Religion and Faith
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Patty Fawkner. Leading by flipping the omelette.
Pope Francis’ leadership differs markedly from that of his predecessors. He models two clear principles that our political leaders and, in fact all of us who lead in some capacity, would do well to emulate, writes Good Samaritan Sister Patty Fawkner*. “We’ve got to flip the omelette”, Pope Francis told a group of religious leaders Continue reading »
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Peter Day. He is Alive: the Spiritual ‘Big Bang’
I love science. It takes us to different places: places of pure logic, of non-emotion, of rational intelligence, of majesty and beauty – sometimes even to places beyond our wildest imaginations. Just think: 13.78 billion years ago our universe is thought to have begun as an infinitesimally small, infinitely hot, infinitely dense, something. After its Continue reading »
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Caroline Coggins. Holy Week: what is our invitation this year?
At the start of holy week we read of a woman who, uninvited, breaks into a gathering of men at table, drops to her knees to pour the most extravagant oil onto the feet of the man she loves, wiping the oil in with her hair! There is no shame or apology, even though those Continue reading »
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Peter Day. Mum and Dad, or Mum and Mum, or Dad and Dad?
Human sexuality is a complex and fragile thing – far greyer than black or white. It is best tended to by gentle, wise, and humble hands. Alas, there hasn’t been much gentleness or wisdom surrounding the same sex marriage debate, let alone same sex attraction in general. Witness the recent furore over an alleged homophobic Continue reading »
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Eric Hodgens. Can Pope Francis Turn the Church around?
The question needs to be asked because the Catholic Church is in trouble. Firstly, it has a . credibility problem. Affiliation has been dropping since the 60s. Sunday Mass attendance, the first indicator of affiliation, backs this up. The Church’s compelling message of Jesus as the icon of life defeating death is not getting through. Continue reading »
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Julia Davison. It takes a nation to raise a child.
The week after Australia Day each year, around 260,000 five-year old Australians start school. Of those, almost 60,000 children – 23 per cent – will start school developmentally vulnerable in some way. Children who start school behind often stay behind, and are likely to finish school with skills and competencies that have not equipped them Continue reading »
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Brian Johnstone. The execution of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
The deaths of these two men now appear to be inevitable. The key argument of President Joko Widodo is that this lethal means (death by firing squad) is justified for the purpose of saving his people from the addiction and death caused by drugs. The Indonesian government claims that, in that country, approximately 50 victims Continue reading »
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Peter Day. Life is sacred, but ….
The “other” is no longer a brother or sister to be loved, but simply someone who disturbs my life and my comfort … In this globalized world, we have fallen into globalized indifference. We have become used to the suffering of others: it doesn’t affect me; it doesn’t concern me; it’s none of my business! Continue reading »
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Peter Day. The Lucky Country
Beneath our radiant Southern Cross, We’ll toil with hearts and hands To make this Commonwealth of ours Renowned of all the lands. For those who’ve come across the seas, We’ve boundless plains to share. With courage let us all combine To advance Australia fair. (Our National Anthem, Verse 2) The nature of politics these Continue reading »
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Mercy, judgement, confession and reconciliation.
In the Australian Parliament debate concerning possible executions in Bali, Shadow Foreign Minister, Tanya Plibersek, spoke about the second chance that her husband had received. Her husband, Michael Coutts-Trotter, is now a senior NSW public servant. He had been a drug dealer in the early 1980s. Tany Plibersek commented ‘I imagine what would have happened Continue reading »
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David M Neuhaus SJ. The Future of Christians in the Middle East. Part 2.
Christian institutions and discourse In the Exhortation of Pope Benedict XVI, ‘The Church in the Middle East,’ the Pope pointed to the preeminent role of the Christian institutions in the mission of the Christians in the Middle East. “For many years, the Catholic Church in the Middle East has carried out her mission through a Continue reading »
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Frank Brennan SJ. The Promoted Pell and the Sacked Morris: Two Catholic Bishops emerging from the Royal Commission
This week the royal commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has published three reports relating to the Catholic Church. Understandably the media has focused on the appropriately damning findings made by the royal commission against Cardinal Pell in his ruthless conduct of the Ellis case. Having found that the Archdiocese of Sydney fundamentally Continue reading »
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David Neuhaus SJ. The future of Christians in the Middle East. Part 1.
Christians in the Middle East must be a voice for justice, peace, pardon, reconciliation and selfless love. The fear that dominates the experience of many Christian communities can only be overcome by understanding, dialogue and faith, all of which are necessary to maintain the Christian presence in the Middle East. In one of his pastoral Continue reading »
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Rosemary Breen- Living water in Myanmar
I listened to Rosemary Breen from Inverell speak at my local church about the work she is doing in Myanmar to help poor villagers get access to clean water. She was inspiring and challenging. We all know that polluted water is a cause of dysentery, diarrhoea, infant mortality and early deaths across all age groups. Continue reading »
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Brian Johnstone. The Right to Freedom of Speech
During his flights to Sri Lanka and the Philippines, Pope Francis spoke of the massacre of the staff of a French magazine Charlie Hebdo and others at a kosher supermarket, which killed 17 persons. The attack was in reprisal for satirical depictions of the prophet Muhammad. “One cannot make war [or] kill in the name Continue reading »
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Clive Kessler. A rage against history.
