019 :
30 Apr 2010

Rethinking Catholic attitudes to Women! Today it is a pleasure to present a thought-provoking commentary from Fr Dan Donovan. The central focus of his essay is directing to getting us to collectively re-think our attitude to women in light of the Gospels and the example provided by Jesus. It also contains some thought-provoking ideas on other things such as how our Church might have looked if we only had the Gospel of Mark? And more contemporary issues about how the Church funds itself? [more]

066 :
29 Apr 2010

A new way of looking at the Resurrection... A slight change to the usual pattern today. Because of work pressures Dr Ian Elmer's commentaries are going to be less frequent for a period. I had one ready to go today but due to pressures on my own time have not yet been able to get to the layout. In place of that lead commentary I draw your attention to a post I placed on the forum yesterday which has already been drawing a lot of readers. It's a new look at the meaning of the resurrection story that I've been drawing from my reading of Aussie theologian, Denis Edwards' new book "How God Acts". The Resurrection in recent decades has been generating renewed controversy — as have such concepts as the Virgin birth. I argue in what I have written that Denis Edwards provides a possible way out of the controversy. [more]

125 :
28 Apr 2010

A dysfunctional institutional empire in a state of collapse Part II... The abuse scandal and the current crisis of the institution continue to generate news headlines and commentaries in the mainstream press. Tom McMahon today continues his own investigation of the headlines particularly as they relate to unfolding news in his part of the United States... [more]

149 :
27 Apr 2010

Is it time for Lay Cardinals again? This commentary from Dr Andrew Kania hardly requires an introduction other than the one's Dr Kania gives to it. It is a powerful essay examining the importance and role of the laity in the Church. [more]

005 :
27 Apr 2010

"Systemic reform of Church structures is needed!" Bishop Patrick Power, Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Australia's capital city, Canberra, has in recent days renewed his often repeated calls for fundamental reform in the Catholic Church in the Canberra Times and Eureka Street. Bishop Power has given us permission to republish his comments on Catholica mainly for the benefit of our growing readership in the Northern Hemisphere. The commentary which follows has already been the subject of discussion in the Catholica forum and we welcome the contributions of others to our conversations. [more]

093 :
26 Apr 2010

28.5: Blaming the Sodomites and reconciling the Monophysites... Pinning the blame on homosexuals is as old as the Romans (or should that be the Byzantines?) as today's excerpt from Tom Lee's manuscript looking at the First 500 Years of Christianity shows. A terrible bubonic plague hit the Empire and Constantinople in 542 and the homosexuals became the scapegoats. It seems even a couple of bishops were rounded. Sadly though the Empire was coming to an end. The Goths had a brief victory in Rome but essentially the classical beauty of Rome was never to be restored. Justinian though still exerted a bit of power in the realms of theological matters and he used it on Pope Vigilius to bring about a reconciliation with the Monophysites. [more]

148 :
25 Apr 2010

An ANZAC Day Tribute... I dedicate this article in memory of all those fallen men and women of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp, who died for us, who live after them, to enjoy such a blessed life, and in particular to those men who died on the Sandakan Death March, of which my great Uncle was one of too many. Lest We Forget. ...ATK [more]

001 :
25 Apr 2010

The Urgent and the Vital in Life... It is a pleasure today to introduce John Chuchman as one of our lead writers. For the next five weeks John will be bringing a series of reflections in his verse style. John is a former marketing executive for the Ford Motor Company who gave away the corporate life in the early 1990s to work in the area of grief counselling and spiritual retreats. We begin his series today with a gentle reflection looking at how we prioritize things in our lives. [more]

065 :
24 Apr 2010

What sort of priests is the world looking for? Our reflection today centres on the experiences and outlooks of a number of former seminarians and former priests who left for various reasons. It's from a conversation that arose in the Catholica forum on the current crisis the institution is facing. Billy wrote: "Methinks this is all too little, too late now. As the mounting pressure builds up, the hierarchy will, little by little, be brought to their knees when they realise the magnitude and impact of a church that couldn't reform itself, has now become irrelevant to a modern day society that have simply moved on. It is the dying off, of an era." which led to ex-seminarian, TonySee, sharing his experiences. Catholica editor, Brian Coyne, subsequently invited other ex-priests and seminarians to share their perceptions about priesthood and what sort of priests they perceive society to be looking for today and a fabulous sharing of experiences and perceptions has begun to emerge. [more]

