. Ornate stone elements may be retained for future projects where opportunities are identified. While it would be desirable to incorporate some of the recovered artefacts into the new cathedral, successfully merging two architectural styles from different eras into a modern building can be extremely difficult to achieve.”....(more). Photo 20200903 CathNews NZ
Extract from CathNews NZ, 3 Sept 2020
Demolition of the earthquake-damaged Catholic cathedral in Christchurch has begun, but heritage campaigners still hope to save it. The $1.8 million demolition project is expected to take a year and started this week with three workers salvaging two stone angels from the front of the historic building. Catholic Bishop Paul Martin said he was sad to demolish the cathedral. He said in a statement on Tuesday the building was still unstable. “Even though much work has occurred over many years to remove badly damaged sections of the cathedral as part of the stabilisation process, the site remains very hazardous and dangerous.” Some artefacts will be preserved. Martin said the cathedral’s angels and some stone columns would be salvaged as part of the demolition.
“But any other salvage activities will be opportunistic in nature, and subject to being able to safely access areas of the building. This also includes the recovery of other items such as stained glass windows and plaques. Ornate stone elements may be retained for future projects where opportunities are identified. While it would be desirable to incorporate some of the recovered artefacts into the new cathedral, successfully merging two architectural styles from different eras into a modern building can be extremely difficult to achieve.”....(more). Photo 20200903 CathNews NZ
Pope Francis: We need to get serious about climate change and unfair economic systems
Extract from Bruce Duncan, Pearls & Irritations, John Mendaue website, 2 September 2020
Here in Australia, we need to make a bigger contribution to the fight, given our abundant resources and expertise. Pope Francis has repeatedly challenged us to “make some noise” about the issues of climate change, poverty and extreme inequality. He summarised his concerns in his social encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home’, which he signed on Pentecost Sunday, March 24, 2015. This is not just any other document from the Pope. It is his signature document about how faith should be mobilising our hearts and energies to tackle these imminent threats to the wellbeing of hundreds of millions of people and even endangering the very life-support systems that sustain humankind and all God’s creatures. Francis is in no doubt about the “catastrophic” threats from climate change, and he reflects the overwhelming views of climate scientists. Laudato Si’ was launched in Rome on June 18, 2015, by one of the world’s most eminent climate scientists, Professor Schellnhuber, of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. In writing this document, Francis drew from his personal involvement tackling issues of poverty and injustice in Argentina. In it he showed he is listening intently to leading scientists and economists about what needs to be done to ensure a better life for all people. Hence he released Laudato Si’ to bolster international support for the UN Paris Climate Conference held in December 2015, and to encourage all nations to endorse the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Soon after he spoke to the UN General Assembly on September 25, 2015 in New York, 193 member states voted to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Keep the action going from Laudato Si’....(more)
Extract from Bruce Duncan, Pearls & Irritations, John Mendaue website, 2 September 2020
Here in Australia, we need to make a bigger contribution to the fight, given our abundant resources and expertise. Pope Francis has repeatedly challenged us to “make some noise” about the issues of climate change, poverty and extreme inequality. He summarised his concerns in his social encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home’, which he signed on Pentecost Sunday, March 24, 2015. This is not just any other document from the Pope. It is his signature document about how faith should be mobilising our hearts and energies to tackle these imminent threats to the wellbeing of hundreds of millions of people and even endangering the very life-support systems that sustain humankind and all God’s creatures. Francis is in no doubt about the “catastrophic” threats from climate change, and he reflects the overwhelming views of climate scientists. Laudato Si’ was launched in Rome on June 18, 2015, by one of the world’s most eminent climate scientists, Professor Schellnhuber, of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. In writing this document, Francis drew from his personal involvement tackling issues of poverty and injustice in Argentina. In it he showed he is listening intently to leading scientists and economists about what needs to be done to ensure a better life for all people. Hence he released Laudato Si’ to bolster international support for the UN Paris Climate Conference held in December 2015, and to encourage all nations to endorse the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Soon after he spoke to the UN General Assembly on September 25, 2015 in New York, 193 member states voted to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Keep the action going from Laudato Si’....(more)
Read something spiritually nourishing: Message from Archbishop Comensoli
Extract from Communications Office CAM Wednesday 2 September 2020
