Tony French. By now, you would have heard of the Plenary Council 2020. It’s been billed as ‘shaping the future of the Catholic Church in Australia’. Perhaps like me, you dismissed it as just another gathering of bishops and clergy, meeting to make decisions on our collective behalf. But, no, not this time. The laity […]
Editorial. Australia has made little progress in recent decades to alleviate childhood poverty, according to Brian Lawrence, speaking on 17 October at an Anti-Poverty Week event, sponsored by Catholic Social Services Victoria. He said wages for many people were too low to lift children out of poverty. Mr Lawrence has drafted submissions and appeared at […]
Bruce Duncan. A new arms race is looming as the United States, Russia, and China continue to modernise their weapons systems, including tactical nuclear weapons. President Trump has announced that the US will withdraw from the Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia, and has abandoned the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran which has carefully […]
Michael Yore. It’s time for Australia to reassert the value of housing as a basic human right”, proclaims the 2018-2019 Social Justice Statement from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. And quite rightly! A strong human rights perspective correctly guides and colours the entire statement on housing and homelessness in Australia with the statement basing the […]
Memoir of Fr Kevin Mogg, inspired by the Second Vatican Council In An Enabling Life: Father Kevin Mogg. A Collection of Reminiscences, Anne Tuohey and several contributors have captured key aspects of the history of the Catholic Church as it struggled to cope with the huge migrant flows after the Second World War and then […]
Bruce Duncan. The events around the removal of Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister of Australia have caused dismay and anger right across the country, not just because of the internecine politics involved but because the malcontents have undermined efforts to face the terrible threats posed by global warming and climate change. Our new prime minister, […]
1-4 December 2018. Canberra. Micah Australia is hosting a four-day training program in Canberra 1-4 December 2018 for people committed to working for improved justice in the world. The program includes two days of training and workshops with leading speakers, and a final two days lobbying politicians in Parliament House. The program is hosted by […]
Sherry Balcombe. As Aboriginal people, we are spiritual beings by nature. I suppose that was God’s purpose. Our spirituality is so entwined with our culture, customs and lore, they cannot be separated and exist together. We have a deep respect for everything in our world. The land we consider to be alive; she is our […]
Rowan Ireland. The assassinated Archbishop of San Salvador 1977-80, Oscar Arturo Romero, is to be canonised in October. It is time to reflect again on Romero’s life and times in El Salvador, and on the significance of his canonisation now. Romero became known around the world when he was assassinated by a right-wing militiaman in […]
Bruce Duncan. Astonishingly, some people are still not convinced about the dangers of climate change, despite frequent reports of extreme weather events, rising sea levels and record global temperatures. Europe in July experienced an extreme heat wave, even reaching into the Arctic Circle. Exceptionally severe forest fires have raged as far north as Sweden. Africa […]
