693 :
30 Jun 2008

Two commentaries today… Yesterday afternoon and evening the publishers of Catholica, Amanda McKenna and Brian Coyne spent a few hours with visiting American writer, journalist and broadcaster, Robert Bair Kaiser. Today's email provides a report of their meeting. We also present the third part of Tom Lee's extended essay looking at the early missionary outreach of Christainity (See summary in block below this). [more]

019 :
30 Jun 2008

5.3: Paul's radical interpretation of the message of Jesus… From Tom Lee's commentary today: "This equality was the mark of the Christian Eucharist for Paul, and why he fought so hard against dividing the church into Jewish and Gentile Christians and resisted hierarchies of men over women and clergy over laity. That Paul lost these battles doesn't dismiss their radical claim." [more]

034 :
29 Jun 2008

Entwined in this Sacramental pattern… Jesus came to set us free from superstition and ignorance, argues Tom McMahon in this third commentary of his series on Sacrament. This is a very optimistic commentary looking at the new spring that seems to be emerging in wider society but still largely stifled within the institution itself by a leadership fearful of losing its control and power. [more]

018 :
28 Jun 2008

Learning lessons from the Bethel Covenant Community... In our lead commentary today we provide a lengthy exposition of the sexual, leadership and potential financial scandal that has erupted in Western Australia concerning the Bethel Covenant Community. In an Editorial Commentary we endeavour to outline some of the major lessons that might be learned. [more]

690 :
27 Jun 2008

Deo Gratias! We didn't publish a lead commentary on Friday. Our email drew attention to some of the entries in our "Design and Bumper Sticker Slogan" competition and the imminent arrival in Australia of veteran Vatican commentator and journalist Robert Blair Kaiser to promote his new book: "Cardinal Mahony – A Novel". In the forum we provided a preview of the new cd Amanda McKenna finished recording on Wednesday night. [more]

040 :
26 Jun 2008

An important book — highly recommended… Today's lead commentary is a review of Paul O'Shea's book on the wartime Pope, Pius XII. A man who has been at the centre of prolonged controversy over his response, or lack of response to Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust. The Editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, outlines what the book is about and attempts an overview of Paul O'Shea's conclusions. The principal impact of the book on Brian Coyne though has come from another dimension of the book. It's study of the self-perception the leaders of the Catholic Church seem to have of their role. Our Church is in crisis. Perhaps the greatest crisis in its history given the massive disenchantment by the vast majority of baptised Catholics. The leadership has become disconnected from the ordinary people they are meant to serve. This study of Eugenio Pacelli might give us better insights as to why this disconnect has come about. [more]

033 :
25 Jun 2008

What does it take to make the people angry? We held over Tom McMahon's commentary on Sunday for fear of information overload. Today's commentary is not a replacement. It is a special report Tom filed yesterday on two meetings he attended at the University of San Francisco last week. One with Bishop Geoffrey Robinson and the other with author of "Catholicism at the Crossroads", Paul Lakeland. Given the present crisis in Catholicism, Tom has come away wandering what level of anger it takes to motivate the people to do something? [more]

080 :
24 Jun 2008

Euthanasia… The word euthanasia derives from a Greek word meaning "good death". In this commentary Dr Andrew Kania looks at the history of the subject, the wider moral canvas and ends with a quite succinct exposition of Catholic moral thinking on the subject. [more]

018 :
23 Jun 2008

5.2: Enter the Gentiles and the first major dispute needing resolution through a Council… In the section of Tom Lee's manuscript that we publish today, the focus is on how Paul came to focus on the Gentiles in his missionary endeavours and how this in turn led to the first major dispute that needed resolution through a Council of Elders of the embryonic Christian community. Tom Lee examines the decision of the first Council held at Jerusalem under James, the brother of Jesus… [more]