In his latest video message, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli welcomes the new season of spring as recognition of 'the hope that the Lord has for each one of us.' He also invites everyone to take up the chance to read something new: 'Make it something spiritually nourishing ... something that can bring the Gospel alive in your life.'....(HERE) Image: 20200902 CAM
Extract from Communications Office CAM Wednesday 2 September 2020
In his latest video message, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli welcomes the new season of spring as recognition of 'the hope that the Lord has for each one of us.' He also invites everyone to take up the chance to read something new: 'Make it something spiritually nourishing ... something that can bring the Gospel alive in your life.'....(HERE) Image: 20200902 CAM
Putting Children First: Child Protection Week 2020
Extract from Communications Office CAM Wednesday 2 September 2020
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Child Protection Week (6-12 September). The theme for 2020, 'Putting Children First', was chosen by the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) and underscores the need to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children in all aspects of our community and family life. The occasion is of great significance for the Catholic Church in Australia as it emphasises the need for a continuous commitment to effectively safeguard children, young people, and vulnerable adults. Partnered with the commitment to safeguard those most at risk, the Church also acknowledges the devastating harm caused by the sexual abuse of children by priests, religious and lay people within Catholic settings. ‘Although the Pandemic has changed the way we are all living and working, it doesn’t change what is most important,’ said Archbishop Peter A Comensoli. ‘For Christians, the Lord Jesus shows us that at all times, the most vulnerable among us are those requiring our greatest care. Our priority is to ensure the safety and the protection of children at all times. I am sad and angered that the Church has not always been a place that has put children first. We continue to address the horror of abuse, and I will continue to meet with survivors of abuse, hearing and trusting them, and helping our Church be continually converted.’ In the lead up to and during Child Protection Week, the Professional Standards Unit of the Archdiocese will be offering some resources to ensure all of our local parishes and ministries can become places that support children and young people, and their right to be safe and feel safe.....(more)
Extract from Communications Office CAM Wednesday 2 September 2020
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Child Protection Week (6-12 September). The theme for 2020, 'Putting Children First', was chosen by the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) and underscores the need to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children in all aspects of our community and family life. The occasion is of great significance for the Catholic Church in Australia as it emphasises the need for a continuous commitment to effectively safeguard children, young people, and vulnerable adults. Partnered with the commitment to safeguard those most at risk, the Church also acknowledges the devastating harm caused by the sexual abuse of children by priests, religious and lay people within Catholic settings. ‘Although the Pandemic has changed the way we are all living and working, it doesn’t change what is most important,’ said Archbishop Peter A Comensoli. ‘For Christians, the Lord Jesus shows us that at all times, the most vulnerable among us are those requiring our greatest care. Our priority is to ensure the safety and the protection of children at all times. I am sad and angered that the Church has not always been a place that has put children first. We continue to address the horror of abuse, and I will continue to meet with survivors of abuse, hearing and trusting them, and helping our Church be continually converted.’ In the lead up to and during Child Protection Week, the Professional Standards Unit of the Archdiocese will be offering some resources to ensure all of our local parishes and ministries can become places that support children and young people, and their right to be safe and feel safe.....(more)
New Plenary Council Timeline
From Plenary Post 27, Thursday 27 August 2020
With all the date changes that have taken place with the rescheduling of
the Plenary assemblies, a new timeline has been developed to help people
understand the next couple of years of the Council journey.......Timeline HERE
Mental health in Australia: Bishops release 2020-21 social justice statement
Extract from Mellbourne Catholic, Catholic Archdioceseof Melbourne, 27 August 2020
‘Our society tends to push away or draw away from those who confront us with our frailties and limitations. This is not the way of Jesus,’ writes Bishop Terry Brady, the Bishop Delegate for Social Justice on the release of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Social Justice Statement for 2020-21, To Live Life to the Full: Mental health in Australia. It was released ahead of Social Justice Sunday, celebrated on 30 August. Given the challenges our country and world are facing due to COVID-19, the issue of mental health is very much front and centre for many people. ‘The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting many members of our parishes, schools and communities,’ Bishop Brady says. ‘Understanding mental health will help us to be aware of those who most need our support.’
