Nazareth Catholic Parish

On June 3 this year, Joshua McElwee (Vatican Correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter)  wrote: "A new report commissioned by Australia's bishops and religious orders recommends a series of radical changes to the way the Catholic Church operates across the country, tackling issues as far-ranging as women's inclusion in decision-making roles and the Vatican's opaque process for making episcopal appointments." This was in response to a document destined for the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference but leaked to the public beforehand.   Read his article here.

The same day, Richard Gaillardetz (Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology at Boston College and the current chair of the BC Theology Department) in La Croix wrote the first of two articles referring to this same leaked document. In the first: May the Global Church Discover "Light from the Southern Cross,  he "tried to focus on aspects of the document of interest to the Church beyond the Australian shores."  On June 4, he followed with the second: A promising roadmap for ecclesial reform and conversion,  in which he asks the question "How will the ACBC and CRA respond to this document? One hopes that it will find its way into the deliberations of the forthcoming plenary council." and finishes with this statement "the Australian bishops should be mindful: the global Church will be watching."

It would seem that the whole world is indeed looking at the Australian Catholic church right now!

All of these articles (and more in 'Read More' below) present a challenge for you the reader!

• Can we make time to read them over the next couple of weeks? 
• Should we be having some conversation about The Light from the Southern Cross?? 
• If you would like to be part of some conversation/discussion around promoting co-responsible governance in our church, please email us and we will set up a ZOOM session to get things going.

David Halliday, Media and Communications Office (Melbourne Archdiocese)

Last week Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald AM delivered the keynote address to the MacKillop Family Services national conference Child Safe Organisations: Prevention and Practice Beyond the Royal Commission at the MCG in Melbourne. In his presentation, Key Learnings from Five Years at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse: Important Messages for Child and Family Welfare and Education Sectors, the commissioner was uncompromising in his assessment of the key lessons Australian institutions need to learn.

Now that the Final Report of the Royal Commission is published, it is time to revisit what two of our priests called to the Royal Commission have said:

Fatima Measham, consulting editor of Eureka Street and host of the Eureka Street podcast ChatterSquare, spoke with Francis Sullivan, CEO of the Truth Justice and Healing Council, the body that is coordinating the Catholic Church's response, to reflect on the journey since the Commission was first announced in November 2012 and to consider what are the next steps for the church. 

A redacted version of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse’s report into Case Study 28 – Catholic Church authorities in Ballarat – was released today.

The report follows a public hearing held in three parts in 2015 and 2016 in Ballarat and Sydney. The public hearing examined the response of the Congregation of Christian Brothers in the St Patrick’s Province of Ballarat and the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat (the Diocese) to complaints and allegations of child sexual abuse by Christian Brothers, clergy and religious in institutions within the Diocese.

A redacted version of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse’s report of Case Study 35 –Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne – was released today.

This report follows a public hearing held in Melbourne in November and December 2015 and in Sydney in February and March 2016 during which the Royal Commission heard about the response of Catholic Church authorities within or associated with the Archdiocese of Melbourne to allegations and complaints of child sexual abuse made against seven priests of the Archdiocese.

This refers to Case Study 50, beginning on February 6, 2017. 

if you are intereted to watch the live streamed webcast each day please click here  - WEBCAST

Each day we will upload links to material presented to the Royal Commission. Material may be 24 hours behind the actual presentation.

The Royal Commission will hold a public hearing to inquire into the current policies and procedures of Catholic Church authorities in Australia in relation to child-protection and child-safety standards, including responding to allegations of child sexual abuse.

The public hearing will commence on 6 February 2017 at the Royal Commission’s hearing rooms in Sydney.