The President of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania, Most Rev Anthony Randazzo DD JCL, has welcomed the news that Pope Francis will visit Papua New Guinea in August.
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Unity in Understanding – National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council statement
IN the spirit of Ephesians 2:14 – “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups
one” – we, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC),
invite our fellow Australians to a moment of reflection and unity this Australia Day.
Document helps those accompanying Catholics considering euthanasia
Australia’s Catholic bishops have released a new document to guide priests, chaplains and pastoral workers who are asked to provide pastoral support to Catholics who are considering euthanasia.
The publication of the document, To Witness and to Accompany with Christian Hope, follows the legalisation of euthanasia in all Australian states.
Church in Australia carrying forward its pursuit of synodality
One “particular grace” of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia has been its encouragement of many initiatives in the Church across the country, according to a letter to the People of God prepared for the Solemnity of Christ the King.
As the Church marks the end of the liturgical year this weekend, the letter provides an update on work carrying forward the Plenary Council’s outcomes while awaiting the Holy See’s formal recognitio of the Council’s decrees.
Church called to be welcoming, healing and hopeful
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Archbishop Charles Balvo and Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP
A senior Vatican official who served as Apostolic Nuncio to Australia has told the country’s bishops that the Church is being called to be welcoming, healing and hopeful in a world challenged by war and unrest.
Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations, is on a six-day visit to Australia to mark the 50th anniversary of Australia-Holy See diplomatic relations.
Prayer, planning underpin national Stella Maris gathering
Port chaplains, managers, volunteers and members of the Stella Maris national committee gathered in Sydney last week for the first national conference of its type in several years for those ministering to seafarers.
Eighteen people attended the event at Mary MacKillop Place, with the theme “Together: United in Caring for Seafarers”.
Plenary Council a positive and transformative experience: Bishop Mackinlay
Bishop Shane Mackinlay addresses the Plenary Council in Sydney, July 2022 (CNS/The Catholic Weekly/Giovanni Portelli)
Australia’s Plenary Council provided a “positive and transformative experience of discernment and synodality”, Sandhurst Bishop Shane Mackinlay told the Synod of Synodality on Wednesday.
Bishop Mackinlay, who served as vice-president of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia that ran from 2018 until 2022, was invited to offer a reflection on that journey during the current Synod’s 12th general congregation.
Catholic Church says referendum result should usher in new era
Despite the referendum to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the Constitution not succeeding, Australia needs to find a way to address the inequalities many First Nations people face, Bishop Charles Gauci has said.
Bishop Gauci, chair of the Bishops Commission for Relations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, has issued a statement following yesterday’s poll. He said although the idea of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament was not supported by a majority of Australians, “that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do something”.
Bishop Randazzo: Conversion can be achieved through Christ
Personal and communal conversion is possible when a pastoral mission begins and ends with Jesus Christ, Broken Bay Bishop Anthony Randazzo told fellow participants in the Synod on Synodality on Monday evening.
Bishop Randazzo, president of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania, celebrated Mass and preached on Monday evening as more than 350 Synod participants attended a retreat before the Synod opens on Wednesday evening Australian time.
Pope promotes “safe space” for Synod participants
by Bishop Shane Mackinlay
Later this week, I will be one of 15 Australians and hundreds of people from around the world heading to Rome for the first assembly of what has become known as the “Synod on Synodality”.
Next month’s assembly, and another to follow in October 2024, are the continuation of what has been dubbed “the world’s largest ever consultation”. When you consider that almost 120 bishops conferences from every part of the world gathered the thoughts of the People of God in their dioceses, that claim makes sense. Continue reading