Read full Statement HERE
German bishops say talks with Rome on parish document must include laity
Extract from Crux, Catholic News Service, 25 August 2020
Germany — The German bishops plan to seek talks with the Vatican about its instruction on parish reforms in the Catholic Church. The German Catholic news agency KNA reported the bishops said they want lay Catholics to be involved in the discussion. The bishops’ conference made the announcement after a meeting of its 27-member Permanent Council. The announcement said the president of the bishops’ conference, Bishop Georg Batzing, would accept an offer for talks recently conveyed by Cardinal Beniamino Stella, head of the Vatican Congregation for Clergy. Batzing will suggest to the congregation that the discussion be held with the leaders of the synodal path reform project because the Vatican instruction addressed bishops, priests, deacons and laypeople alike, the bishops said. The synodal path is an effort by the bishops’ conference and Central Committee of German Catholics to restore trust following a September 2018 church-commissioned report that detailed thousands of cases of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy over six decades....(more)
Extract from Crux, Catholic News Service, 25 August 2020
Germany — The German bishops plan to seek talks with the Vatican about its instruction on parish reforms in the Catholic Church. The German Catholic news agency KNA reported the bishops said they want lay Catholics to be involved in the discussion. The bishops’ conference made the announcement after a meeting of its 27-member Permanent Council. The announcement said the president of the bishops’ conference, Bishop Georg Batzing, would accept an offer for talks recently conveyed by Cardinal Beniamino Stella, head of the Vatican Congregation for Clergy. Batzing will suggest to the congregation that the discussion be held with the leaders of the synodal path reform project because the Vatican instruction addressed bishops, priests, deacons and laypeople alike, the bishops said. The synodal path is an effort by the bishops’ conference and Central Committee of German Catholics to restore trust following a September 2018 church-commissioned report that detailed thousands of cases of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy over six decades....(more)
Australia appoints new ambassador to the Holy See
Extract from CathNews, ACBC Media Blog, 25 August 2020
Australia’s bishops have welcomed the appointment of Chiara Porro as the new residential ambassador to the Holy See. Ms Porro has worked within the Department of Foreign Affairs for most of the past dozen years, including in overseas postings in India and New Caledonia. She has also served in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Ms Porro becomes the fourth Rome-based Australian ambassador to the Holy See, following former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer, prominent Sydney barrister John McCarthy QC and career diplomat Melissa Hitchman. “The Government’s decision to appoint another residential ambassador is welcome and will help consolidate the Australian presence in the offices of the Holy See and in Rome more generally,” said Archbishop Mark Coleridge, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. “Ambassador Porro will bring to the role substantial experience as a career diplomat and also an intimate knowledge of Italian culture and language, which will serve her well. “The Australian bishops look forward to meeting the new ambassador and working closely with her on matters of mutual concern.” Ms Porro, in a message on the website of the Australian Embassy to the Holy See, noted several milestones that will take place during her time in Rome. “During my mandate, we will be celebrating 50 years of Australia-Holy See diplomatic relations – an important milestone, built on the very strong and robust people to people links we share,” she wrote. “This year we will also celebrate the 10th anniversary of the canonisation of Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first canonised saint and a remarkable woman who encapsulates the true spirit of Australia.” Ms Porro will present her credentials to Pope Francis on Thursday....(more) Photo: Chiara Porro (LinkedIn)
Extract from CathNews, ACBC Media Blog, 25 August 2020
Australia’s bishops have welcomed the appointment of Chiara Porro as the new residential ambassador to the Holy See. Ms Porro has worked within the Department of Foreign Affairs for most of the past dozen years, including in overseas postings in India and New Caledonia. She has also served in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Ms Porro becomes the fourth Rome-based Australian ambassador to the Holy See, following former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer, prominent Sydney barrister John McCarthy QC and career diplomat Melissa Hitchman. “The Government’s decision to appoint another residential ambassador is welcome and will help consolidate the Australian presence in the offices of the Holy See and in Rome more generally,” said Archbishop Mark Coleridge, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. “Ambassador Porro will bring to the role substantial experience as a career diplomat and also an intimate knowledge of Italian culture and language, which will serve her well. “The Australian bishops look forward to meeting the new ambassador and working closely with her on matters of mutual concern.” Ms Porro, in a message on the website of the Australian Embassy to the Holy See, noted several milestones that will take place during her time in Rome. “During my mandate, we will be celebrating 50 years of Australia-Holy See diplomatic relations – an important milestone, built on the very strong and robust people to people links we share,” she wrote. “This year we will also celebrate the 10th anniversary of the canonisation of Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first canonised saint and a remarkable woman who encapsulates the true spirit of Australia.” Ms Porro will present her credentials to Pope Francis on Thursday....(more) Photo: Chiara Porro (LinkedIn)
Looking to future governance of our Church
Extract from Frank Brennan, Jesuit priest and human rights lawyer, on the webinar,