The Ottawa parliament, Café Lindt, Charlie Hebdo and so many others too: these are all separate incidents. But they are all part of the same global phenomenon. They are all expressions of a rage against history that lurks within modern Islam and animates Muslim militants worldwide today. It is a rage that has its source Continue reading »
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Brian Johnstone. The right to freedom of speech.
The recent murders perpetrated in France have been rightly condemned by all people who take seriously morality and human rights. However, the accompanying discussion of the right to freedom of speech has reflected different points of view. For some the right to freedom of speech means the claim to be free to say whatever Continue reading »
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Chris Clohessy. Bad reading leads to destructive religion.
The recent terror attacks in France have highlighted a number of issues, all needing further discussion. One is the reality that it took an attack on European soil to provoke such a reaction – 1.6 million people marching in Paris, led by forty or more world leaders. But militant groups, under Islamic guise, have been slaughtering people for Continue reading »
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David Timbs. The Synod of Bishops.
Catholic lay people face a very difficult task in attempting to influence the members of the 2015 Ordinary Synod of Bishops. Firstly, they will have a challenge in finding bishops to listen to them. Secondly, they will have a challenge in finding bishops ready to accept the risks associated with taking the Sensus Fidei Fidelium Continue reading »
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Allan Patience. Liberty or Narcissism?
On the Need for a Wider Debate about Charlie Hebdo No one can justify the recent brutal murders of the French journalists and police in Paris. However, the belief that this act constitutes an attack on free speech and freedom of the press is in grave danger of being over-stated. What is missing in Continue reading »
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Brian Johnstone. Terrorism and torture – the Catholic tradition.
In Australia today, we accept that a person who has expressed ideas that justify terrorism may be restrained from acting out those ideas. But we would not justify torturing a person suspected of harbouring such notions to force him to reveal them or to reject such ideas. However, surveys in the Western world find that Continue reading »
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John Tulloh. The flight of Christians from the Middle East.
If there is one region which Christians increasingly want to abandon, it is the biblical heartland of their faith: the Middle East. They are fleeing in greater numbers than ever before. They are fearful of the growing turmoil in places like Syria and Iraq, the spread of radical Islam and, of course, now the presence Continue reading »
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Michael Kelly SJ. Pope Francis and the Curia.
The tongues are certainly waging worldwide over the Christmas message of Pope Francis to staff at the Vatican – the priests, monsignors, bishops and cardinals gathered for an end of year assessment by the pope of the year that has passed. A few perfunctory words to round out a very busy year or a general Continue reading »
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John Tulloh. The season of ill will for Bethlehem’s Christians.
Christians in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, must be wondering about the traditional Christmas message of ‘good will to men’ (men meaning people). They face a bleak future. Christians are fleeing in their thousands for a better life in other lands free of an occupation force, endless security checks and territorial disputes. Those who remain Continue reading »
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Jesus and the modern man.
James Carroll has been writing about religion for over 40 years. In this beautiful piece in the International New York Times of November 7 this year, he describes how he still keeps going to Mass despite his many doubts. See link below. John Menadue. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/09/opinion/sunday/can-i-stay-with-the-church.html?smid=nytcore-iphone-share&smprod=nytcore-iphone Continue reading »
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Pope Francis sharply criticises Vatican bureaucracy.
In his pre-Christmas address to Cardinals, Pope Francis referred to a Curia that is outdated, sclerotic or indifferent to others. He said that the Curia, the administrative pinnacle of the Roman Catholic Church was suffering from fifteen ailments which he wanted cured in the new year. See link below for Pope Francis’ comments to the Continue reading »
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Kieran Tapsell. Two reports from the Child Sexual Abuse Royal Commission.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse published two reports on 19 December 2014. The first related to Case No. 11 dealing with four institutions run by the Christian Brothers Congregation in Western Australia from the 1920s until the 1980s for wards of the State, child migrants and children sent there privately. Continue reading »
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Caroline Coggins, Pausing in Advent.
I was on retreat recently in Hong Kong and there was a very small pool with eight turtles in it. It took me some days to notice; you have to slow down to see them. Their water was muddy, there was certainly no vista here, just the close company they kept with each other, and Continue reading »
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John Menadue. What does it mean?
We have all been moved by the outpouring of grief and emotion by the deaths in Martin Place, the school children killed in Peshawar and eight children murdered in Cairns. The flood of floral tributes has been remarkable. We saw it only a few days earlier with the untimely death of Phillip Hughes. There was Continue reading »
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Eric Hodgens. Phillip Hughes – A Christmas Story.
The Phillip Hughes story gripped a nation. So much potential felled in an instant. Grief amplified by promise and love lost. Phillip was a Little Aussie Battler like us. But what promise! Looming all the larger because it is gone. Pup becomes a tower of strength. We see him in a new light. Rival teams Continue reading »