079 :
21 Jun 2008

WORLD EXCLUSIVE… In today's lead commentary we bring you a world exclusive reporting from the Ukrainian Catholic Church perspective on a highly tense diplomatic situation developing between Rome and the leaders of the Ukrainian Catholics. The tension has been caused by a perceived slight dished out to the Ukrainians by Rome in their desire to court the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow. Rome appears to have gone back on a commitment given by Pope Benedict's predecessor to recognise a Ukrainian Patriarch. The about-face by Rome is an effort to appease Moscow but it has unleashed deep feelings of disquiet amongst the Ukrainians. Catholica readers have access to the insides of this story thanks to Dr Andrew Kania's esteemed position within the Ukrainian Catholic Church internationally as a writer who has long sought to bring greater understanding of the Eastern churches in the Western hemisphere of the universal Church. [Andrew Kanis's commentary]

013 :
21 Jun 2008

Richard Sipe's overview report of Bishop Robinson in America Renowned campaigner against sexual abuse, Richard Sipe, has sent us this special overview report for Australian readers of how Bishop Geoffrey Robinson was received by the audiences who attended his lectures in America... [more]

683 :
20 Jun 2008

New models of Church… Today we're continuing the discussion triggered by Fr Kevin Murphy's lead commentary yesterday. Dr Ian Elmer and others have already put forward a wealth of ideas in our forum. Waiting for Rome to do something is like praying for a miracle. It just ain't gunna happen. The inertia and fear that grips the institutional leadership today is simply too great. How might even some of the ideas that are being put forward implemented? [Read today's email] | [Join the discussion in our forum]

004 :
19 Jun 2008

A different way of thinking about liturgy and Church life… The Bishops are advertising to call people back but there is a shortage of priests to minister to them if and when they come back. Society is changing in so many ways. The nature of how we will be Church in the future will be a lot different to what it is today whatever the Vatican might want. Fr Kevin Murphy suggests we ought to do a little thinking outside the square and look at "New Ways of Being Church". In this commentary he puts forward some suggestions… [more]

681 :
18 Jun 2008

Thank you for one of the few places at the moment where you will see a strong growth curve for anything with Catholic in its name! I do want to express our deep thanks to you, our readers, on behalf of Amanda and myself as publishers, and all the commentators and the forum community who make Catholica what it is, for this strong and now sustained support that you are giving to our work. …Brian Coyne (Editor & Publisher). [Read more in today's email about the new records being set]

078 :
17 Jun 2008

Abortion: Second commentary in a series looking at Fifth Commandment issues… Do your eye's glaze over, and do the shutters come down, when you see another article on abortion? I would urge you, if you can, to lift the shutters and pay attention both to what Dr Andrew Kania has to reveal about this subject in his commentary today and also to the arguments put in response by the Editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne. [Andrew Kanis's commentary] | [The Editor's response]

017 :
16 Jun 2008

5.1: A virtue of necessity… Over the next few Monday commentaries we are going to spend some time looking at the detail of the early outreach efforts of the embryonic, still largely Jewish, Christian Church. Tom Lee argues today that much of the early outreach was a virtue forced of necessity as the early followers of Jesus faced various forms of persecution… [more]

032 :
15 Jun 2008

Some definitions and a little history… In this second commentary on his new series exploring the meaning of Sacraments today, Tom McMahon, starts in a logical place — with some definitions and a little bit of the history as to how we came to have the Seven Sacraments we have today. [more]

010 :
14 Jun 2008

A picture is worth a thousand words... Please forgive our headline photo. In recent days a newspaper photographer caught Pope Benedict having a quiet drag. I've already drawn attention to that story in our forum last night suggesting that Benedict might yet become the patron saint of we addicts to nicotine (See: "Smokers get a patron saint" Post 13241). It is a picture that I have a strong feeling will get everyone's attention for the topic at hand in this lead commentary today. Vince Exley sent it in to us. He's been reading Gerald G May's book "Addiction and Grace" and Vince has given us this edited extract. While we do not receive any benefit from Harper Collins, the publishers of Gerald May's book, we hope the stretching of the laws of copyright, if that is indeed what we are doing, might induce a few people to go purchase Gerald May's book, or borrow it from their local library — both actions which would provide some compensation for Dr May. …Editor [more]