Subscription journal, La Croix International, 24 August 2020
During
the week, I participated in a Webinar entitled 'The Light from The
Southern Cross: Promoting Co-Responsible Governance in the Catholic
Church in Australia'. Zoom conferences and webinars are now a common
place for those of us enduring pandemic lockdowns. This Webinar was run out of the offices of a large law firm in Sydney. The
proceedings were chaired by the distinguished Australian broadcaster,
Geraldine Doogue. More than 150 committed Catholics tuned in. There was
quite a buzz to the proceedings. And most of the time, the technology
worked well. Geraldine introduced the keynote presenter, Francois Kunc, who is a judge of the New South Wales Supreme Court. He
had the unenviable task of providing a 15-minute overview of the
208-page report containing 86 recommendations for improved governance of
the Catholic Church in Australia. I was one of nine
responders. The
other responders included three of the key authors who were part of the
seven-member Governance Review Project Team commissioned to provide
this report to the Church's Implementation Advisory Group which had been
set up by our bishops after the royal commission. Another responder was one of the theological advisers to the review team. The discussion
was lively, informed, and respectful. Men and women were at the table
in equal numbers. Appropriately, the laity heavily outnumbered the
clergy. But something wasn't quite right. There
was no bishop on the panel. We were told that invitations had been
extended, but to no avail. Like most things in the Church, there's
probably a back story. But I
was left thinking that a discussion about co-responsible governance in
the Catholic Church could well do with a couple of bishops at the
table. Most
of us who spoke would have been in our 60s. When looking to future
governance of our church, it's probably best to start as we'd want to
finish. If co-responsibility is to work, bishops and young people will
need to be at the table......(more) Pope Francis has questions: Most popes have answers
Extract from Bishop Peter Cullinane, Bishop Emeritus, Diocese of Palmerston North, CathNews NZ, 24 August 2020
.........Some of Pope Francis’ critics like to contrast him with Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. But they conveniently overlook that Pope Francis is building on what Pope St John Paul II had already taught. It was John Paul who said “the Church’s teaching authority is at the service of conscience”; in other words, it upholds the sovereignty of conscience, it doesn’t render conscience superfluous. It was also Pope John Paul II who taught what he called “the law of gradualness”; this means recognizing that people’s ability to fully comply with the moral law develops gradually; for some faster, for some more slowly. This is why Pope Francis often speaks of taking people where they “are at” – not starting from where they should be, but from where they are – and accompanying them on the journey to where they should be. And while on the journey, they are not sinning if they doing the best they can for now, and praying for better. So when Pope Francis asks whether Eucharist is for people not yet fully complying with the moral law – who would if they could – he is not questioning the Church’s teaching, but simply taking account of gradualness in their ability to comply fully, and asking whether Eucharist is only for those who already comply fully, or also for those who are trying to get there. It is rather Pope Francis’ critics who question, and even reject, Church teachings – especially people who are protecting their own business or ideological interests. Some of them even say: ‘the Church’s job is to save souls; people’s social and economic lives are none of the Church’s business’. Here too, Pope Francis’ teaching is in line with the teaching of his predecessors. His critics are also very selective in what they accept from the social encyclicals of Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Perhaps it is the gospel itself that they need to look at more closely. When it comes to the tone of their criticisms, sadly, the bitterness, divisiveness, deceptiveness and scapegoating are all tell-tale signs that their agenda are not from the Holy Spirit. There is another spirit at work. The same gospel we heard says the gates of the underworld will not prevail. But they will try! Take this as a sure guide: wherever evil is at work, sooner or later it over-reaches, can’t hide its ugly face, and discredits itself. That’s why Pope Francis doesn’t always bother to respond to his critics. But he prays for them. Many are good people, sometimes troubled people, but people in need of compassion. ...(more)
Extract from Bishop Peter Cullinane, Bishop Emeritus, Diocese of Palmerston North, CathNews NZ, 24 August 2020
.........Some of Pope Francis’ critics like to contrast him with Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. But they conveniently overlook that Pope Francis is building on what Pope St John Paul II had already taught. It was John Paul who said “the Church’s teaching authority is at the service of conscience”; in other words, it upholds the sovereignty of conscience, it doesn’t render conscience superfluous. It was also Pope John Paul II who taught what he called “the law of gradualness”; this means recognizing that people’s ability to fully comply with the moral law develops gradually; for some faster, for some more slowly. This is why Pope Francis often speaks of taking people where they “are at” – not starting from where they should be, but from where they are – and accompanying them on the journey to where they should be. And while on the journey, they are not sinning if they doing the best they can for now, and praying for better. So when Pope Francis asks whether Eucharist is for people not yet fully complying with the moral law – who would if they could – he is not questioning the Church’s teaching, but simply taking account of gradualness in their ability to comply fully, and asking whether Eucharist is only for those who already comply fully, or also for those who are trying to get there. It is rather Pope Francis’ critics who question, and even reject, Church teachings – especially people who are protecting