VICTORIAN Chief Justice Anne Ferguson and Court of Appeal president Justice Chris Maxwell dismissed all three grounds of Cardinal George Pell’s appeal against his child sex abuse conviction. Justice Mark Weinberg dissented against their opinion on ground one. The majority judgement published by Justices Ferguson and Maxwell said there was no evidence that “leads us to the conclusion the jury ... Read More »

IT is 20 years since East Timor, Australia’s neighbour, voted for independence, ending 24 years of often-brutal struggle against ruling Indonesia. East Timor, with its vast Catholic majority, has long been a focus for Australian parishes supporting human rights and justice. Thousands of Australian Catholics have worked, volunteered and donated their energies to support East Timor, where faith, hope and community ... Read More »

CARDINAL George Pell has lost his appeal and will remain behind bars as a convicted child sex offender. The Cardinal’s appeal was dismissed by the Victorian Court of Appeal – a 2-1 split decision by the judges that opens the way for a possible High Court appeal. However, he faces a potential Vatican trial and laicisation, after rising to become ... Read More »

AGED care is reaching crisis point, with a Catholic healthcare chief warning lack of government planning means our most vulnerable could die before they receive the high-level care they required.  Catholic Health Australia chief executive Suzanne Greenwood told an aged-care and end-of-life inquiry in Brisbane the waiting list for vulnerable seniors to receive the Level 4 package, was two years ... Read More »

PRIME Minister Scott Morrison has committed to introduce a Religious Discrimination Act into parliament by the end of this year, amid growing pressure to “positively” protect religious freedoms. “I would like to see this issue progressed with a sensitivity, with a sense of cooperation, and with a sense of balance,” he told ABC’s 730 program on July 1.  “Religious freedom ... Read More »

THE Israel Folau story now has as many twists, turns and sidesteps as a talented fullback in full flight. Somewhere, buried deep, is a story about religious freedom and “Christian duty”, but the narrative has been highjacked and warped to the point that even staunch supporters of the former Wallaby are left wondering how it ever came to this. In ... Read More »

POPE Francis gave an apostolic blessing to Australian Catholic bishops visiting the Vatican, encouraging them to explore new ways of being missionaries. Pope Francis met with a group of 38 Australian bishops on June 24 for more than two hours as part of their Ad Limina Apostolorum visit, translated as “To the Threshold of the Apostles”. It was a high ... Read More »

ADANI has the go-ahead to start building the Carmichael coal mine – but is the governments’ approval for the project the future direction we had hoped for? Pitted against the prospect of jobs and an economic boost are the lingering concerns for environmental protection. “The project will deliver 1500 direct and 6750 indirect jobs during ramp-up and construction, with Rockhampton ... Read More »

LEADING Catholic bioethicist Margaret Somerville has warned Queenslanders of the dangerous long-term consequences for societies that allow euthanasia. As assisted suicide became legal in Victoria last week, Professor Somerville addressed the Cherish Life Queensland annual conference in Brisbane. She posed the question: “We need to ask ourselves: if euthanasia is permitted, how do we think our great-great-grandchildren will die?  “What ... Read More »