676 :
13 Jun 2008

Looking at the difficulties of evangelisation in Australia… The weekend after next the Bishops of Australia are launching an advertising campaign across the nation to reach out to the 86% of Catholics who no longer practice. Brian Coyne has been looking at the Pastoral Letter and the materials to be used in the campaign. Does it have much chance of working or is it a repeat of the many other re-evangelisation programs run over the last 100 years since people started leaving the Church? [more]

020 :
12 Jun 2008

Collins-Purcell urge petitioners to now write directly to Pope Benedict! In the wake of the "disappointing" response from the President of the Australian Catholic Bishops last week, Dr Paul Collins and Frank Purcell, the organisers of a petition to the Australian Catholic Bishops last year, last night announced a new campaign to generate at least a thousand letters which they hope to have delivered to Pope Benedict during his visit to Australia next month. The letter they are suggesting people write addresses the looming crisis in Ministry this nation faces with a lack of priests to officiate at weddings, funerals and Sunday liturgies. [more]

004 :
12 Jun 2008

What sort of witness do we Catholics seek to project? With a little over a month to go until World Youth Day is celebrated in Sydney, the event is attracting more and more coverage in the media. Last Saturday the Sydney Morning Herald published a provocative article by Adele Horin looking at the event through the eyes of an unbelieving mother in a household of religiously sceptical young people. In this response a Catholic mother with much experience of the mores of young people today, Kerry Gonzales, responds supporting Adele Horin's call for the fostering of greater religious tolerance in the wider Australian community but herself also expressing a different kind of scepticism about what World Youth Day is going to achieve. Will it convince the broad masses of young people or is it likely to fan the flames of the sort of religious intolerance recently exhibited in Sydney against the proposal to build an Islamic secondary college in the outer suburbs of Sydney at Camden? [more]

674 :
11 Jun 2008

How do you pray today? Today we travel back to somewhere close to the orgins of the Catholica community. In the wake of the turmoil unleashed by 911 Brian Coyne ran a competition on the old CathNews Discussion Board for people to write "A Prayer for Our Time". For our reflection today we re-visit Kate's audio visual prayer. We also pose some questions: have the ways in which you pray today changed in the last give years? Should they change or is prayer timeless? Is God timeless and hence our relationship with God ought never change? Or should our relationship with God be in continuous flux as we mature spiritually? [more]

077 :
10 Jun 2008

The futility, reality and morality of war and self-defence… Human society owes an enormous debt to those hundreds of thousands of naive boys on all sides who went off to fight for King, Kaiser and Country in the First Great War. Those who witnessed the brutal reality of the trenches returned chastened, shattered and convinced of the futility of war. Humankind does not learn some lessons easily though. The other reality is that evil does exist in the world. At times we do have to defend ourselves when faced with an aggressor who is beyond contact by reason. In the first of a trilogy of commentaries looking at Fifth Commandment morality — "thou shalt not kill" — Dr Andrew Kania examines the vexed issue of the morality of war and self-defence. [more]

672 :
09 Jun 2008

Supporting an independent Catholic media… Cliff Baxter has drawn our attention to an important address by Bill Moyers which we have now placed on the forum. It's an address delivered in the United States about the freedom of the press. What he has to say though perhaps applies with even more force within the Catholic Church. [more]

031 :
08 Jun 2008

Myth, Mystery and the Meaning of Sacrament… Tom McMahon today introduces a new series of Sunday commentaries which will be exploring our understanding of Sacrament in an Age of Technology. The Seven Sacraments we have today were an evolution. Once there were more than a hundred sacraments which the Council of Trent codified into the Seven we know today. Tom explores the meaning of the term Sacrament … what they are meant to achieve … have the Trentian Sacraments lost their meaning for many today … should we re-examine the entire issue of "Sacrament" and give them new meaning for our prsent age — or find new symbols that communicate more effectively today? In this introductory reflection he looks at the power of Myth and Mystery in the human imagination. [more]