their own business or ideological interests. Some of them even say: ‘the Church’s job is to save souls; people’s social and economic lives are none of the Church’s business’. Here too, Pope Francis’ teaching is in line with the teaching of his predecessors. His critics are also very selective in what they accept from the social encyclicals of Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Perhaps it is the gospel itself that they need to look at more closely. When it comes to the tone of their criticisms, sadly, the bitterness, divisiveness, deceptiveness and scapegoating are all tell-tale signs that their agenda are not from the Holy Spirit. There is another spirit at work. The same gospel we heard says the gates of the underworld will not prevail. But they will try! Take this as a sure guide: wherever evil is at work, sooner or later it over-reaches, can’t hide its ugly face, and discredits itself. That’s why Pope Francis doesn’t always bother to respond to his critics. But he prays for them. Many are good people, sometimes troubled people, but people in need of compassion. ...(more)
They're nice to have, but we don't need churches
The coronavirus pandemic has forced limits upon Christians' ability to gather in churches to pray and celebrate liturgy
Extract from Fr William Grimm, CathNews NZ, UCA News, 24 August 2020
Just as Christians in the 21st century are heirs of the apostles and martyrs of the early Church, Christians in Japan are heirs of the martyrs and hidden Christians of that country from the early 17th century to the late 19th century. That is true whether we modern believers are Japanese or not, Catholic Christians or not. The Church within which we live and worship endured persecution so recent that I know a woman whose grandfather died a martyr. The rest of her family — parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews — was wiped out on Aug. 9, 1945, when the atomic bomb exploded over the Catholic neighbourhood of Nagasaki. She was the only member of the family out of town that day. During the centuries of persecution, Christians in Japan had no church buildings, no clergy, no religious, no Masses, no religious institutions, no diocesan structures, and no contact with the rest of the Church in the country or outside. What they did have was each other and a commitment to maintain as well as they could the faith that was passed on to them and to pass it on to the next generations even at the risk of their lives. They were poor, oppressed and lived in perpetual danger, but they prayed and shared their ability to help one another in need. In many ways, it was the Golden Age of Christianity in Japan. Those Japanese Christians knew that church is not someplace to go, but something to be, something to do. The coronavirus pandemic is an opportunity to learn or relearn that today....... But God is still with us whether we are in a cross-decorated building or not. The real issue is, are we with God?......(more)
Image: Twenty Six Martyrs of Japan crucified 1597 in Nagasaki UCA News 20200824
The coronavirus pandemic has forced limits upon Christians' ability to gather in churches to pray and celebrate liturgy
Extract from Fr William Grimm, CathNews NZ, UCA News, 24 August 2020
Just as Christians in the 21st century are heirs of the apostles and martyrs of the early Church, Christians in Japan are heirs of the martyrs and hidden Christians of that country from the early 17th century to the late 19th century. That is true whether we modern believers are Japanese or not, Catholic Christians or not. The Church within which we live and worship endured persecution so recent that I know a woman whose grandfather died a martyr. The rest of her family — parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews — was wiped out on Aug. 9, 1945, when the atomic bomb exploded over the Catholic neighbourhood of Nagasaki. She was the only member of the family out of town that day. During the centuries of persecution, Christians in Japan had no church buildings, no clergy, no religious, no Masses, no religious institutions, no diocesan structures, and no contact with the rest of the Church in the country or outside. What they did have was each other and a commitment to maintain as well as they could the faith that was passed on to them and to pass it on to the next generations even at the risk of their lives. They were poor, oppressed and lived in perpetual danger, but they prayed and shared their ability to help one another in need. In many ways, it was the Golden Age of Christianity in Japan. Those Japanese Christians knew that church is not someplace to go, but something to be, something to do. The coronavirus pandemic is an opportunity to learn or relearn that today....... But God is still with us whether we are in a cross-decorated building or not. The real issue is, are we with God?......(more)
Image: Twenty Six Martyrs of Japan crucified 1597 in Nagasaki UCA News 20200824
Church Governance
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Media Release, Saturday 22 August 2020
One of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was that the Catholic Church in Australia conduct a review of diocesan and parish governance and management. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and Catholic Religious Australia accepted that recommendation and the Implementation Advisory Group was tasked with conducting and presenting that review.
The Implementation Advisory Group established the Governance Review Project Team to lead the review. The GRPT presented a version of the report to the Bishops Conference and Catholic Religious Australia in May 2020. That version, which was not the final version, was leaked and published.
That version was subsequently amended, making a number of corrections and clarifications. The final version of the report, entitled The Light from the Southern Cross: Promoting Co-Responsible Governance in the Catholic Church in Australia, was presented to the Bishops Conference and Catholic Religious Australia in mid-August 2020. The report was published online on August 21, 2020, along with an accompanying Reading Guide.
Click here to access a Reading Guide, which people are encouraged to read before the report.
Click here to access The Light from the Southern Cross.
