Author Archives: ACBC Communications

Faith leaders hold urgent meeting to call on politicians to restore the human dignity of refugees and asylum seekers

Refugees in a boat at seaToday more than 50 Leaders representing diverse faith groups met with Members and Senators at Parliament House, Canberra, calling on them to restore Australia’s standing as a compassionate nation by winding back policies negatively impacting on people escaping violence, persecution and death.

As a positive step, the faith leaders asked all political parties and independents to join with them in establishing a task force to work together to change the political and public narrative regarding asylum seekers and refugees. Continue reading →

On the Road Together – The Search for Focus

In the chapel at the Augustinian house, beautifully renovated with wonderful Rupnik mosaics. The silhouetted figure is Fr Tony Banks OSA, Vicar of the Order. I'd always thought he was Aussie, but it turns out he's Kiwi born and bred!

In the chapel at the Augustinian house, beautifully renovated with wonderful Rupnik mosaics. The silhouetted figure is Fr Tony Banks OSA, Vicar of the Order. I’d always thought he was Aussie, but it turns out he’s Kiwi born and bred!

By Archbishop Coleridge

Today we had the first full day of small group work.  We hacked our way through the first two chapters of Part I of the Instrumentum Laboris: the challenges of the family.  The method being used in this Synod is, as one bishop said,  “cumbersome”.  That’s putting it mildly.  

We moved through the working document paragraph by paragraph, asking what we should emend, delete or add.  In other words, we re-wrote the document, trying wherever possible to abbreviate rather than lengthen a document that’s already too long and repetitive.  When we’ve finished our reworking of Part I, I have to report to the plenary assembly on our work; and when we’ve finished the three Parts, we hand it all over to the group of 10 whom the Pope has asked to compose the final document of the Synod.  I wish them luck.   Continue reading →

On the Road Together – The power of words

Saint Peter's Square. Vatican CityBy Archbishop Coleridge

This afternoon we finally moved into the small groups, which was a bit messy but refreshing.  I say messy because the first challenge was to find the room where your group was to meet.  That may sound easy, but (with 4 English groups, 3 French, 3 Italian, 2 Spanish-Portuguese and 1 German) it wasn’t.  

Having found the room, the challenge was then to find enough space in the room to accommodate the 20+ people in the “small” group.  As well as the Synod bishops, there were experts, auditors and ecumenical reps.  It was definitely economy rather than business class.  Keep the elbows down. Continue reading →

On the Road Together – Widen the Horizon

By Archbishop Coleridge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLKRoTFukhA&feature=youtu.be

The video accompanying this post gives you a sense of the Synod Hall just before we began work this morning.  It’s time to meet and mingle – and you can see Pope Francis up the front shaking a few hands.  I was too busy videoing to head his way: later.  You can hear the PA at the end telling us all to take our seats in the Hall: stop the chatter and start praying before working.

Continue reading →

World Mental Health Day reminds us we are all members of the Body of Christ

Screen Shot 2015-10-07 at 11.16.44 am (2)People living with mental health challenges, are no less members of the Body of Christ than anyone else, Bishop Terry Brady said during Mental Health Awareness Week.

‘People with mental illness and their families can often feel isolated from their faith community and thus isolated from God. Isolation is often caused by social stigma: the idea that mental illness is a question of character or a punishment from God,’ Bishop Brady, Chair of the Bishops Commission for Pastoral Life and the Australian Catholic Disability Council said.

Continue reading →

On the Road Together – A time to speak

Pope Francis chats with bishops during day two of Synod on the Family.

Pope Francis chats with bishops during day two of Synod on the Family.

By Archbishop Coleridge

The sun rises on Synod Day two.  In the afternoon yesterday we began the long haul of the 3-minute interventions, with Cardinal Vingt-Trois beginning with the very lengthy list of those who’d been called to speak.  The two Kiwis and I were among those called, so we all rushed to our bag to find our text, hoping we hadn’t left it back at the house.

The procession of speeches was rapid-fire compared with earlier Synods where they were longer.  Many of the speakers – including myself remarkably – were under the 3-minute limit.  I must have spoken faster than I planned.  But it’s hard to be substantial in such a short space: you can certainly say something, but it has to be very concise.  Bit like a Tweet. Continue reading →

Australian Bishops to speak at Family Synod

Bishop Hurley at Paul Vi Hall, the #Synod2015 venue

Bishop Hurley at Paul Vi Hall, the #Synod2015 venue

Australia’s Archbishop Mark Coleridge and Bishop Eugene Hurley are preparing to speak at the Synod on the Family in Rome.

On Sunday 4th October, the Australian representatives lodged what’s called the petitio loquendi, which means a request to speak for three minutes at the Synod in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican.

The XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops commenced on Sunday 4th October with an opening Mass in St Peter’s Basilica celebrated by Pope Francis who will lead the Synod over the next three weeks until it concludes on Sunday 25th October. Continue reading →

Healing wounds and warming hearts – Mental Health Awareness Week

Prayer card for World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2015.

Prayer card for World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2015.

World Mental Health Day is observed annually on 10 October. This year, the Church has sought to celebrate this day as an opportunity to encourage a truly pastoral view that embraces our total community as the living Body of Christ.

To be authentic, this view must include every member of the community acknowledging their call, their gift and their presence.

Recently, people with mental illness were consulted on their experience in the church in Australia. One respondent said, ‘I have a mental illness, my illness is usually episodic. I am me all the time, and would like parishes to have some knowledge about mental illness in regard to stigma’.

Another stated, ‘For many people with a mental illness, it can be impossible to have full and active participation in parish life. They are so tired all the time (from a combination of medication and illness) that they just don’t have an opportunity to venture out much at all. We can’t afford to feel alone and not part of the church, even though it, at times it seems we are!’ Continue reading →

On the Road Together – The Synod begins

Synod venue, Paul Vi Hall

Synod venue, Paul Vi Hall

By Archbishop Coleridge

We’ve just completed the first morning of the 3-week marathon.  There was lots of milling around before we actually started – greeting those you know, finding your place in the Synod Hall, sorting through the documentation, making sure you know how the technology works (microphone and voting device).

It turns out I’m sitting next to the Georges Pontier, Archbishop of Marseilles (on my right), and on my left Romulo Valles, Archbishop of Davao, Philippines, who’s an old mate of mine.  Just in front of us are what’s called the fraternal delegates, which means the representatives of the other Churches.  I was chatting to the Anglican rep, the Bishop of Truro, who is a rugby fan and was mortified by the Wallabies defeat of England.  I was of course suitably jubilant, and all he could do was remind me of the Ashes, which did tend to slow me down a bit. Continue reading →

On the Road Together – The Pope’s homily

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Archbishop Coleridge in his vestments for the Pope’s opening Mass of #Synod2015 with clergy from all over the world

By Archbishop Coleridge

Just in from the Opening Mass of the Synod which was a tremendous occasion – not quite the NRL Grand Final (which must have been really something) but up there nonetheless.

Pope Francis gave one of those quietly spoken but powerful homilies of his, drawing upon biblical readings which were uncannily suited to the opening of this Synod. He spoke tellingly about loneliness and the way in which God provides love, especially married love, as the true antidote to this disease of the human heart. That’s what people need to find in a Church whose doors are never closed because, if they were, the Church would betray herself. Continue reading →