Archbishop Peter Loy Chong signed a letter from members of the FCBCO sending prayers and condolences to civic and Church leaders in Turkey and Syria.

The Catholic bishops of Oceania have sent a message of prayerful condolence and solidarity to Church and civic leaders in Turkey and Syria as the countries suffer the effects of devastating earthquakes.

Meeting for their quadrennial assembly of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania in Fiji, the bishops expressed deep sadness at the loss of life and the damage from which it will take years to recover.

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The bishops of Oceania spent much of Wednesday in dialogue and discernment on the assembly’s three key themes.

Oceania’s Catholic bishops have been invited to imagine a “theology of the Pacific”, that would allow the Church in the region to speak with a voice and a faith that is “distinctive”.

The fourth day of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania gathering saw the bishops continue their shared discernment on the assembly’s three key themes.

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Sr Nathalie Becquart addresses the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania assembly in Fiji

The bishops of Oceania were challenged to take up the path of synodality and to be prepared to confront a “silent earthquake” in the Church on the third day of their quadrennial assembly in Fiji.

Synodality and formation for mission are two of the three major themes for the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania assembly, along with the effects of a changing climate on the oceans.

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FCBCO assembly delegates visit an extraction mine and hear about the impacts on the river and its ecosystem

The bishops of Oceania encountered the scriptural and practical realities of God’s creation on Monday, hearing the Creation story at morning Mass and later seeing the effects of climate change in Fiji.

On the second day of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania assembly, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB celebrated Mass, at which the first reading included the first four days of the Creation story in Genesis.

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The Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry (BCELM) has launched a new online resource designed to enable more people to easily access formational Australian Catholic video content.

Evangelise Plus is a video resource library that will host a range of audiovisual content from various Catholic events and initiatives, bringing the material to a wider audience in an effort to inspire, form and encourage viewers in their faith life.

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The offertory is brought forward for the opening Mass of the FCBCO assembly

A Mass steeped in Fijian spirituality and tradition has opened the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania assembly – a gathering its president hopes will turn “a new page” in the bishops’ shared mission.

Sacred Heart Cathedral in Suva was overflowing on Sunday morning with hundreds of local worshippers, along with dozens of bishops and other assembly participants.

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Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Michael Kennedy, who has led the Diocese of Armidale in regional New South Wales since 2012, the new Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle.

The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle has been without a bishop since the death of Bishop Bill Wright in November 2021, with Fr Greg Barker serving as diocesan administrator in the intervening period.

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The Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry is hosting an online national sports consultation on February 28 (Photo: Diocese of Parramatta).

The Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry is inviting Catholics to register for an online national sports consultation to be held on February 28.

The consultation will include a keynote address from Santiago Pérez de Camino, head of the Church and Sport Office in the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.

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Archbishop Peter Loy Chong is the current president of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania.

Dozens of bishops will descend on Fiji this weekend for the quadrennial gathering of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania to reflect on and pray about their shared mission in the region.

The assembly will bring together members of the bishops conferences of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea/Solomon Islands and the Pacific Islands.

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The ongoing work to ensure Catholic settings are safe for children and that organisations are responsive to safeguarding concerns has been outlined in the Church’s fifth annual report to the National Office for Child Safety.

One of the recommendations of the final report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse was the publication of annual reports on progress that organisations were making. The requirement was for such reports to be submitted for at least five years.

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