ACT ‘shows the way’ on child detention
Extract from CathNews, Jesuit Social Services, 21 August 2020
Jesuit Social Services says the ACT has paved the way for other jurisdictions to provide age-appropriate responses to children in trouble, with the Legislative Assembly voting yesterday to raise the age of legal responsibility from 10 to 14. It is the first state or territory to commit to changing its laws to ensure primary school-aged children are not incarcerated, after the Council of Attorneys-General decided last month to defer recommendations about the issue. Jesuit Social Services chief executive Julie Edwards said the decision will improve outcomes for children, their families and the broader community. “By locking up children as young as 10, Australian states and territories have long been out of touch with international standards and acted against recommendations by the United Nations,” Ms Edwards said. “This is despite a wealth of evidence from Australia and abroad showing that children under 14 years do not possess the neurological maturity to form criminal intent. “We also know that many children who have contact with the justice system are victims of trauma, abuse and mental illness. Instead of incarcerating them, we need to be supporting them in the community, connecting them with family and school, and helping them get their lives back on track.” Ms Edwards said the ACT’s decision must be the impetus for other states and territories to take similar action. “Primary school-aged children belong in the classroom, not in prison. Other states and territories must look at the leadership shown by the ACT today and commit to helping, not harming, vulnerable children,” she said......(more) Photo: age of criminal responsibility Bigstock CathNews 20200821
Extract from CathNews, Jesuit Social Services, 21 August 2020
Jesuit Social Services says the ACT has paved the way for other jurisdictions to provide age-appropriate responses to children in trouble, with the Legislative Assembly voting yesterday to raise the age of legal responsibility from 10 to 14. It is the first state or territory to commit to changing its laws to ensure primary school-aged children are not incarcerated, after the Council of Attorneys-General decided last month to defer recommendations about the issue. Jesuit Social Services chief executive Julie Edwards said the decision will improve outcomes for children, their families and the broader community. “By locking up children as young as 10, Australian states and territories have long been out of touch with international standards and acted against recommendations by the United Nations,” Ms Edwards said. “This is despite a wealth of evidence from Australia and abroad showing that children under 14 years do not possess the neurological maturity to form criminal intent. “We also know that many children who have contact with the justice system are victims of trauma, abuse and mental illness. Instead of incarcerating them, we need to be supporting them in the community, connecting them with family and school, and helping them get their lives back on track.” Ms Edwards said the ACT’s decision must be the impetus for other states and territories to take similar action. “Primary school-aged children belong in the classroom, not in prison. Other states and territories must look at the leadership shown by the ACT today and commit to helping, not harming, vulnerable children,” she said......(more) Photo: age of criminal responsibility Bigstock CathNews 20200821
Scripture and papal leadership inspire retreat for creation
Extract from Media Blog, ACBC, 21 August 2020
Catholics in Australia are being encouraged to participate in a first-of-its-kind week-long retreat in preparation for the ecumenical celebration of the World Day of Prayer for Creation on September 1. The “7 Days of Creation Reflection-Retreat” has been prepared by Columban priest Fr Charles Rue, whose ministry has for many years had a focus on the Catholic understanding of care for the environment. Fr Rue said the retreat is inspired by the leadership of recent popes, who have proclaimed the message of caring for God’s creation. “Pope John Paul II in 1990 named environmental care as integral to Catholic faith and named St Francis of Assisi as the patron of ecological conversion,” he noted. “Pope Benedict XVI reinforced this Catholic vocation. Pope Francis in Laudato Si’ detailed the call to See, Judge, Act on care for our common home. Hear the twin cry of the poor and the cry of the earth. “For the Church in Australia, the establishment of Catholic Earthcare back in 2003 was an important initiative and one that has helped foster a broader understanding of this issue across the country.” Fr Rue said the retreat was designed to lead people up to the World Day of Prayer for Creation, so they are encouraged to start it on Tuesday, August 25. However, it could be prayed at any time during the September “Season of Creation”, which runs from September 1 until St Francis’ feast day on October 4.....(more)
Extract from Media Blog, ACBC, 21 August 2020
Catholics in Australia are being encouraged to participate in a first-of-its-kind week-long retreat in preparation for the ecumenical celebration of the World Day of Prayer for Creation on September 1. The “7 Days of Creation Reflection-Retreat” has been prepared by Columban priest Fr Charles Rue, whose ministry has for many years had a focus on the Catholic understanding of care for the environment. Fr Rue said the retreat is inspired by the leadership of recent popes, who have proclaimed the message of caring for God’s creation. “Pope John Paul II in 1990 named environmental care as integral to Catholic faith and named St Francis of Assisi as the patron of ecological conversion,” he noted. “Pope Benedict XVI reinforced this Catholic vocation. Pope Francis in Laudato Si’ detailed the call to See, Judge, Act on care for our common home. Hear the twin cry of the poor and the cry of the earth. “For the Church in Australia, the establishment of Catholic Earthcare back in 2003 was an important initiative and one that has helped foster a broader understanding of this issue across the country.” Fr Rue said the retreat was designed to lead people up to the World Day of Prayer for Creation, so they are encouraged to start it on Tuesday, August 25. However, it could be prayed at any time during the September “Season of Creation”, which runs from September 1 until St Francis’ feast day on October 4.....(more)
Pope Francis has promised to pray for a nun and the transgender women the nun is helping.