124 :
23 Apr 2010

A dysfunctional institutional empire in a state of collapse... Tom McMahon today writes from within one of the dioceses that has been at the centre of the firestorm of public opinion engulfing Catholicism in recent weeks. The legacy of these two leaders who have endeavoured to roll back the wisdom discerned by the majority of the world's bishops assembled at the Second Vatican Council looks more and more tattered each day... [more]

1355 :
22 Apr 2010

Recovering from a mini-disaster! The editor created a mini-disaster in the early hours of Wednesday morning when he accidentally deleted the entire Catholica forum database — the work of hundreds of contributors that has been assembled over four years. It turns out that it might have actually been a blessing and he's written more about that in this post on our forum. We're still in recovery mode and our regular lead commentaries will resume tomorrow. ...Editor [more]

147 :
20 Apr 2010

In the name of our Trinitarian understanding of Almighty God... We all have experiences in our lives that lead to some 'sign' or 'memory' having special relevance to us. You may recall Dr Andrew Kania relating to us his traumatic experience as a youngster at school of being humiliated because he wouldn't make the sign of the cross in the right way — well "the right way" according to the particular teacher he had at the time. The "Sign of the Cross" has always had an extra special relevance to Andrew and he shares some of his insights with us in this commentary. Within the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, the Sign of the Cross is one of our most used and oldest "signs". [more]

063 :
19 Apr 2010

A radical proposal to end the present crisis? Today's commentary has been inspired by a complexity of inputs that the Editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, shares in both the introduction and in the later exploration of the theme he is opening up for discussion, debate, and conversation... [more]

1353 :
17 Apr 2010

Write a letter to your bishop and win a $25 gift voucher! The editor is busy today upgrading some of our website software so there is no lead commentary. Instead, if you haven't already seen it, you may like to reflect on the Open Letter to the Catholic Bishops of the World which has been published by Professor Hans Küng in the last 24 hours. Then, if you are really keen to seeing a different approach being taken by the institution, you might like to help us, and Dr Küng, see that it is brought to the attention of the bishops it is addressed to. To help encourage you we are running a competition, with a $25 book voucher as the prize, for the best letter (humorous, serious, satirical or obsequious) to a bishop that gets their attention focused on the Küng letter judged by the Catholica community. You'll find full details, including Fr Küng's letter, in this string on the Catholica forum. ...Editor [more]

145 :
15 Apr 2010

The Women who Witnessed the Resurrection... An Easter Season Scriptural reflection today from Dr Ian Elmer in his Puzzling Passages series looking at the women in the Jesus' story. The way they are presented in the Gospels and other New Testament accounts differ considerably an raise fascinating questions for reflection — and for scholars. How important a part did women play in the original Easter drama — in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus? [more]

123 :
14 Apr 2010

The Human Desire for Peace V... Today's commentary from Tom McMahon completes the series on humankind's search for peace amidst the violence that seems so rife in society. It was written before we began the series on Future Priest and in the immediate shadow of Easter. So often Christianity seems tied up with violence despite Christ standing as the ultimate model for humanity against violence. [more]

123 :
14 Apr 2010

The shattering news published in NCR today... I have to confess I feel shell-shocked as I write this font page lead for Catholica. I've just finished reading the second part of Jason Berry's report in National Catholic Reporter outlining the corruption associated with Fr Marcial Maciel Degollado and his Legionaries of Christ and how it extended up into the Vatican itself. As painful to read as it all is I suggest to each one of you who receive today's email do yourself one favour in your life — set aside the hour or so that is necessary to read both parts of Jason Berry's report. You will find it at the links below. All I can say is "thank God for an independent Catholic media which has been the vehicle for bringing this 'filth' (to use Benedict XVI's term) to light!" [Part 1 of Jason Berry's Report] | [Part 2 of Jason Berry's Report]

146 :
13 Apr 2010

Important differences between Byzantine and Latin Rite practices... Here's a fascinating essay from Dr Andrew Kania which will be of educational interest to many readers of Catholica explaining some of the differences between Byzantine Rite and Latin Rite liturgical practices and the difficulties and misunderstandings that sometimes arise in Catholic schools. It is to be hoped that the essay might receive wide circulation in Catholic schools amongst chaplains and RE teachers in particular, as well as in the wider community, in line with the desire of the Australian Bishops to encourage better understanding of these matters throughout the Church. [more]

092 :
12 Apr 2010

Book Review by James... Our resident Catholica sceptic James is well-placed to review this best-selling Christian response to Richard Dawkins' best seller, "The God Delusion". Perhaps not surprisingly for Catholica readers, James concludes "both Dawkins and the McGraths [the authors of 'The Dawkins Delusion'] have done the world a service by making people at least think about fundamental issues because it is this very activity, irrespective of one’s point of view that is a very healthy mental activity". [more]

