021 :
05 Sep 2008

A model for re-unifying the Christian church… As regular readers of Catholica by now well appreciate, our regular Tuesday lead commentator, Dr Andrew Thomas Kania, has become a passionate advocate for the Eastern rite Catholic churches who maintain their communion with the Latin Church headquartered in Rome. This week he has taken his advocacy to a new level scoring the lead story in The Tablet with a passionate commentary urging the Latin Church to pay greater heed to the universality and 'catholic' nature of Catholicism. It's an article that extends beyond simple advocacy for the Eastern churches and urges all of us to re-discover the depth, beauty and universality of our faith. Catholica is strongly supportive of the particular calls Dr Kania is making in his advocacy on behalf of Eastern Catholics in general and the Ukrainian Catholic Church in particular. We also believe there are themes in Dr Kania's expositions that might profitably be taken up within the Latin Rite Church to the benefit of its local churches around the world. You'll find a link to Dr Kania's article in The Tablet at the conclusion of today's editorial. We invite you to return and share your views on Dr Kania's article and the editorial in our forum. [more]

020 :
21 Aug 2008

Embracing the incertitudes and mystery of life with confidence… Today's editorial is partly sparked by the events currently unfolding in the Archdiocese of Brisbane concerning the parish community at St Mary's South Brisbane. The editorial ends by addressing that particular situation. Before that though the editorial seeks to raise some wider issues concerning the role of our institution and its leaders. Are our churches primarily a means of replacing the intrinsic uncertainties of life with man-made dogmas, certitudes and fundamentalism? Or are they primarily a means of providing comfort and companionship as we, the community at large, negotiate the uncertainties of life? [more]

019 :
13 Jul 2008

Bethel — the responsibility we have to clean up the mess... Every event in life, even the worst tragedies, carry within them the potential for much that is also good. This truism ought be ranked somewhere up near the greatest insights of Christianity. The death of the founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ, from some points of view was one of human civilisation's greatest tragedies and gravest injustices where an innocent person was crucified and had his life taken away from him. Out of the tragedy though we Christians learned about the Resurrection — perhaps the single greatest sign of hope ever given to humankind. Now that a decision has been taken to close the Bethel Community there are two significant issues that remain to be dealt with. In today'e editorial we seek to articulate what those issues are and to draw attention to who might have the responsibilities associated with addressing them. [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]

017 :
15 Mar 2008

Charting a more positive way forward... Hundreds of millions of people in he Western world now have simply walked away from the Catholic Church seemingly in the belief that it is no longer "the fount of all truth". There is a sense that it is absolutely useless raising one's voice in protest. Others have stuck around seeking to see the reforms of the Second Vatican Council implemented. Slowly, slowly they have come to realisation that the battle is hopeless. In this editorial, Brian Coyne asks if those who are genuinely interested in finding a Catholic spirituality that does lead to "truth" and "grace" and "salvation/resurrection" ought start defining their quest in positive terms instead of this constant response to the behaviours of people like JPII, Benedict and their dwindling number of supporters and those who are locked in a form of "deep-fried adolescence". Let us start defining our spirituality in terms of what the collective leadereship of the Church endeavoured to discern at the time of the Second Vatican Council instead of having it defined for us by the neanderthal elements in the Church who, at every turn, have endeavoured to undo the collective work of the bishops of the Church at the Second Vatican Council. This editorial is a response to an editorial we also published on 15 March 2008 from ARCC Light. [more]

016 :
02 Feb 2008

Editorial commentary to launch our new publishing year... In today's commmentary, Brian Coyne explores some of the issues that place challenges in the way of what we're seeking to build here through Catholica Australia. He ends the commentary more optimistically by re-articulating our objectives in light of the changing challenges and landscape we face in the year ahead and also seeks to explain the editorial objectives in the sort of stories we are carrying and what sort of discussion we're endeavouring to encourage in our forums. [more]

014 :
20 Oct 2007

A response and defence of Bishop Manning's comment regarding the petition and a suggestion about a new book the bishops might buy one another for Christmas... This editorial looks at Bishop Manning's recent intervention regarding the petition to the Australian Bishops. It ends with a suggestion of a new book the bishops might buy one another for their Christmas stockings: Robert Blair Kaiser's racy new novel entitled "Cardinal Mahony — the novel". [more]