001 :
07 Jun 2008

Brian Coyne & Adel Ghali… We begin a new series of aural conversations on Catholica today. Initially this might seem like an interview simply because the editor of Catholica is the usual interviewer in the other audio segments we have introduced to readers. In time we hope to introduce a diversity of "conversations" between different individuals. We want to keep the tone as natural as possible — just like the conversations any of us might have around the kitchen table talking about our faith, our beliefs, our perceptions of the Church, and life. This first conversation is between the editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, and his friend, Adel Ghali. Both Brian and Adel have had a long involvement in lay endeavours and apostolates in the Church over many decades. The conversation is being published in three segments. Here is a summary of the segments:
Segment 1 (13m01s): Introduction – explaining what this series is about and providing background to the participants in this first conversation. Adel shares some of his observations from working at both parish and diocesan level…
Segment 2 (13m04s): Broadly this segment is an extended exchange of views on our different perceptions as to why the Church has lost traction in attracting people. Adel puts forward a more conservative view than Brian…
Segment 3 (14m18s): In the concluding segment the focus is on what might be done to re-vitalise the Church and perceptions of what is happening in Catholic education with the education of young people… [Go to the audio files]

019 :
06 Jun 2008

Petitioners respond to letter from President of ACBC Dr Paul Collins and Frank Purcell, the organisers of a petition to the Australian Catholic Bishops last year, have responded publicly to a letter sent to them on behalf of the Bishops by the President of the ACBC, Archbishop Phillip Wilson. Effectively their message back to Archbishop Wilson amounts to an almighty "Not Good Enough! Mr President". They have sent out letters and emails to the nearly 17,000 signatories to the petition expressing their disappointment at the response and are in the process of preparing a more formal response to Archbishop Wilson and the Australian Bishops. The letters we are publishing here were sent out late on Friday afternoon to petition signatories and that has already begun to generate responses on the Catholica forum which can be found HERE. [more]

018 :
06 Jun 2008

Disturbing email… The editor of Catholica has been aware for several days of a fairly sensational email that has been circulated to Sydney priests by a former Sydney-based Opus Dei accountant, Dennis Dubro, at Warrane College. We have now confirmed the authenticity of the email and are able to provide the following details, including the text of the email... [more]

012 :
06 Jun 2008

What sort of Church do we want? A short commentary today from one of our rapidly expanding community of subscribers and readers in the United States, Richard L Walters. Seemingly inspired partly by Bishop Geoffrey Robinson's book and partly by Tom Lee's commentaries, Richard poses some questions about the sort of Church we ought be trying to create, or get back to... [more]

668 :
05 Jun 2008

Listening to Catholic teachers… The latest issue of Mission and Spirituality News which was published yesterday contains a copy of Br Luke Saker's 2000 and 2006 study of the attitudes of Catholic University students towards their faith. This is not a new report, it received quite a bit of coverage in both the diocesan and secular press when it was published in 2006. It is worth re-visiting though. Today's email commentary provides a summary and links to the report plus commentary on the ways in which these disturbing statistics might be interpreted. [more]

667 :
04 Jun 2008

Where do we find the real truth? Today's Wednesday forum is triggered by a question posed by James in the forum: "Well one might ask: what is the point?" It ends asking you, the reader, "what do you honestly believe today? What is this spiritual quest ultimately all about?" [Link to Forum Discussion Thread]

