Preparing for the 2020 Australian Plenary Council

(Published in The Swag, Vol. 25, No.3, Spring 2017, pp. 12-15) This second article in the series looking at particular councils, examines the initial preparations for the 2020 Australian Plenary Council. Further articles will examine in some detail the seven...

Open Letter to the Bishops of Australia

Catholics for Renewal has drafted this letter in consultation with many Catholics strongly committed to the teachings of Jesus and their Church. People of the Church have been distressed by the increasing failings of our Church, particularly in the context of the...

Choosing the next Archbishop of Melbourne:

 how it should occur, and why this is important by Peter Wilkinson The Diocese of Melbourne was established in 1847.  It became an archdiocese in 1874.  To date, it has had 8 archbishops.  The first three were Irish: James Goold (1848-1886), Thomas Carr (1886-1917),...

Why the delays in appointing Australia’s Bishops?

Bishops for the Australian mission From 1788, when the First Fleet sailed into Botany Bay, until 31 March 2016, seventeen popes have entrusted the pastoral care of Australia’s Catholics to 214 bishops. Until 1976 the popes had also designated Australia a ‘mission’...