092 :
12 Apr 2010

28.4: Summing up the Legacy of Justinian... Tom Lee's manuscript in its later chapters has been essentially looking at the gradual collapse of the Roman Empire. Maybe we're living through a similar period in history with the collapse of a once pround institution today? In this extract Tom looks at the legacy of Justinian — the man responsible for commissioning the magnificent Church of Hagia Sophia with we still admire today. [more]

145 :
11 Apr 2010

Finding a point of balance amidst the current crisis... Today's commentary from Dr Andrew Kania is triggered partly by the crisis the institutional Church is presently going through and a deep disappointment even disillusion brought on by the behaviour of some priests and bishops. Andrew also has many wonderful memories of the Church that nurtured him. Today he shares some of those memories in preparation for the criticisms that he also feels needs to be voiced at this time. At times today's commentary is almost whimsical and certainly nostalgic and will stir many such memories for readers of Catholica. [more]

122 :
12 Apr 2010

A conversation on what sort of priesthood we want? Day Nine Today Tom McMahon attempts to bring our conversation of the last week to some kind of conclusion. It's a difficult task because this is in fact an on-going conversation. ...Editor [Today's thought-starter from Tom McMahon] | [Quick Index to the conversation on earlier days]

121 :
11 Apr 2010

A conversation on what sort of priesthood we want? Day Eight Tom McMahon has a fear our series might be ending in a whimper. I don't think so. Dr Andrew Kania has prepared a two-part commentary which I'll also publish later today looking at the current problems in the institution but offering both a positive and negative assessment of priesthood today. My own sense is that this conversation is far from over even if the particular conversation of the past eight days might be drawing to a close. ...Editor [Today's thought-starter from Tom McMahon] | [Quick Index to the conversation on earlier days]

120 :
10 Apr 2010

A conversation on what sort of priesthood we want? Day Seven Tom McMahon went searching in the library of his old seminary yesterday for a copy of Hans Küng's book "Why Priests?" and couldn't find it. He did find another book written in 1948 with the interesting title "The Mass of the Future". "Interesting" particularly given the date it was published. It will be interesting to hear more from Tom on that one. Perhaps the title of that book though might give us a theme for further discussion as we bring this series to a close. The thought of even thinking about a Mass of the Future would surely send those stuck in the past almost into apoplexy but given the looming crisis in the availability of priests for the rest of us it's perhaps an important question. Who will be the celebrants of the Mass in the future? ...Editor [Today's thought-starter from Tom McMahon] | [Quick Index to the conversation on earlier days]

119 :
09 Apr 2010

A conversation on what sort of priesthood we want? Day Six Do you think we could be hope-filled and optimistic enough to except a response to the invitation Tom McMahon extends today for bishops to become involved in a conversation like the one we are having? I am not holding my breath. I thought the recent Lenten Reflection series, and particularly the sit-down dinner at the end with representatives of the 'ordinary pew sitters' was an enormous step forward. In the present climate though the entire culture of the instituton militates against priests, theologians, lecturers and teachers and especially those higher in the ecclesial food chain venturing anywhere near 'open dialogue' with their people. It's almost inviting a 'report to Rome' or some higher authority by the temple police no matter what they say. The only place any of them feel free to say anything is on the websites that are sympathetic to the temple police. It's another of the many signs in the institution today that the rest of us can effectively "go to hell". I can't see any change in that until the culture is changed at the very top of the institution. That said, I do join with Tom in extending an open invitation to our bishops to participate at any time in what we're doing here on Catholica. The same goes for any person who occupies any position that carries some institutional authority, particularly those who are meant to be teachers and adult faith educators. (You do have to be brave folks. As we have seen on more than one or six occasions on Catholica you will get 'reported' and you may have to defend yourself. That, sadly, is just the lay of the land these days — and why our institution is in the pathetic and embarrassing mess that it is in. Could I suggest to our bishops: you need to become a little braver yourselves, gentlemen. The guy who is going to be judging your stewardship exam does not have the name Benedict Ratzinger — he doesn't have the name Tom McMahon or Brian Coyne either!) ...Editor [Today's thought-starter from Tom McMahon] | [Quick Index to the conversation on earlier days]