076 :
03 Jun 2008

A diplomatic warning to the Latin Church… The Eastern lung of the Catholic Church has long carried some sense of being treated as unequal partners in the Universal Church. Recent developments have re-opened some old wounds. In this commentary Dr Andrew Kania, who occupies a place of esteem amongst Ukrainian Catholics internationally, addresses one issue: the treatment of married Eastern Rite priests, both by bishops who have been out of step with Vatican policy, and uninformed members of the lay Church in a number of countries who have treated married Eastern rite priests and their spouses in totally unChristian ways. Possibly sparked by the increasing number of Eastern-rite Catholics now resident in Western countries, Dr Kania has informed the editor of Catholica of instances in English-speaking countries of the wives of Ukrainian Catholic Church priests receiving quite vicious hate-mail from more conservative sectors in the Latin Church. This commentary looks at some of the history of this issue and the official position of the Vatican as espoused by a long succession of Popes. [more]

016 :
02 Jun 2008

4.0: The new religion gets a name… We're skipping ahead a bit now. Part 3 of Tom Lee's manuscript and the opening of Part 4 explores some of the politics going on in the Roman Empire that played a part in the development of Christianity. In our excerpts for Catholica we pick up the story a little way into Part 4 where he looks at how the new religion got its name. This essay also helps set the scene for the Missionary Journeys which he explores in detail in Part 5 and which we will also look at in this series on Catholica… [more]

039 :
01 June 2008

Asking some tough questions… Last week the two single most important media officers in the Catholic Church delivered separate addresses at a conference for Catholic media professionals in Toronto. Archbishop Claudio Celli is President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and Fr Frederico Lombardi SJ heads up the Vatican Press Office. Brian Coyne, editor and publisher of Catholica, suggests there are some serious questions that media professionals in the Church need to be asking themselves and there are serious questions all of us need to be asking ourselves. Is the Catholic Church here just to serve some self-elect minority who believe they are the only ones who possess "the truth" or is it here to serve all people? [more]

001 :
30 May 2008

Bishop Geoffrey Robinson in North America… Bishop Geoffrey Robinson has certainly been generating plenty of media coverage from his speaking tour in North America. Our colleagues, Ted Schmidt and John Quinn at New Catholic Times Sensus Fidelium in Toronto, Canada, report that the Archbishop of Toronto has now attempted to obstruct Bishop Robinson from speaking in his Archdiocese. Bishop Robinson is persisting though in his quest to have the issues of power and sex discussed openly and sensibly in the Church. These articles by the editor of New Catholic Times, Ted Schmidt, and John Quinn is how they are reporting the developments in Canada. This is the first of a regular exchange of commentaries we hope to bring Catholica readers from New Catholic Times. [more]

661 :
29 May 2008

The meaning of Jesus in our lives… The editor is trying to take a short break today to clean up his desk so we're running without a lead commentary today. Last night though Ann Thomson sparked an interesting discussion on our forum that led into a discussion on suffering and pain. The editor placed a post within that string that seems to have generated a bit of interest judging from the responses he had the following morning. Basically it's the story of his personal search to make sense of all this Jesus stuff. What are your thoughts on what he wrote? Is this some weird personal Christology or does any of it with your experiences too? [more]

660 :
28 May 2008

"How central to the spiritual quest is contemplation?" In the last commentary of Dr Patrick Collins looking at The Spirituality of Thomas Merton which we have been basing this first series of Wednesday Forums on, the discussion is on the place of contemplation in the overall life of the Church, perhaps even the overall life of the individual Christian. (For the specific commentary see HERE ). That's the theme Brian Coyne takes up today. If we are serious about our religious beliefs, we are called to a diversity of responses: for example we are called to be charitable; we are called to participation in public prayer or Eucharist; we are called to a certain standard in our moral conduct; we are called to private prayer. The question Brian poses, is how important is the simple act of contemplation or meditation in that whole mix? [Link to Forum Discussion Thread] | [Link to Original Commentary by Dr Patrick Collins]

