Pope Francis has given his approval for the Catholic Church to hold the first Plenary Council – the most significant national gathering that can be held – in Australia in more than 80 years.

“The Australian Bishops are deeply grateful to Pope Francis for affirming the decision and we ask all people to join in prayer as we embark on this journey together as God’s people in Australia,” said Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane, chair of the Bishops Commission for the Plenary Council. Continue reading →

Melbourne’s Angela Markas is the official Australian Catholic Bishops Conference delegate to the gathering of young people at the Vatican before the Synod of Bishops on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment. She shared this reflection en route to this week’s meeting.

Here I am, waiting for my last flight to get to Rome. And as I sit here, and watch people begin to line up for the flight, it hits me — this is real.

I never thought for a single moment that I would have this kind of opportunity. It is beyond me that I have been found worthy of it, and no matter how much time may pass, I don’t think I could ever understand. Continue reading →

Catholics across Australia are being invited to join with people around the world in considering the particular challenges women face when they live outside metropolitan areas.

International Women’s Day, which is celebrated each year on March 8, this year has the challenging theme “Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives”. Continue reading →

Bishop Peter Comensoli

Religious freedom must be enshrined in Australian law and recognised as a right, rather than an exception or an exemption, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) has explained.

In its submission to the Religious Freedom Review called by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and chaired by the Hon Phillip Ruddock, the ACBC has tasked the Review to recognise the increased need for a framework to support all people of faith as Australian society continues to evolve. Continue reading →

Darwin Bishop Eugene Hurley and the chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council have lamented the slow progress – and lack of progress in some cases – in the 10 years since then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered a national apology to Indigenous Australians.

On February 13, 2008, Mr Rudd apologised for the treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the policies that caused pain, trauma and suffering for those peoples. It was hoped it would usher in a new age for relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and help “close the gap” on a range of measures, including health, education, employment and incarceration rates. Continue reading →

Dear brothers and sisters,

Last December, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse handed down its final report. Like the Australian Government and many other institutions, the Catholic bishops of Australia and leaders of religious institutes are currently studying the final report and its recommendations. Continue reading →

A Melbourne woman with a deep faith and a strong sense of social justice has been chosen to represent young Australian Catholics at a Vatican meeting next year to prepare for the Synod of Bishops on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.

Young people from across the world will gather in Rome in March in anticipation of the Synod, which will be held in October 2018. Continue reading →

About 15,000 people gathered in Sydney’s Domain tonight for the final Mass of the Australian Catholic Youth Festival where it was announced that the next ACYF will be held in Perth, Western Australia.

The outdoor Mass in the heart of Sydney was the biggest Catholic Mass held in Australia since World Youth Day in 2008. Continue reading →

Young people can make a difference in the world by dreaming big, staying close to God and not being afraid to choose comfort over greatness, the Australian Catholic Youth Festival participants were told today.

The opening plenary session for Day Two of the three-day festival for young Catholics from across Australia, featured keynote presentations from young speakers sharing their faith and their actions. Continue reading →

Almost 20,000 young people were urged to set the world on fire with their faith as The Australian Catholic Youth Festival got underway in Sydney today.

The Festival kicked off with a Welcome to Country, followed by Canadian Catholic music star Matt Maher blasting the stage in praise of Jesus, and Archbishop Anthony Fisher’s opening address. Continue reading →