118 :
08 Apr 2010

A conversation on what sort of priesthood we want? Day Five Tom McMahon today suggests a shift in the conversation to consider the gender issue. What he suggests is not necessarily straightforward. Historically priesthood became very tied up with the male gender. Society today has moved in its outlook towards women — women themselves have moved, and so have men. But when we think of 'women priests' are they merely to be a female version of an understanding of priesthood that has lost its appeal in society, or which is searching for a fundamental re-definition of its role? Great territory for discussion here... [Today's thought-starter from Tom McMahon] | [Quick Index to the conversation on earlier days]

117 :
07 Apr 2010

A conversation on what sort of priesthood we want? Day Four Today our priesthood conversation almost seems as though it is being outrun by the news breaking all around the world in the secular and quality religious media at the moment. The crisis facing the leadership in Rome is deepening. In particular I draw your attention to the breath-taking story from Jason Berry being carried in National Catholic Reporter today and tomorrow [LINK: "Money paved way for Maciel's influence in the Vatican"]. To continue our conversation Tom McMahon's latest reflection seeks to aummarize the posts made by the rest of us since his last summary. [Today's thought-starter from Tom McMahon] | [Index page of the Forum where you can get an overview of all strings in the conversation]

116 :
06 Apr 2010

A conversation on what sort of priesthood we want? Day Three Tom McMahon begins today by urging the editor to be patient as the editor was lamenting with him yesterday that we could end up with a conversation like a big plate of spaghetti — a lot of interesting ideas but little cohesion bringing everything to some conclusion or consensus. The conversation is now certainly throwing up a plethora in ideas. Tom today attempts to pick some of the highlights out of what was thrown into the ring yesterday and makes a plea for others to come forward who, up until now, have been silent readers but not sharing their own thoughts. Some of course are constrained by employment considerations but please remember you can post under a pseudonym and your privacy will be respected. This community has been operating for a long time now and people soon pick up what level of experience and authority the various contributors bring to a conversation like this without anyone's privacy being impeded. [Today's thought-starter from Tom McMahon] | [Index page of the Forum where you can get an overview of all strings in the conversation]

115 :
05 Apr 2010

A conversation on what sort of priesthood we want? Day Two Because I'm working across something like a 14 hour time zone, and international date line, difference with Tom McMahon on this conversation on priesthood it might take a day or so to get our rhythm right in the timing of the thought-starter commentaries. That's probably a good thing at the moment because it's taken about 24 hours to get the conversation to start to fire. It is beginning to fire along nicely now although I'm still waiting for Tom's analysis as to how we should be proceed in some kind of ordered way. Also of interest people, particularly husband and wife team, Billy and Stephen, have been finding some wonderful YouTube reflections to post on the forum — one of which, a poem on Love by Kahlil Gibran I've now featured on the video channel. I've also posted on the forum some more thought-provoking material from theologian, Denis Edwards, on 'miracles' and how modern theologians are beging to think about how God acts in our lives and in the world. It's a rich feast at the moment. [Priesthood Conversation] | [Kahlil Gibran video] | [Denis Edwards]

114 :
04 Apr 2010

A conversation on what sort of priesthood we want? Over the coming week we are suspending our normal lead commentaries to concentrate on a forum-based conversation on priesthood. The conversation is being facilitated by Tom McMahon in San Francisco who has written extensively on the question of priesthood on Catholica over the past few years. We are primarily though seeking input from yourselves — ordinary pewsitters, priests, former priests, young and old, anyone who might have something intelligent to say on the subject. To start the conversation today we seek your input on the objectives of the discussion and how we will tackle the conversation. [more]

063 :
03 Apr 2010

Too books worth paying attention to! Here is something to provide you with a sense of hope during what seems to be a generally gloomy Easter (at least from a Catholic institutional perspective). An introduction to two books the Editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, has found uplifting in recent days... [more]

1335 :
02 Apr 2010

What is 'good' about this day? On this most solemn of the days in the Christian liturgical calendar and as dark clouds gather above the Church I feel lost for words and exhausted. Consequently I've not prepared a lead commentary today and instead invite you to reflect quietly on the words in the headline banner: "What is 'good' about this day? A day in which we might all put ourselves in the mind of Christ and reflect on our own behaviours to the innocent, the vulnerable, the poor ... and to truth!" ...Editor [more]

144 :
01 Apr 2010

"The Poor" in Jerusalem (Gal 2:10) Today's commentary picks up on a conversation in the Catholica Forum where some of us have been querying what Jesus meant when he spoke of the poor and the little ones. Dr Ian Elmer does not pretend to explore the whole issue here through his area of expertise in biblical scholarship but instead explores a particular meaning that we find in some of St Paul's writing. This is an ongoing conversation and what Ian provides today is a valuable insight into one part of the mosaic. [more]