075 :
27 May 2008

The wretched of the earth (cf Isaiah 49:13-26)… Today's commentary from Dr Kania draws on some of the work he is presently engaged in writing the biography of Dad Hammarskjöld. It is a poignant reflection on the moral obligation we all face to stand up for the weak and the oppressed. [more]

015 :
26 May 2008

2.4: Sorting the facts from the pious myths… Tom Lee today takes a look at what the emerging consensus is amongst historians and biblical scholars as to what are some of the facts and what are some of the pious myths concerning the trials and crucifixion of Jesus. [more]

038 :
25 May 2008

Interview with God's Callgirl… We present a feast of material for reflection today. She might not be a nun anymore, nor even a Catholic, but Carla van Raay would be the first to admit that she is still on a spiritual journey. This reflection ain't for fans of Maria Goretti. This is pretty raw spirituality for grown-ups. [more]

004 :
24 May 2008

Bishop Power's heartfelt expression of support for Bishop Robinson… Retired Australian Bishop, Geoffrey Robinson, has in the last week or so come under pressure from the Vatican, from an unsigned statement put out in the name of the Australian Bishops, and from at least one Cardinal in the United States, for his blunt book entitled "Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church — Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus". Bishop Patrick Power, who is presently on long service leave, yesterday sent Catholica this unsolicited statement of heartfelt support for Bishop Robinson which it is our great pleasure to publish. The sentiments expressed in this article very much accord with the overwhelming sense of support we detect being expressed for them in the disenchanted, largely non-vocal, though exceedingly large sectors of the lay Church we come into contact with in this nation. We salute both Bishop Robinson and Bishop Power for having the courage to exhibit the spiritual leadership of their people that they have shown. …Brian Coyne, Editor. [more]

655 :
23 May 2008

Two Exclusives… No lead commentary today but in the public forum we publish a letter from Paul Collins questioning the style and manner of the Australian Catholic Bishops' response to Bishop Robinson's book. Paul's letter itself has created a stir in our forum. For registered members of the Catholica Forum we are today previewing another new song from the current series Amanda McKenna is recording. This is a more sophisticated treatment that will be appreciated by more skilled musicians. It is a reflection entitled "Take The World Away" written by Amanda and Dave Brebner in 2002 but this is the first time it's been recorded. In a Jazz style we are interested in both general feedback as well as feedback from pro and amateur musicians before the final vocals are recorded and the final mix takes place. The version on the Members' Forum only has a guide vocal and was recorded at 4.00 am this morning so you people are the first to hear and preview this track. [Read Paul Collins' letter and follow the discussion in our forum] | [Click HERE to listen to the preview (Registration Required)]

005 :
22 May 2008

How pastoral attitudes to divorced Catholics underwent a revolution in the mid-1970s… A seemingly "ordinary lay Catholic" who found himself quite by chance at the centre of a little-recorded episode in the history of Australian Catholicism where there was a sea-change in attitude to the pastoral plight of Catholics stuck in failed marriages. Barry Sinclair explains what happened and why. It is an interview that might have continuing value into the future for anyone who comes across the fraught territory of having to negotiate their way through a failed marriage. [more]

653 :
21 May 2008

Who is perceived as the most effective Catholic Bishop in Australia? Today we launch the first Catholica Poll. We're trying to find out who is the most effective Catholic bishop in Australia. Our poll is a bit dodgy — we admit that — but we hope it might stimulate much discussion that does lead to a more effective and pastorally responsive Catholic Church in this Great South Land of the Holy Spirit. All votes are anonymous but only one vote per ISP address. Tell your friends and encourage them to vote also. This survey is open to anyone, not just subscribers to Catholica or members of the Catholica forum. [VOTE NOW!]

074 :
20 May 2008

The search for "truth". What does this really mean? There's been much discussion on Catholica recently as to the nature of truth. By serendipity or God-incidence Andrew Kania's commentary today is also related to this question of what is "truth" and how do we find it. Andrew examines the issue from two perspectives: the first is the plot of that great classic o