Catholic Church

The other day I was watching ABC’s The Drum where Peter Singer was talking about the importance of giving to charitable causes to help alleviate global poverty. Good stuff from Singer, but out of nowhere comes a reference to Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell from one of the panelists.

Apparently Pell, at some point, had said that there is no genuine altruism, people only do good because it makes them feel good (well duh, I’ve heard that before). Anyway, next thing I know the inference is being made that Pell would rather have us walk around flagellating ourselves than giving to charitable causes.

There I am, watching the show, and I’m just baffled as to how went from generous giving to medieval self-mutilation at the behest of George Pell. Then it finally dawns on me, “Of course, this is the The Drum, the final credits can’t roll without at least one Catholic being bashed.” I should have known better.

Continue reading "Where have all the good TV Catholics gone?" »

That wonderful institution called marriage has been in the media a lot this week – and for two very different reasons.

In the US, President Barack Obama has faced down deeply conservative voters to reverse his opposition to gay marriage. Interestingly, he cited his Christian values as the primary reason for reversing his thinking. “In the end, the values that I care most deeply about ... is how we treat other people,” he said.

Hallelujah to that, and we can only hope our own Prime Minister Julia Gillard – usually so eager to warm to Mr Obama but on this occasion very quick to shrug him off – reverses her own thinking on the issue sometime soon.

Continue reading "The nature of love and unnatural chastity" »

So by now we have all heard the story of Father Kevin Lee and his crusade to abolish clerical celibacy in the Catholic Church. For those who need a recap: this popular Sydney priest announced to his congregation last Sunday that he had secretly married a woman one year earlier and had since been living a double life.

As a consequence he has been removed from service as a Catholic Priest. Immediately Father Kevin was across the media in print and radio stating his case and decrying the Church for her laws on “forced” celibacy. And as was to be expected, the majority of commentary has come out in favour of him and against the Church.

Father Kevin has always been very diligent in teaching the faith and bestowing the sacraments which makes this story so disappointing but what is most disappointing is the harm and scandal such a situation does to the Catholic Community (and indeed the community at large).

Continue reading "Father Kevin knew the rules before he donned the cloth" »

Is your church plagued by plummeting attendance levels? Is your exorcism business in the red? Are the tea leaves telling you to tighten your belt? Well turn that frown upside down, because this could be the answer to all your prayers. The commercial world has known the secret forever, but the churches and other peddlers of the spirit world are only just catching on.

Sex sells. And the successful spiritual movements of the future will be those who learn to press people’s slightly less metaphysical buttons.

When the 2011 Census figures come out you can bet your tithe they’ll show a continuing trend of mainstream Christian churches losing followers while the Pentecostal churches pick them up. People want more Guy Sebastian, less The Lord Is My Shepherd. More rock, less clothes. More laying on of hands than laying on of hands.

Continue reading "An exorcise in making the supernatural sexy" »

Neil Watkins is a sex addict and an acclaimed performer. His play – The Year of Magical Wanking – has been called beguiling and poetic, intense, funny, and astonishingly brave.

“I am Neil Martin Watkins and I am a sex and love-addicted innocent.” That’s how I begin my autobiographical monologue about my sexual shame as a result of growing up in Catholic Ireland.

Of course, it was all just the norm then. An altar to Mary and Jesus on the window sill. A holy water font in the hall. Our mother anointed us every morning before school.

Continue reading "My name is Neil Watkins and I am a sex addict" »

At the entrance to Sacred Heart Parish Primary School, on the corner of Lane and Sulphide Streets, Broken Hill, stands a life-size statue of Jesus Christ, his arms outstretched in front of him, palms turned upwards in welcome to all His children. Beneath his feet are inscribed the words: “Faith, Truth, Love”.

There is no question that faith and love are here, but the truth is a little harder to come by. The school headmaster, Trevor Rynne, is locked in his office and won’t come out, directing all calls to a Catholic media liaison officer who dwells in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta, over 1,000 kilometers away. She’s not answering calls, either.