013 :
03 Aug 2007

A time for optimism and hope... The Editor argues: "it is time for intelligent Catholic men and women to provide moral support to our religious men and women and to the great majority of our bishops. There are many, many reasons in this country to be optimistic for the future of our Church if only we can break the institution away from the clutches of the emotionally insecure who have placed a premium on the search for certitude in their lives at the expense of the search for "real truth" and the real guidance of the Holy Spirit that this Great South Land of the Holy Spirit so desperately hungers for today." [more]

012 :
16 Apr 2007

This behaviour is morally objectionable... The news on the weekend that yet another priest in Australia is the subject of a witch hunt by the self-appointed "thought police" is the pits. It's time for the rot to stop. What is just as objectionable is when some in the leadership echelons of the Church encourage this behaviour or fail to stand up for their staff. [more]

011 :
03 Feb 2007

The many ways in which you might help the Catholica Australia initiative In this commentary the editor, Brian Coyne, explains the objectives of Catholica Australia and renews the appeal for support from commentators, volunteers and those who can help further the endeavour financially. [more]

010 :
02 Feb 2007

The search for spiritual hope "The responsibility of our ecclesial leaders is to be engaging with, not pandering to, 'the children' in their flocks and providing the adult faith formation programs that enables all people to grow in their faith and love of God as revealed to us through the insights and 'fullness of revelation' found in God's son and human emissary and model, Jesus Christ." [more]

009 :
05 Dec 2006

Australian Bishops launch initiative for People with Disabilities... The Australian Catholic Bishops launched a significant initiative in Canberra on Monday to develop a more inclusive attitude towards people with disabilities in the Australian community. We have an exclusive report of the Mass and Launch event with photos and video. [more]

008 :
02 Dec 2006

The ACBC Report on Catholics who have stopped going to Mass — will it lead to changes that reverse the drift? We applaud the Australian Catholic Bishops for funding this important study. We ask will this study be enough though? Cranking up the volume of the same broken record, appeasing the insecure sectors of the Church, is not going to be enough to reverse the drift and re-evangelise the world. [more]

007 :
19 Oct 2006

The challenge they face in cyberspace... The Bishops face enormous challenges in the new frontier of cyberspace. We put forward a few ideas that ought be reflected upon. [more]

006 :
10 Oct 2006

The demise of lay aposotolates. What can be done? Catholic lay apostolates today are a shadow of what they used to be. Should we care? If we do what can be done? [more]

005 :
13 Sep 2006

The Christian meaning in Human Suffering Catholica Australia presents a special feature on the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering. The editorial provides an overview and leads into a commentary prepared by Peregrinus on the Apostolic Letter of Pope John Paul II on the subject — Salvifici Dolores. [more]

004 :
10 Sep 2006

Can you help with the marketing of Catholica Australia? Catholica Australia will take about four years to develop to the point where it can stand on its own feet financially through advertising. We are seeking to fund the development of the initiative through philanthropic support. We see the core members of this community as already making contributions through the volunteering of their time and for those who have the communication skills to attract the audience to our website we intend to pay them rather than rely on them for the financial help as well. This editorial then is not so much a plea for funds but a request for names of people we might approach. [more]

003 :
28 Aug 2006

On some serious issues of truth and half-truth...
The editor of Catholica Australia takes issue with elements in the Catholic media who appear to have been involved in an attempt to defame the reputation of Fr George V Coyne SJ who has resigned from the position of Director of the Vatican Observatory — a post he has held since 1978. [more]

002 :
26 Aug 2006

What drives this endeavour? Brian Coyne thanks all those who have supported the Catholica Australia endeavour in its initial weeks and seeks to answer some of the questions that have been raised as to what this endeavour is all about for those who are still a little confused. [more]

001 :
18 Jul 2006

A Prayer for our time... Jo Shears was the winner of a competition we ran on the CathNews discussion board in 2002 in the aftermath of the terrorist bombing in New York. The competition invited readers to submit "A Prayer for Our Time". Jo Shears produced a multi-media reflection that won the competition. We republished the prayer here on 18th July 2006 along with an editorial explaining the significance of this prayer for us today. [THE PRAYER] [THE EDITORIAL]