042 :
31 Mar 2010

Extracting meaning from the betrayal of Judas As we stand at the mid-point of Holy Week it is perhaps a good time to pause and reflect on the story of Judas and how, in some ways, he reflects all of us — sinners and ones who so often fail to measure up to the mark or our own ideals. Institutionally we have much to reflect on in this department during this Lent and Easter. It is valuable to also take time out and reflect on the meaning to be drawn out of the betrayal of Judas in our personal lives. How much do all of us reflect Judas — or Peter and the rest of the twelve as we seek to emulate the perfect, and innocent Son of God, Jesus Christ? Daniel Gullotta prepared today's reflection as part of his recently commenced studies to become a priest in the Anglican Church in Brisbane. [more]

046 :
30 Mar 2010

A truly "private" audience with JPII... One of the things we like to do on Catholica is share our stories. Here's one that is a beauty. Desmond Farmer is a regular contributor to our forum (as "Desi"). Nearly thirty years ago he found himself serendipitously with Pope John Paul II in private audience for about 15 minutes. The man who facilitated the extraordinary and unexpected meeting was John Magee, then private secretary to the Pope, but in recent days in the headlines when he resigned as Bishop of Cloyne in Ireland. Here is Desi's story about how it all came about... [more]

091 :
29 Mar 2010

28.3: The colourful reign of Justinian and Theodora... In some respects the crisis facing the Church and world today might look mild compared to the crises recounted by Tom Lee today early in the sixth century, tensions between East and West, a pope with a son who succeeded him, and climate change — a volcanic eruption on Krakatoa in the Southern Hemisphere caused the crops to fail in the Northern Hemisphere for three years. [more]

113 :
28 Mar 2010

A fresh conversation on the priesthood of the future! The present crisis engulfing the Catholic Church is calling into question serious systemic failings in the priesthood, and in the episcopal leadership. The Editor of Catholica has suggested in the Catholica Forum that we conduct an extended conversation in our community about what sort of priesthood we believe will better serve the people in the future. We have decided to begin the conversation during Easter Week (i.e. next week commencing on Easter Sunday). The Editor of Catholica has invited Tom McMahon, who has a lifetime of experience as both a clerical priest and as a type of secular 'priest' offering counselling to many, to provide a thought-starter commentary each day and to act as the one who leads the conversation and keeps it on track. [more]

008 :
27 Mar 2010

The Challenge facing our Bishops Whenever we run articles by George Ripon on Catholica they invariably draw a large readership. Perhaps that is because they reflect what many in the pews, or who have recently left the pews, are thinking. Is his an articulate voice for the majority today who feel severely let down by our episcopal leaders? In his commentary today — which was written before Pope Benedict's recent Pastoral Letter to the People of Ireland — George seeks to articulate the challenges he sees the bishops facing from the perspective of an ordinary pewsitter and elder in the average Australian suburban parish. [more]

1328 :
26 Mar 2010

A Virtual Tour of the Sistine Chapel In lieu of a lead commentary today we invite you to visit a stunning virtual tour the Vatican has just placed online of the Sistine Chapel. It's like "being there". You can zoom in and pan around the entire chapel and its ceiling all the while accompanied to magnificent classical music. This website was brought to our attention by DavidC in our forum and we also invite you to read the post Billy has placed on the forum with interesting information about the portrait of God Michelangelo painted on the ceiling of the chapel. [more]

143 :
25 Mar 2010

The mystery about the origin of Angels and Devils... Have you ever wondered about the origin of belief in angels? Or of the custom why women used to wear hats in church? Dr Ian Elmer's commentary today is one of the best short explorations you're like to read anywhere about these mysterious things. He doesn't provide all the answers though and ends by leaving you with some questions. [more]

112 :
24 Mar 2010

The Human Desire for Peace IV... In today's lead commentary, Tom McMahon, examines the long infatuation humankind has had with violence with a view to better understanding the violence, and abuse of power, that has even come to be seen in the House of God. [more]

1325 :
23 Mar 2010

The iconic central story of Christianity — The Passion Because of the length of the reading this week — Luke's account of The Passion — the reflection of the bishops is almost twice as long as those published in previous weeks. They're not only longer but richer. This week we're inviting as many people as possible from our community to write "lead commentaries". What does the Passion story say to you? What do the perspectives of the bishops and archbishops say to you? We're sure the bishops too would appreciate your perspectives on their perspectives. Do not be shy — you are welcome on Catholica to write under a pseudonym. You'll find the Lectio Divina exercise therapeutic for yourself as much as for anyone else. Writing helps clarify your thoughts. [more]

