A further critical look at the Draft Pastoral Plan for Sydney Archdiocese… Fr Daniel Donovan takes a further critical look at the draft pastoral plan for the Archdiocese of Sydney. In the interests of encouraging intelligent discussion within the Church community that is to the overall enhancement of the Church, Catholica would welcome informed responses or rebutals from those who drafted the plan, or writers with expertise who disagree with Fr Donovan's criticisms. <more>

A new series of interviews with Catholic leaders and thinkers… The editor today explains the thinking behind a new series of occasional interviews we propose to publish in Catholica. We begin the series by republishing two indepth interviews: one with Dr Peter Tannock, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Notre Dame, and the other with Fr Diarmuid O'Murchu. <more>

Leaked letter discloses priest disquiet over remuneration levels in Sydney Archdiocese… The rumblings of disquiet in the Archdiocese of Sydney look set to continue. Catholica has been sent a copy of a letter addressed to "fellow priests" in the Archdiocese which seeks to apply pressure on the Archdiocesan authorities for a salary and superannuation increase for priests. <more> In a follow-up we drew attention late on Wednesday night to a news story in the Sydney Morning Herald where Cardinal Pell announced an 8.7% payrise for priests in the Sydney Diocese. <Click here to read the SMH story>

The mystical value of a hug… Here's a fabulous little reflection from Vince Exley who's hit the wagon at the moment and consequently found God in a hug. Seriously, our mate is in hospital in Brisbane recovering from a potentially fatal infection he picked up and he sent us this delightful little reflection that I am sure will warm many hearts as much as Vince's regular afternoon Scotch on the Rocks, normally warms his little heart. Enjoy your day and give someone you meet today a really good hug! And Vince, if you want any visitors you'd better get a message to our forum quickly letting us know which hospital you're in! <more>

A challenging commentary on hypocrisy… Whatever your political persuasion I think you will find this commentary by Dr Kania most provocative and challenging. He's looking at the difficult issue of hypocrisy. At times we have to speak up about injustices in society but it is not always easy to do so without being hypocritical ourselves. There is fuel for a rich discussion flowing out of this commentary. As happened yesterday, later today I will be publishing a second commentary, this time from Vince Exley, so check back later. …Ed. <more>

Building a parish in cyberspace… In many ways the internet is turning into the revolution for our post-WWII generations that the birth of the motor car, the aeroplane and radio communications was for our parents' and grandparents' generations. Amanda McKenna almost lives in cyerbspace these days, as does her husband, the editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne. In separate ways a large part of their work today is focused on finding ways in which the net might be used in service of communicating the gospel message of Jesus and building mutually supportive communities. In this commentary, Milly relates two recent experiences that she has found uplifting… <more>

Our changing perceptions of faith and belief… Fr Daniel Donovan was recently interviewed on The Religion Report on ABC Radio National concerning the comments he first aired on Catholica over the Draft Pastoral Plan for the Archdiocese of Sydney. We invited him to provide us with a debrief following the interview. In overview his commentary ends up essentially being a critique of how and why our views on religious belief and how we practice them have changed in the last half century. <more>

This is OUTRAGEOUS! Cliff Baxter provides the facts on this disturbing case in Ireland that has been reported in The Irish Echo in Australia. It's about a gay priest who has been "outed" by one of Rupert Murdoch's sensationalist tabloids. In a separate editorial, Brian Coyne, puts the case for the real moral issues that this case brings to the surface for investigation. <more>