The Catholic Leader Keeping Faith with You

A CANON lawyer has spoken out about the correct form of prayers, after a mainstream media furore about some Brisbane Catholic girls’ schools teaching gender-neutral descriptions to replace traditional terms like “Lord”, “Father”, and “Son” during prayers. “My observation is that many teachers in Catholic schools don’t know the Catholic faith, and Catholics among them don’t practise the Catholic faith, ... Read More »

A BRISBANE parish priest is to face court later this month charged with an historic count of sexual abuse. In line with protocols adopted by the Catholic Church in Australia, Darra Jindalee parish priest Fr Dan Carroll has been stood aside while the legal process is underway. Fr Carroll denies the sexual abuse allegation that dates back more than 40 ... Read More »

A BRISBANE indigenous Catholic leader has hailed the appointment of Ken Wyatt as indigenous Australians’ minister as a significant moment for reconciliation in this country. “I think that this is a great milestone and our young people need to see some leadership at the highest level,” Murri Ministry co-ordinator Ravina Waldren said. “They need to see that through reconciliation we ... Read More »

JAILED Cardinal George Pell will return to an Australian court June 5 and 6 for an appeal against his conviction for sexually abusing two Melbourne choirboys in the 1990s. Lawyers for Cardinal Pell, who has been behind bars since February, will argue his guilty verdict was “unreasonable”. Cardinal Pell was handed a six-year prison sentence, after being convicted in December, ... Read More »

CATHOLICS across south-east Queensland are being urged to take up the call of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, understand its teachings and support an urgent environmental action plan aimed at protecting the planet. Central to the plan is a commitment to “ecological conversion” in parishes, Church agencies and schools throughout Brisbane archdiocese. Ahead of World Environment Day on June 5, ... Read More »

THE sacking of Wallaby star Israel Folau has prompted soul-searching questions of religious freedom and expression – far beyond the confines of rugby, “the game they play in heaven”. The thirty-year-old’s $4 million contract was terminated on May 17 after an independent panel found he committed a high-level breach of Rugby Australia’s code of conduct for posting religiously-inspired, anti-gay comments ... Read More »

A MAJOR new United Nations scientific report has warned that one million species were under threat of extinction and that land, seas and skies were exposed to the destructive impact of humans. The report was released on May 6, just a few days after Pope Francis offered a critique of capitalism’s “disastrous” impact on the environment, calling for a response ... Read More »

HEADING into the final days of the Australian election campaign party leaders zigzagged across the country, covering vast distances to win over voters and, at times, fielding thorny questions about gay marriage, free speech and religious belief. Liberal Prime Minister Scott Morrison brushed aside questions about whether his personal views on same-sex marriage had changed since his vocal opposition to ... Read More »

QUEENSLAND’S peak Catholic women’s group has told a state parliamentary inquiry that the health system should not be focused on ending life but on providing good-quality palliative care. “We’ve got to stand up for what we believe,” 82-year-old Veronica Box, who is state president of the Catholic Women’s League, said after addressing the Inquiry into Aged Care End-of-Life, Palliative Care ... Read More »