2015 International Conference of the International Council of Christians and Jews | Rome, Italy, 28 June – 1 July, 2015

Dr Raymond Canning, Executive Secretary of the Bishops Commission for Ecumenism and Inter-religious Relations, meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Towards the very end of the final session of the Second Vatican Council, the document Nostra Aetate, the “Declaration on the Church’s Relation to Non-Christian Religions,” received definitive approval from the Council Fathers meeting in Rome.

At the heart of the declaration is the relationship of the Church to the Jewish people, “the descendants of Abraham” (NA 4).

As the Jewish French historian Jules Isaac had demonstrated in his book The Teaching of Contempt: Christian Roots of Anti-Semitism, Christians had throughout history presented a distorted image of the Jews and their religion. So Pope John XXIII’s meeting in audience with Jules Isaac on 13 June 1960 was ground-breaking in that it was there that the Pope agreed to the request to raise the question of the Jews during the coming Council. Continue reading →

In the wake of Pope Francis’ groundbreaking encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’, released in mid-June, three Catholic agencies are among the first to respond to its urgent call to action.

In coming weeks, Catholic Earthcare, Catholic Religious Australia and Catholic Mission will together release the second book in The Francis Effect series. Entitled The Francis Effect II: Praised Be You – on Care for Our Common Home, the book will analyse the encyclical’s key themes on ecology and creation, with insights from Catholic theological and ecological experts.

The Francis Effect II: Praised Be You will be among the first comprehensive responses to Laudato Si’ when it is released in July. Twelve prominent Catholic leaders, including Catholic Earthcare Director Ms Jacqui Rémond, ecological theologian Father Denis Edwards and Chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council Ms Thelma Parker, will join to offer their perspectives on Pope Francis’ encyclical. Continue reading →

Caritas Australia, the Catholic Church’s international aid and development agency, has thanked thousands of generous supporters, including schools and parishes across Australia. Together they helped to raise a record-breaking $11.57 million nationally during Project Compassion 2015, joining in solidarity with the world’s poor.

Caritas Australia’s major fundraiser is held annually for six weeks during Lent. Money raised will help thousands of vulnerable communities in more than 30 countries globally in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Pacific and Australia.

This year’s theme for Project Compassion was Food for Life and focused on Caritas Australia’s support for the world’s poorest people to establish sustainable food sources for life. Caritas walks with them as they free themselves from the burden of food insecurity and develop new, improved income streams for a better future. Continue reading →

Photo credit: Gerard Williams, Notre Dame University.

Euthanasia is not an incremental change to current end-of-life practices, but a radical and massive shift in our society’s and civilisation’s foundational values, says internationally renowned Australian ethicist, Margaret Somerville.

Dr Somerville, who is a Professor of Law, Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, and Founding Director of the Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, was speaking at the University of Notre Dame (Sydney), as part of a series of public lectures on ethical issues surrounding euthanasia and assisted suicide during her recent visit to Australia.

Her presentation focused on lessons to be learnt from the debate in Canada, where the Supreme Court earlier this year struck down a ban on doctor-assisted suicide for mentally competent Canadian patients with terminal illnesses. Continue reading →

Group registrations are now open for the Australian Catholic Youth Festival being held in Adelaide in December.

With more than 1000 hotel beds already secured in Adelaide for the festival, registrations are expected to run hot over the coming weeks.

The theme of the festival is ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.’ Matthew 5:8. A video promoting the Adelaide festival can be viewed on YouTube.

As well as group registrations opening, organisations can now submit applications to have a stall in the “INcounter” section of the festival. Workshop presenters and performers can also make submissions. Continue reading →

The extraordinary thing about many of the critical reactions to Pope Francis’s environment encyclical is they assert there is an economic and cultural reality we must accept — not one we can ­improve on.

In contrast, the Pope says ­market economics is not the only reality — we can do better.

The Pope supports free enterprise, but not at any cost. A market that is solely profit-driven is one that leaves no room for moral consideration on how we can achieve the common good. There is a sense in which many regard the economy as an ethics-free zone, where self-interest rules and ­market power wins. Continue reading →

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday statement 2015

Governments at the State and Federal levels must become serious about the immense shortage of housing stocks in townships, instead of contemplating how they can make it worse by forcing more people from remote areas into town-zones already suffering from serious deprivations, according to the Bishop of Broome, Christopher Saunders.

In his statement to Catholic parishes across Australia as the Church prepares to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People on Sunday 5 July 2015, Bishop Saunders said, ‘The crime rate in townships is far greater than in remote areas, as is serious drug abuse. Needles are not found lying around in bunches in remote villages as they are in regional townships. Continue reading →

Artist impression of the new purpose-built parish centre and worship space to be built on the site adjacent to St Justin’s Catholic Primary School

Bishop Peter Ingham announced today that the Catholic Diocese of Wollongong has established Australia’s newest Catholic parish in Oran Park. The parish is also the first new territorial parish in the Diocese in over 21 years. The parish will be known as St Mary MacKillop Catholic Parish, named after Australia’s first canonised Saint.

Bishop Peter said: “It is indeed a joyful time for those living in this beautiful part of South West Sydney, one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. Many families are blessed to have lived in this area for years, and now we welcome another pioneering generation as new suburbs are opening all around. The establishment of St Mary MacKillop Catholic Parish reflects the vibrancy of the Diocese and its more than 190,000 Catholics.” Continue reading →