Lessons from an embarrassing scandal in Western Australia…

Dear Friends,

Very brief email introduction today — two items only: Firstly, I've had a note in from Frank Purcell early this morning advising that they are having to bring the "Write to the Pope" deadline forward to 3rd July ro provide time to process the letters. 3rd July is next Thursday os if you intend to write and haven't yet done so you ought to get on ya bike and do so this weekend!

Secondly, most of you will be blissfully unaware of the big scandal that broke in The West Australian newspaper about six weeks ago. Today you can learn all about it and in an editorial commentary I seek to outline some of the lessons we might learn from this embarrassing matter for the Church. <Read the Editorial Commentary>

Deo Gratias! We didn't publish a lead commentary on Friday. Our email drew attention to some of the entries in our "Design a 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. <Read more in Wednesday's email about the new records being set>

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. <Dr Kania's commentary>

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>

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>

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>

Best wishes for a great day wherever you happen to be ... in life or in our world!

Brian Coyne
Editor and Publisher