090 :
22 Mar 2010

28.2: A new calendar and the end of paganism... A shorter excerpt from Tom Lee today but some interesting side-links to Wikipedia and other places for further information about the establishment of the calendar dating things from the Birth of Christ developed by Dionysus Exiguus in 525. After recording the end of paganism in the Empire, the excerpt ends with the arrival of the first pope who started the tradition of a pope changing their name upon election to office. [more]

031 :
21 Mar 2010

A Squandered Opportunity to Restore Morale... Late last night Australian time the Vatican released the much anticipated Pastoral Letter from Pope Benedict to the People of Ireland in the wake of the clerical abuse scandal in that country. Here at Catholica we looked forward to this Pastoral Letter with a genuine sense of hope and anticipation. In the end we were disappointed. Today's editorial has been written as an attempt to reflect what we believe might be a shared communal view of those who support the objectives of Catholica — an outreach to those who have given up regular sacramental participation in the institution and those still practising who have deep misgivings with the agenda presently being pursued by the institutional leadership. [more]

002 :
21 Mar 2010

The Priestly Drought now 40 Years On... Fr Eric Hodgens, now a retired priest in the Melbourne Archdiocese, has become one of the foremost authorities in Australia in analysing over a long period of time the trend in priestly vocations and the looming crisis facing the institution in providing pastoral leaders at the parish level. In this new article he submitted to Catholica yesterday, in possibly his most graphic explanation of the looming problem, Fr Hodgens spells out the harsh realities facing the bishops and all of us in Australia. [more]

1322 :
20 Mar 2010

Waiting for publication of the Pope's letter to the Church in Ireland... As the world awaits publication of the Pope Benedict's letter to the Irish Church it's become a bit like a Lenten Vigil. There is a mixed sense of hope — that he might at last get the right combination of words together to at last bring the escalation of the crisis to an end and open the way for some healing to begin — and of fear — that we're going to get yet "more of the same" that helped give us the crisis in the first place. I haven't prepared a lead commentary today as I'm trying to take a bit of a break because whichever way things fall out in the next day or so I expect the pace from a media point of view with be quite frenetic. In lieu of a lead commentary you will find a wealth of excellent commentary and discussion in our forum today on the present crisis and wider issues affecting the Church. I expect the Catholica forum will be one of the first places anywhere in the world today where you will get a good overview of how the various media around the world report the Pope's message when it is released. [more] | [forum]

045 :
19 Mar 2010

The sad, sad result achieved by the Reform of the Reform... March on the Reform of the Reform and the turning of the once incredibly influential Roman Catholic Church into a remnant for the insecure and an irrelevant museum for the vast masses of ordinary people once enormously proud of their Catholic heritage and active participants in the sacramental life of the Church. Today's lead commentary by John Hushon, one of the co-convenors of the forthcoming American Catholic Council was recently published under the title "Recent History of the Diocese of Venice in Florida—or How To Destroy a Diocese" on the Voice from the Desert Blog. John has given us permission to re-publish the essay on Catholica and in fact this is an updated version to the one published earlier. Educated at Brown and Harvard Law, John Hushon was a successful international lawyer and CEO of a multinational energy company before retirement. Since 'retiring' John has obtained a graduate degree in theology, served as chair of a social justice group, taught in the RCIA program, sponsored a well-attended theology series with outside speakers, taught an adult religious education program with a syllabus pre-filed with the pastor, and served as a trustee and volunteer at many charities, organizations, and institutions of higher learning. Read this and weep. Do these people so enthusiastic for the Reform of the Reform ever sit down and "do the math": their activities might impress the likes of the late JPII and Benedict XVI, neither of whom seem to have a good grasp of math, but do they ever ask themselves if the Almighty is impressed at the persistent effort to turn the vast majority of the baptised out of the pews and turn the assets of the institution over to a tiny, totally unrepresentative minority of Pharisees? [more]

142 :
18 Mar 2010

A lesson in how to reverse a law and yet still remain true to God's word... A fascinating commentary from Dr Ian Elmer today. It explores how St Paul justified his embrace of the Gentiles. Yes, it's a commentary about circumcision again but these are far more important issues that our learned friend is discussing with us here than the cutting of genitalia to prove our membership of God's people. Ian draws from a number of sources to discuss the radically different approach to Law that Paul proposed based on his understanding of the message being offered by Jesus himself. This is one of those sort of commentaries where you might feel your faith and belief axis shift a degree or two around its polar axis as you read it. [more]

