Australia’s Catholic bishops say surrogacy, both commercial and altruistic, is flawed, offends human dignity and that it would be intolerable to argue harm minimisation to allow the development of a commercial surrogacy industry in Australia.

The bishops acknowledged the pain and sadness couples face when they cannot have children because of infertility or the inability to carry a child to full term, but pointed out surrogacy can transfer sadness from the infertile couple to the surrogate mother.

The bishops’ comments were made in a submission from the Bishops Commission for Family, Youth and Life to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, which is holding an inquiry into surrogacy.

“Surrogacy is not undertaken with the priorities and interests of the child in mind, but rather the interests of the adults who want a child,” said bishops delegate for life issues, Bishop Peter Comensoli.

“The act of surrogacy denies the child the right to be conceived, carried, born and brought up by his or her genetic parents. Continue reading →

Bishop Max Davis, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of the Australian Defence Force, has been found not guilty of all accusations and charges relating to claims of historical incidents which were dealt with by the District Court of Western Australia during the period from 8-15 February 2016.

Bishop Davis stepped aside from his role as bishop of the Catholic Diocese of the Australian Defence Force on 30 June 2014. He will now take some time to decide whether to return to public ministry.

The Catholic Diocese of the Australian Defence Force strongly encourages any victim of abuse by clergy or staff within the Catholic Church, or any other agency or person, to report the matter to the police and to seek assistance through the dedicated legal and support services.

Within the Church there are a number of established services for victims and survivors of sexual abuse including, Towards Healing and the Melbourne Response.

No further statement on this matter will be made at this time.

Media queries, please contact 0450 348 597 or media@catholic.org.au

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council will host a three day retreat in the heart of Australia, Alice Springs, from 19 – 21 April 2016. The retreat is being supported by the Bishops Commission for Relations with Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.

Designed to build the capacity and the networks of those working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Ministry, the retreat will give attendees an opportunity to reflect, share and learn from each other.

It is also an opportunity to develop relationships with others working in a similar area from across Australia.

Life is getting faster and distractions more intrusive. The concept of looking internally and contemplating one’s place in God’s world and our relationship with those around us is often maligned. For those serving in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministry, we offer this retreat as an opportunity to take the time to place life on ‘pause’ and concentrate on renewing the spirit with fellow workers in Christ.

Many of us work in remote locations, and can often feel isolated so the retreat is an opportunity to build networks and learn from one another in a caring and encouraging environment.  Continue reading →

Still from ‘Spotlight’ | Image by Crux

Dear Brothers & Sisters

Back in 2010 I wrote a Pastoral Letter to the diocese entitled “The Evil and Shame and Pain”. The Pastoral referred to the fact that our own diocese has suffered the presence of abusing priests, and we now live with a sense of the betrayal and pain that their crimes caused. In that letter I did admit that “there has also been an acknowledgement that the excruciating pain of the victims has not been sufficiently recognized and addressed …” That letter also acknowledged a certain slowness on our part as Church to accept the truth of what the media was revealing.

The film Spotlight deals with the Archdiocese of Boston some years ago, when investigative journalism brought to the light of day the extent of the abuse crisis in the Church, the number of clergy involved, the cover up and transfer of perpetrators to other parishes, and so on. It also reveals a society that was complicit in this cover up, involving not simply the Church, but also the law and the police. Continue reading →

Dear Friends,

This Lent, 2016, we are in the midst of a special Jubilee Year of Mercy. Pope Francis is calling each of us to deepen our baptismal vocation. We are being sent forth to be ‘missionaries of mercy’ in a world which desperately needs the Good News of the Gospel.

As we enter into this special Jubilee, let us first ponder the Word of God, so as to become credible and joyful witnesses.

Two parables are especially worthy of our reflection – The Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan. Continue reading →

Doney with her husband Nedson who is a tailor

Doney (pronounced door-nee) is a quiet and humble woman, but thanks to an innovative program supported by Caritas Australia, she’s creating big changes, in her life, and in her village. Doney beams when she talks about how much her life has changed in the last five years.

“My life has been transformed,” she smiles. “I am now more knowledgeable on a number of issues and I have a vision.”

Located in East Africa, Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. Over half the population is living below the poverty line, with more than 80% of people living in rural communities, and relying on farming small plots of land to produce adequate food to live on.

In Doney’s remote village in the Blantyre region, her family have often gone months without enough food. Yet, when Caritas Australia and the local Caritas, called CADECOM (the Catholic Development Commission in Malawi), began a program in Doney’s village, they didn’t simply see poverty, isolation and food shortage, they saw potential. Continue reading →

Bishop Edwards commissions Cassandra Bull

On Friday 5 February 2016, six new members of the Australian Catholic Youth Council were commissioned during a Mass at Mary MacKillop Place, North Sydney.

Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne, Mark Edwards OMI, commissioned the new members: Patrick Langrell, Mitch Firth, Cassandra Bull, Alex Pace, Shawn Torbay and David Cloran. Each one will serve a three year term on the Youth Council.

During the commissioning service, Bishop Edwards explained that ‘as a member of the Australian Catholic Youth Council, the goals of the Australian Vision for Catholic Youth Ministry lie at the heart of all your work’.  Continue reading →

Bishop Ingham delivering his Easter message (video still)

Bishop Peter Ingham’s Lenten Message for 2016 encourages us to embrace the spiritual life this Lent, which is not for the faint-hearted!

Bishop Ingham’s message begins:

“When we hear stories of the Prophet Isaiah, we don’t often realise he was a well-bred young man, with every advantage in life, destined to serve in the Royal Court and aiming for a life of culture, luxury and power – that was until he had a religious experience of God calling him to something deeper and he knew his life could never be the same again! He became a changed person, giving up his privileged life to become a fiery prophet for God.” Continue reading →

Detention Centre

“Following the High Court decision, the Australian Government’s response to people seeking asylum, including babies born in Australia and their parents, should focus on protecting them from harm and respecting their human dignity.”

“I urge the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Minister for Immigration Peter Dutton to show compassion and mercy towards these families and not act in a way that will cause even more harm than has been done already.”

“The Catholic Church is prepared to collaborate with other community organisations to provide support for asylum seekers.”

“I urge the Australian Government to ensure that no child is subject to an unsafe and harmful environment and that no-one is returned to where they may face physical, psychological and sexual violence and harm.”

“The Catholic Church opposes mandatory detention and offshore detention because these policy responses do not respect the dignity of people seeking our help. Continue reading →

Bishop Kennedy with Chris Smyth & Alan Bowyer, Directors of Education in the Dioceses of Armidale and Wagga Wagga.

It would be easy to reduce the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC2016), held in Cebu Philippines from 24 – 31 January, to a series of statistics.

Attendance figures such as 350,000 at the opening Mass at Plaza Independencia, 1.5 million people participating in the Eucharistic Procession, 5,000 First Communicants including over 400 street kids, 1000 additional police, 3 platoons of the Regional Public Safety Battalion, 12,000 registered delegates plus volunteers, exhibitors, food providers, ushers, transport and so on.

For the 50 plus delegates from Australia privileged to attend this Congress, the impact on our lives has been immediate and we hope long lasting too. As we have immersed ourselves in the various talks, Eucharistic and cultural celebrations, we have been awestruck at the public expressions of the Catholic faith.

Continue reading →