St Peter’s Basilica in Rome
By Archbishop Coleridge
Rome is a city that juggles fixity and flux, changelessness and change, being and becoming. It’s a place that holds together past and present, with an unusual capacity to adapt while keeping a core intact.
The historic monuments are everywhere, but the city is vibrant and contemporary. That’s part of what it means to call Rome “eternal”. What’s true of this city is true of the Church, especially as we look to #Synod2015.
Rooftop view of Rome
By Archbishop Coleridge
My first full day in Rome … and there’s a transport strike! I really know I’m back here when that sort of thing happens. I think the first word I ever learnt in Italian was “sciopero”, which means “strike”. Some things never change in the Eternal City. I’m staying for a couple of nights at Domus Australia because I can’t move into my Synod residence till Saturday.
Bishop Eugene Hurley and I will be staying at a place called the Istituto Maria Santissima Bambina, which means the Institute of the Most Holy Child Mary. The name is a bit baroque but it’s a great place to be for a Synod, as a few us learnt when we were here a few years back for the Synod on the Word of God. Continue reading
By Archbishop Coleridge
Sitting in the lounge at Dubai airport waiting for my flight to Rome, I’ve been thinking that the Synod needs to deal with facts – the world as it actually is rather than the world as we might wish it to be. Yes, we need to hold firmly to the vision of the way things ought to be (that we’ve received from Jesus) but also deal with the facts on the ground as they are at present.
Many of the facts may seem unfriendly to the Christian vision of things, but I’m reminded of Carl Rogers’ words: “The facts are friendly”. They mightn’t seem so at first, but the challenge is to discover how what seems to be unfriendly is, in the end, friendly. Perhaps the facts are friendly because God is in the facts, somewhere – and God is always friendly, even though that isn’t always obvious either.
Continue reading
Over the next three weeks, the ACBC will help to keep you updated about what’s happening at the Synod on the family taking place in the Vatican, Rome.
Our ACBC bishop delegates at the Synod, Archbishop Coleridge and Bishop Hurley, will be blogging about their experiences. Keep an eye out for ‘On The Road Together‘ blog updates.
By Archbishop Coleridge
Finally, after months of preparation, the bags are packed and I head to Rome tonight for what is probably the most eagerly anticipated Synod since the close of Vatican II, 50 years ago. The word “synod” means “on the road together”, which explains the title of this blog.
When the Pope decided to convene the two Synods on marriage and the family, he summoned the Church to undertake a journey together. He made the Synod more of a process than an event. First there was the preparation for last year’s Synod; then there was the Synod itself which drew widespread publicity.
International Day of the Girl Child
More than one million children are being trafficked annually and forced into prostitution, according to the United Nations.
The UN is highlighting the various forms of discrimination and abuse suffered by girls around the world to mark the International Day of the Girl Child on 11 October 2015.
Marking this significant day, the Council for Australian Catholic Women prepared a parish resource that includes a parish bulletin notice, a suggested petition for the general intercessions and links to online resources.
Left to right: Bishop Terry Brady, Fr Peter Carroll msc, Dr Ruth Webber, James Koulouris; Assistant Commissioner, Governance & Continuous Improvement, NSW Government, Dr Ann Marie Martin; Assistant Commissioner, Offender Management & Policy, NSW Government, Patrick Aboud; Governor Long Bay Correctional Centre.
The role of the prison chaplain goes far beyond just looking after the religious and spiritual needs of prisoners, Dr Ruth Webber told delegates gathered for the inaugural Catholic Prison Chaplains National Gathering this weekend.
Dr Webber is a Professor (Honorary) at the Australian Catholic University. In her keynote address on Thursday 24 September, she said, ‘Prison chaplains provide much-needed emotional, practical and social support to prisoners’. Continue reading
Yili and Salome Li, Ron Pirola, Bishop Kennedy, Bradley and Natalie Wilkinson with their children Hannah, Joel, Jemima and Eve.
Bishop Michael Kennedy departs with representatives from many Australian dioceses today to join with 150 other nations at the World Meeting of Families in America later this month.
The World Meeting of Families will take place at Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia from 22-25 September 2015.
Pope Francis will attend the gathering that centres on the theme, ‘Love is our mission: The family fully alive’.
Twenty one adults and 23 children, aged between three years and 14 years, will travel on the official Australian pilgrimage led by the Bishop Delegate for Marriage and Family, Michael Kennedy, along with Dr Ron and Mrs Mavis Pirola, Co-Chair Couple of the The Australian Catholic Marriage & Family Council (ACMFC). Continue reading
Australia’s Catholic bishops have urged politicians to resolve the divisive debate on proposals to redefine marriage. A Senate report on holding a popular vote on marriage was tabled today.
In a submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee for the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the Chair of the Bishops Commission for Family, Youth and Life, Archbishop Anthony Fisher, asked senators to uphold the traditional understanding of marriage.
“Marriage is a fundamental institution for all societies because of its importance in uniting spouses as potential parents and in providing for the upbringing of their children”, said Archbishop Fisher. Continue reading
Kimberley landscape, the location of the Australasian Catholic Press Association (ACPA) conference in September 2015
A very warm welcome, endless hospitality and a buzz of energy marked the 60th anniversary of the Australasian Catholic Press Association (ACPA), celebrated in the Diocese of Broome last week, 8-11 September.
From the bishop to the diocesan staff, the elders to the missionaries, the people of Broome ensured that every journalist and communications specialist was made to feel welcome and encouraged to learn about this unique part of Australia during the annual conference. Local support and generosity was in abundance to help ACPA celebrate its diamond jubilee.
The 35-degree days of warmth and humidity gave the event a tropical feel with delegates donning their shorts and hats for the conference excursions. Professional cameras and iPhone selfies were in abundance during a visit to Broome’s famous Cable Beach to watch a sunset.
Dr Maria Harries AM
Pope Francis has appointed Dr Maria Harries AM as an independent auditor at the 14th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will take place at the Vatican in Rome next month. This means Dr Harries will contribute to the Synod discussions on the family as a Catholic laywoman.
Dr Harries is Chair of Catholic Social Services Australia and a member of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council.
She will join Archbishop of Brisbane, Mark Coleridge, and Bishop of Darwin, Eugene Hurley, who were elected to represent the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference at the Ordinary Synod on the Family.
Prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy, Cardinal George Pell, will also attend the Synod, which takes place from 4 – 25 October 2015. Continue reading