111 :
17 Mar 2010

The Human Desire for Peace III... In the midst of the current meltdown the institution seems to be going through, Tom McMahon, argues that there is life outside the institution. The institution and priesthood as we've known it for so long might be crumbling but Jesus is still with us. When we near the home run of our lives we begin to appreciate what is really important. [more]

1319 :
17 Mar 2010

The Woman Caught in Adultery... One of our regular contributors to our forum, CathyT , has prepared the lead commentary this week in our series following the Australian Bishops' Lenten Reflections. Cathy sees this passage from Scripture as a commentary on the purpose of law: that "purpose is to bring us into relationship with God, to help us blossom into the person each of us can be if we live a God-centred life." [more]

041 :
16 Mar 2010

A short Epistle on Love... It's a coincidence that we're giving two passages from the Gospel of John a workout today. The Bishops' Lenten reflection this week [LINK] is from John 8:1-11, and Daniel Gullotta sent in this poignant and succinct reflection on the meaning to be taken from John 12:1-8. It's a reflection on love. [more]

089 :
15 Mar 2010

28.1: Hormisdas finds a formula to reunite Constantinople and Rome... In the penultimate chapter to Tom Lee's exploration of the first 500 years of Christianity, before we reach Tom's conclusions, we move a little way into the sixth century. Some unity is restored between Rome and Constantinople and Tom explores the legacy of the Christian philosopher, Boethius. [more]

018 :
14 Mar 2010

What Is Wrong with the Catholic Church? To lead off our Sunday Forum conversation today we publish Tom McMahon's response to Stephen Crittenden's program on ABC Radio National's Background Briefing program last Sunday exploring "What Is Wrong with the Catholic Church?" [more]

1310 :
13 Mar 2010

Prayers for Meetings When I attended a meeting at Hunters Hill Parish Hall last Wednesday night to act as roadie for my musician wife, little did I expect I'd find a new product to promote in the Catholica Spiritual Marketplace but also an interview with a very interesting lady. If you'll forgive the advertorial nature of this commentary let me share with you some good news... [more]

1314 :
12 Mar 2010

Saving us from slithering snakes, slithy toads ... and the devil! One of our lead commentators rang me yesterday to alert me to a story in the UK Telegraph where the Vatican's chief exorcist is claiming the Devil is in the Vatican. That has generated a really interesting conversation in our forum about what is happening in the Vatican and the whole future of religion in society. Well worth reading in its own right. I'm just about to chuck another grenade into that discussion because while I was writing this email someone rang me to point out that part of the criticism being made by the chief exorcist is not actually directed at so-called "liberals" in the Church. It is directed at those who come from both conservative and liberal camps who are disparagingly labelled as "professional Catholics". They don't believe in anything other than protecting their paypackets and superannuation but, by golly, they know how to say things as though they do believe in something! You might know priests who "go through the motions" but have actually ceased to believe and there's plenty to be found in that vast secular employment bureau the Church has become in a country like Australia. Is the chief exorcist saying they dwell in the highest realms of the institution as well? Why is it that these people seem to have a heightened ability to slither to the top without being detected? Standby, here's another really interesting discussion about to fire up. What my correspondent was suggesting is that in some ways these very self-interested individuals pose as great a threat to Catholicism as the neaderthal element who are petrified of modernity and who have their heads completely buried in the sand and in dead languages and the rituals of a bygone era of history. God save us all from the extremists on both sides, and slithering snakes and slimey toads! [more]

141 :
11 Mar 2010

What is God's name? Dr Ian Elmer returns today to a discussion that resurfaces from time to time on Catholica — the truly puzzling matter of the names we give to God. His treatment is in part triggered by the recent decision of Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments urging that we drop the pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton in liturgical celebrations in song or prayer. [more]

110 :
10 Mar 2010

The Human Desire for Peace II... The new revelations in the news today of violence inflicted by high profile members of the Church — the disgraced head of the Legionaries of Christ [LINK] and the pope's own brother [LINK] — lends a particular poignancy to today's commentary from Tom McMahon. Where does this human propensity for violence come from? All of us, if we are honest with ourselves, have to deal with this trait seemingly embedded deep in human nature. We have to own up and deal with it institutionally as well as individually. [more]

1312 :
10 Mar 2010

The Prodigal Son... The reflection reading this week is already generating considerable discussion. The Bishops generally argue it is one of the great lessons in Scripture. Our own lead commentary Dr Paul Collins argues that forgiveness without restoration is a sham. In our forum there is discussion on this tension between the forgiveness offered by God and our need to restore equity, or equilibrium. Do we have to do anything to earn the love, and forgiveness of God? If so, what? [more]

