Australian Christian leaders urge Prime Minister to take 20,000 Afghanistan refugees following Taliban takeover
Sydney, Australia Australian Christian leaders have called on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to accept 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan after the Taliban reclaimed power when Western forces left after 20 years in the country. It comes as more than 130,000 people – supported by the National Council of Churches in Australia and the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce – have […]
Australian Catholic bishops call for a more sustainable church
Sydney, Australia The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has committed to working towards a more sustainable church in its annual statement promoting social justice. In the ‘Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor’ statement released this month, the bishops have committed to a seven-year “journey towards seven ‘Laudato Si’ Goals” – a reference to Pope […]
Australia moves closer to compulsory child abuse reporting by priests
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters Australia’s top attorneys agreed on Friday to standardise laws across the country forcing priests to report child abuse revealed to them during confessions in a move that could widen a schism between the church and the government. Federal and state attorneys-general agreed on key principles for the laws, which fall under the responsibility […]
Australia’s Catholic Church formally announces it will join redress scheme for child sex abuse survivors
Australia’s Catholic Church has confirmed it will enter the national redress scheme for survivors of child sexual abuse once laws enabling it are passed by the Senate. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and Catholic Religious Australia confirmed on Wednesday that the church will be entering the scheme which was a key recommendation of the Royal […]
Australian Catholic bishops call for four days of “fasting and reparation” in sorrow for child sexual abuse
Australian Catholic bishops have called upon Catholics to fast and pray during the first four days of Lent “in sorrow for child sexual abuse and the healing of victims”. In a message to the Catholic community for the beginning of Lent, the bishops said that with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse […]
Updated: Australian Christian leaders respond to same-sex marriage vote result
Last updated: 11:30am, 16th NovemberAustralia’s Parliament must work to unify the nation by respecting different views on marriage, the president of the Australian Catholic Bishop’s Conference said after the announcement that 61.6 per cent of Australians had voted in favour of legalising same-sex marriage. Archbishop Denis Hart said in a statement that the Catholic Church […]