Extract from CathNews NZ, 20 August 2020
Discalced Carmelite nun Mónica Astorga Cremona wrote to Pope Francis telling him about the inauguration of a new housing complex she has established to help transgender women living in poverty. The new 12-studio apartment complex in Neuquén, Argentina, is part of a permanent housing solution for about twelve people between the ages of 40-70. The pope, who is an old friend of Cremona, replied to her letter saying “God who did not go to the seminary or study theology will repay you abundantly” for the work you have done. He told her he is praying for her and the transgender women she is assisting, adding, “Don’t forget to pray for me. May Jesus bless you and the Holy Virgin guide you.”....(more) CathNews NZ 20200820
Extract from CathNews NZ, 20 August 2020
Discalced Carmelite nun Mónica Astorga Cremona wrote to Pope Francis telling him about the inauguration of a new housing complex she has established to help transgender women living in poverty. The new 12-studio apartment complex in Neuquén, Argentina, is part of a permanent housing solution for about twelve people between the ages of 40-70. The pope, who is an old friend of Cremona, replied to her letter saying “God who did not go to the seminary or study theology will repay you abundantly” for the work you have done. He told her he is praying for her and the transgender women she is assisting, adding, “Don’t forget to pray for me. May Jesus bless you and the Holy Virgin guide you.”....(more) CathNews NZ 20200820
The Polding House Push and The Catholic Weekly Bugle.
Extract from David Timbs, Pearls & Irritations, John Menadue website, 20 August 2020
Over the past year in particular, Australian Catholics have become convinced that their bishops, with some exceptions, are playing games with them in the lead up to the national Plenary Council which is now scheduled to start in October 2021. Some believe, not unreasonably, that important stages in the process have been closely micro managed and that the outcomes of the Plenary may have been determined already. Australian Catholics have also expressed concern that their measured, but serious and theologically sound calls for systemic reform and renewal in the Church have been dumbed down, trivialized and even ignored. As time passes, they are becoming convinced that their bishops have not really listened to them, that they are being given the run around, and that they are not being taken seriously. So far, few bishops have spoken publicly, clearly, and in detail about what kind of substantive reform and renewal they want the Plenary Council to achieve. One obvious reason is because they are hopelessly divided. They show no united leadership, and little by way of common vision, except to maintain ‘business as usual’. Collectively, Australia’s bishops, like the institution they have been appointed to lead, are drifting, with little real sense of mission. You could even say they have lost their way. Furthermore, according to the Bishops Conference president Mark Coleridge, their credibility has been ‘shot to pieces’....(more)
Extract from David Timbs, Pearls & Irritations, John Menadue website, 20 August 2020
Over the past year in particular, Australian Catholics have become convinced that their bishops, with some exceptions, are playing games with them in the lead up to the national Plenary Council which is now scheduled to start in October 2021. Some believe, not unreasonably, that important stages in the process have been closely micro managed and that the outcomes of the Plenary may have been determined already. Australian Catholics have also expressed concern that their measured, but serious and theologically sound calls for systemic reform and renewal in the Church have been dumbed down, trivialized and even ignored. As time passes, they are becoming convinced that their bishops have not really listened to them, that they are being given the run around, and that they are not being taken seriously. So far, few bishops have spoken publicly, clearly, and in detail about what kind of substantive reform and renewal they want the Plenary Council to achieve. One obvious reason is because they are hopelessly divided. They show no united leadership, and little by way of common vision, except to maintain ‘business as usual’. Collectively, Australia’s bishops, like the institution they have been appointed to lead, are drifting, with little real sense of mission. You could even say they have lost their way. Furthermore, according to the Bishops Conference president Mark Coleridge, their credibility has been ‘shot to pieces’....(more)
Ireland, More new bishops than priests to be ordained this year amid vocations crisis
Extract from Sarah McDonald, Independent, Ireland, 18 August 2020
Statement of the Pastors’ Initiative Austria on the “Instruction on the Pastoral Conversion of Parishes at the Service of missionary mission of the Church”. Association of Catholic Priests, Ireland, 13 August 2020 The Instruction offers only a rudimentary analysis of the changed social and church situation, in order then to demand canonical regulations, which already at the time of their adoption 40 years ago were no longer up to date and in part have lagged behind Vatican II. With missionary zeal it is underlined that parish councils only have an advisory function, that all unordained persons are forbidden to preach during the celebration of Mass and a collegial leadership of priests and laypersons is forbidden. If we were to lead our parishes with this exhorted monarchical clericalism we would be losing those Christians who are jointly responsible and who are the salt and the light of a parish that is turned towards the people. The Instruction conjures up a situation in which bishops and priests, out of pastoral need, are driven to “insubordination”. So the letter is based on not taking the situation seriously and dividing the bishops, priests and parishes. The great illusion of the Instruction is to think that the Church can speak of a missionary approach today, without, as church leadership themselves accepting the fundamental values of modern society and of the Gospel, such as participation and the equal dignity of every person to realise themselves. (cf. Letter to the Galatians 3:26: For all of you through faith are sons and daughters of God in Christ Jesus). We also see that through the exaltation of the priesthood that God, Jesus Christ and the work of the Spirit are pushed out of the centre of church life......(more)