144 :
09 Mar 2010

The nature of Epiphany II... Today Dr Andrew Kania concludes his two-part reflection on the nature of Epiphany. We speak of God giving light to the world and Jesus giving true light to every person (as in John 1:9) but what does this all mean in practical terms? This reflection contains some thought provoking ideas from the likes of Marco Polo, Thomas Merton, Yves Congar as well as Andrew himself. [more]

1310 :
08 Mar 2010

So much food for thought and discussion... There is simply so much fruitful discussion going on in our forum at the moment, and elsewhere in the media, that we thought we'd give you a rest today from yet another new lead commentary. The animated banner below just gives a small flavour of some of the stories in the news at the moment that are generating much thoughtful reflection. Please feel free to join the conversation. Last week we far exceeded our previous number of visits and, while March is always a good month in readership growth, I expect we'll break through the 50,000 number this month. Few Cathedrals could boast that number of 'visits' a month let alone suburban parishes. We're now 'up there' in the realm of websites that have been around a lot longer than us or which have the massive resources of the institution behind them. We still survive on the proverbial smell of an oily rag but to our core community of writers and those contributing to the conversations on our forum all this is enormously gratifying. [Today's e-Bulletin] | [See the conversations on our forum]

044 :
07 Mar 2010

The Saga of Munglanup A change of pace today — well, sort of, in that it's poetry and in the tradition of this nation's best balladeers. In other respects though it is no change of pace in that it echoes the disquiet of many of the faithful in this Great South Land of the Holy Spirit. Sit back and enjoy "The Saga of Munglanup" by Brian Clery. This might make up for our not being able to bring you poetry on Friday from Father Hartigan. [more]

030 :
06 Mar 2010

Our institutional mission... Last night, at his installation as Third Bishop in the Diocese of Parramatta, Dr Anthony Fisher OP delivered an inspiring and thought-provoking homily outlining some of the challenges he sees as pastor to the Western suburbs of Sydney. In short, it was his mission statement. Here at Catholica we suggest his homily has wider application than this Diocese and to draw attention to it, and to some of the challenges we'd also like to draw to the attention of His Lordship and other bishops, we submit for thoughtful consideration this editorial... [more]

001 :
05 Mar 2010

Go West young man! Unfortunately, due to a public relations' oversight, neither Catholica nor Fr Donal Hartigan got a formal invitation to the big party in Parramatta last night. However, being the intrepid members of the fourth estate that we are, we got Fr Donal, and the sisters from our cloister, to do a bit of poking around to find out what all the fuss was about at St Bunnings Cathedral in the Diocese of Parramatta in Western Sydney... [more]

140 :
04 Mar 2010

Authority and Dissent in the Church! Today's commentary from Dr Ian Elmer follows on from the lengthy discussion in our forum in recent weeks on the questions of authority. Who do we believe? It's a long commentary where he re-visits arguments he's presented earlier on Catholica of the history of authority and dissent in the time of St Paul and Ss Peter, James and John. Ian invites readers who are already familiar with those arguments to skip the first part and proceed directly to his "Final Reflections" which brings all this discussion we've been having to some kind of focus. Click HERE to go directly to the "Final Reflections". [more]

109 :
03 Mar 2010

The Human Desire for Peace... Tom McMahon introduces his own commentary today with these words: "An American takes a hard look at the historical rise of people power, militarism, freedom, and the role of church and religion … part one of perhaps four on cultural clashes of violence and the human desire for peace." [more]

143 :
02 Mar 2010

The nature of Epiphany... Today and next Tuesday Dr Andrew Kania invites us to spend time reflecting on the nature of Epiphany in our lives. This week the reflection is based on the Old Testament scriptural passage from Isaiah on Epiphany from Chapter 9. Next week he takes a passage from John in the New Testament. [more]

1304 :
02 Mar 2010

Not the Gentle Jesus... The reflection reading this week is a difficult one. Bishop Greg O'Kelly says this isn't one from "the gentle Jesus" and the others put it in slightly different ways. It's a reflection on reforming our lives and the patience that is entailed in that. [more]

088 :
01 Mar 2010

27.2: Benedict and Scholastica and their positive contribution... What enormous debt human civilisation and the church owes to the family of the original Benedict and his sister Scholastica? Tom Lee's exploration of the first 500 years of Christianity today pauses far too briefly to explore the legacy of Benedict and Scholastica. [more]