Last night, the story broke that the school had denied an education to a local girl on the grounds that her parents were lesbians. Though the parents, a private couple, aren’t talking to the media either, word around town today is that the matter has been resolved, the school offering the child a place in 2012 on the advice of Bishop Kevin Manning, who lords over the Broken Hill Parish and was “absolutely appalled” when the girl’s case was brought to his attention by the media yesterday.

Continue reading "The Hill ain’t broken, but the Catholics are cracked" »

Senator Nick Xenophon says he faced a “serious moral dilemma” when deciding whether to name a priest accused of raping Archbishop John Hepworth 40 years ago. No shit. On the one hand, as Xenophon explained under Parliamentary privilege last night, he was privy to certain information and frustrated at what he called the “Catholic Church in South Australia’s mishandling of sexual abuse claims”. And unlike most of us, he had the power, the protection and the platform to do something about it.

On the other hand he named a man who may be innocent, who indeed categorically denies the accusation, who is not even the subject of a police report at this stage.

Parliamentary privilege protects Mr Xenophon from legal action. But it doesn’t protect him from accusations he abused this privilege, one which should be used sparingly. What if he’s wrong?

Continue reading "Should Xenophon have named the priest?" »

The Catholic Church is in the headlines after the Vatican effectively forced the Bishop of Toowoomba, William Morris, to resign. Bishop Morris earned the ire of the church because he wanted to discuss liberal reforms such as the ordination of women.

Fellow ‘rebel priest’ Peter Kennedy, who was ousted from the church for his own ‘controversial’ views and subsequently formed St Mary’s-in-Exile in Brisbane, told us his story of clashing with the church.

“It was two years to the day on Sunday that we left St Mary’s and as a community we walked down to the Trades and Labor Council building. They took us in and we’ve been there for two years conducting our services.

Continue reading "Catholic Church: A cult that makes you ‘pray, pay, obey’" »

There’s nothing like a good euthanasia debate to make you wary of doctors.

Sure, they come across all innocent with their gentle bedside manners, illegible handwriting and attempts to cure what ails us. If euthanasia opponents are to be believed, though, they’re actually dastardly devils with a desire for death.

Give ’em an inch when it comes to helping us die and they’ll take a mile – not to mention solicitations from family members who want to knock us off and take our riches, too.

Continue reading "Politics has no place in how we choose to die" »

For one of the world’s most powerful men Pope Benedict has a big problem with clear communication.

Health experts around the world have rejoiced at a hint from the Pope that it kinda, sorta, maybe could be better for a male prostitute with AIDS to use a condom when having sex.

The Vatican has been quick to clear up that it’s not official teaching so headlines such as “Vatican makes first concession on condom use”, in one paper this morning seem a little hasty.

Continue reading "Thanks Benedict, that’s about as clear as mud" »

It took a couple of calls to get through to Sister Mary Ellen O’Donoghue, but when I listened to her phone message I knew it was going to be worth it.

“Sorry to be so late getting back to you Lucy,” she said, “But I can’t be in two places at once.”

A sister of St Josephs, the order of nuns established by Mary MacKillop in 1866 Sister Mary Ellen is also the CEO of not-for-profit organisation Good Grief and a terrific conversationalist.

Continue reading "A conversation, but not with God" »

I was raised a tyke in the 60s. The key role models who gave my life direction when I was young were strong men committed to the service of others: Brothers Dacian, Dionysius, Nicholas, Xavier, John (the Baptist), Ronald and Ernest at Marcellin College Randwick.

Cardinal Pell hopes the soon to be sainted Mary Mackillop can be a much needed role model for ordinary Australians today.

I value the lessons I was taught by the religious brothers, and admire the strength and legacy of Mackillop. But I think the average Australian needs different role models: men and women who have stayed faithful to their partner and who have raised their kids to be good citizens whilst coping with the all the challenges of working life.

Continue reading "Would it be too much to ask to have a saint with a family" »