Extract from Sarah McDonald, Independent, Ireland, 18 August 2020
Statement of the Pastors’ Initiative Austria on the “Instruction on the Pastoral Conversion of Parishes at the Service of missionary mission of the Church”. Association of Catholic Priests, Ireland, 13 August 2020 The Instruction offers only a rudimentary analysis of the changed social and church situation, in order then to demand canonical regulations, which already at the time of their adoption 40 years ago were no longer up to date and in part have lagged behind Vatican II. With missionary zeal it is underlined that parish councils only have an advisory function, that all unordained persons are forbidden to preach during the celebration of Mass and a collegial leadership of priests and laypersons is forbidden. If we were to lead our parishes with this exhorted monarchical clericalism we would be losing those Christians who are jointly responsible and who are the salt and the light of a parish that is turned towards the people. The Instruction conjures up a situation in which bishops and priests, out of pastoral need, are driven to “insubordination”. So the letter is based on not taking the situation seriously and dividing the bishops, priests and parishes. The great illusion of the Instruction is to think that the Church can speak of a missionary approach today, without, as church leadership themselves accepting the fundamental values of modern society and of the Gospel, such as participation and the equal dignity of every person to realise themselves. (cf. Letter to the Galatians 3:26: For all of you through faith are sons and daughters of God in Christ Jesus). We also see that through the exaltation of the priesthood that God, Jesus Christ and the work of the Spirit are pushed out of the centre of church life......(more)
New Zealand women support Anne Soupa's petition to become Archbishop of Lyon
Their mission is to promote the inclusion of women in leadership of the Catholic Church
Extract from La Croix International staff (with CathNews New Zealand) New Zealand. 14 August 2020
Several New Zealand women have signed a 17,000+ person petition joining Anne Soupa's campaign to become the next Archbishop of Lyon. Calling themselves 'Be the Change', the group of men and women say their mission is to promote the inclusion of women in leadership of the Catholic Church. "As a sign of our support for Soupa, we are delighted to put our names to a global petition supporting Soupa's campaign," Jo Ayers of 'Be the Change' told CathNews. As well as signing the petition, the group also wrote to Soupa. "We are delighted to learn that you have applied for the position of Archbishop of Lyon. We think you would be an Archbishop with a fresh approach," 'Be the Change' wrote. "If canon law does not allow a woman Archbishop, we support changes to canon law." "We feel you have the knowledge and experience to become Archbishop of Lyon," they wrote. 'Be the Change' was delighted to receive a prompt response from Soupa. "I have not embarked on this enterprise in a spirit of provocation, but to offer my hand to a Church which is imprisoned in a false sense of loyalty to the past. "I wish candidates would stand all over the place, to show that women are there, ready and able, with a faith in their hearts that would move mountains," wrote Soupa. The 73-year-old journalist and biblical scholar, one of France's best known activists for a greater role for women in the Catholic Church, sent a letter to the papal nuncio in Paris on May 25 stating her desire to head the ancient diocese. She included a detailed cover letter and her curriculum vitae......(more) Photo: Anne Soupa Corinne Simon CIRIC La Croix Int 20200814
Their mission is to promote the inclusion of women in leadership of the Catholic Church
Extract from La Croix International staff (with CathNews New Zealand) New Zealand. 14 August 2020
Several New Zealand women have signed a 17,000+ person petition joining Anne Soupa's campaign to become the next Archbishop of Lyon. Calling themselves 'Be the Change', the group of men and women say their mission is to promote the inclusion of women in leadership of the Catholic Church. "As a sign of our support for Soupa, we are delighted to put our names to a global petition supporting Soupa's campaign," Jo Ayers of 'Be the Change' told CathNews. As well as signing the petition, the group also wrote to Soupa. "We are delighted to learn that you have applied for the position of Archbishop of Lyon. We think you would be an Archbishop with a fresh approach," 'Be the Change' wrote. "If canon law does not allow a woman Archbishop, we support changes to canon law." "We feel you have the knowledge and experience to become Archbishop of Lyon," they wrote. 'Be the Change' was delighted to receive a prompt response from Soupa. "I have not embarked on this enterprise in a spirit of provocation, but to offer my hand to a Church which is imprisoned in a false sense of loyalty to the past. "I wish candidates would stand all over the place, to show that women are there, ready and able, with a faith in their hearts that would move mountains," wrote Soupa. The 73-year-old journalist and biblical scholar, one of France's best known activists for a greater role for women in the Catholic Church, sent a letter to the papal nuncio in Paris on May 25 stating her desire to head the ancient diocese. She included a detailed cover letter and her curriculum vitae......(more) Photo: Anne Soupa Corinne Simon CIRIC La Croix Int 20200814