The historicity of Jesus... In his second contribution to Catholica, ACU National theology student, Daniel Gullotta, examines the arguments scholars are engaged in in their attempts to better understand the historical person of Jesus. <more>

Can I? Exclusive for Catholica readers we release a copy of Amanda McKenna's new song, "Can I?", which is being used to promote the Vinnies Winter Sleep-Out in support of homeless people on 21st June. Also in the email today: due to the massive number of new subscriptions, and visitors to our website in recent days, Brian Coyne provides an overview of what the Catholica endeavour is all about. <more>

The debate over who should receive communion… The Good Lord must be on our side. The publicity of recent days has sent our subscriptions and web statistics soaring. Overnight Cardinal Pell projected the debate over politicians being denied communion if they vote to approve stem-cell research legislation in NSW onto the Australian agenda. Peregrinus didn't write this commentary with the Cardinal's comments in mind but they are likely to be one of the more measured arguments you are going to find anywhere on the net of the issues both for and against the position being advocated by the Cardinal. <more>

Catholic Religious Education in Australia: why and how it has changed… Catholic Education in Australia faced a major crisis in the 1960s to the point where the bishops of the time seriously considered having to close the entire system down because they simply did not have the resources to sustain it any longer. The new system that was established in the 1970s, thanks largely to government funding, is fundamentally different to the system of religious education that had existed in the past. In today's commentary, Dr Graham English, Senior Lecturer in Religious Education at ACU National, explores some of the other social and cultural factors that make Catholic Religious Education today so much different to what it was in the past. <more>

What lessons from Thomas Becket today? Dr Andrew Kania today re-visits the story of 12th Century English Saint and Martyr, St Thomas Becket. Even today the site of his murder in Canterbury Cathedral is a much venerated spot. Why does this meddlesome priest continue to inspire? <more>

We're in a crisis! The Sydney Morning Herald this morning has a front page story giving one dimension to the crisis afflicting the Catholic Church. Over the weekend, Associated Press, carried an even bigger story about the crisis afflicting Voice of The Faithful in the United States. In his commentary today Brian Coyne examines the dimensions of this crisis from what is hopefully a different perspective from the usual ones you'll read. <more>

The Spirituality of Thomas Merton V... This is possibly the longest of the extracts from Patrick Collins' essay on the Spirituality of Thomas Merton that we will be publishing. It is long because in this section Fr Patrick goes off scouring the correspondence of Merton in search of his views on different aspects of prayer and we thought it best to keep all these thoughts together in one commentary. <more>