Religion News Selection 47 (Dec 13 - 20)
(19 December 15)by Greg Spearritt
Religion News Selection
December 13 - 20, 2015
A
selection of religion news stories from Australia.
(Research: Greg Spearritt)
Inclusion here does not endorse the veracity or quality of any particular item
– it just means
I found it worth reading and reflecting on (even if badly conceived or poorly
written).
If you’re after the
unexpurgated (and reasonably unbiased) version,
see Religion News Australia which
appears weekly on our website.
ABUSE
Former Ballarat Bishop
'profoundly sorry' for moving suspect priests to new parishes (Brisbane Times)
Dec 15 - The former Bishop of Ballarat struggles to sleep at night and is
"profoundly sorry" for moving priests accused of child sexual abuse
to different parishes, one of his former advisers has told a royal commission.
'Poorly' Cardinal George
Pell weighed down with worry over upcoming questioning (Brisbane Times)
Dec 15 - Cardinal George Pell was worried about his planned appearance at a
child abuse royal commission last month, his former housemate says.
Church in controversial
legal tactic to block lawsuits (Brisbane
Times)
Dec 19 - The Catholic Church attempted for nearly a decade to conceal
incriminating documents about child sex abuse using a controversial legal
tactic that it has since renounced as "inappropriate".
Child sex abuse
survivor: 'My belief in truth and justice has taken a beating' (The Guardian, Australia)
Dec 19 - Stephen Woods, a survivor of horrendous sexual abuse at the hands of
three religious figures within the Diocese of Ballarat when he was a schoolboy,
says his belief in truth and justice has “taken an utter beating” over the past
fortnight.
EDUCATION
Islamic school funding
suspended (The Australian)
Dec 17 - Federal and local government funding to South Australia’s Islamic
school has been suspended.
INTERNATIONAL STORIES
Catholic Church
Mother Teresa of
Calcutta, Nobel prize winner who dedicated life to the poor, to be made a saint (ABC News)
Dec 19 - Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the Nobel laureate who dedicated her life
to helping the poorest of the poor, will be made a saint of the Roman Catholic
Church, the Vatican says.
Islam
Donald Trump's Muslim
views 'tragic and full of hatred' (The
Guardian, Australia)
Dec 16 - The Nobel prize winner Malala Yousafzai has condemned Donald Trump’s
views on Muslims as she attended a sombre ceremony to remember the 134 children
killed in a Taliban attack on a Pakistani school a year ago.
Religious Violence
Is Saudi Arabia’s
anti-terrorist alliance real? (The
Guardian, Australia)
Dec 16 – (Opinion: Oliver Miles) In a move that seems to have taken everyone by
surprise, the young Saudi deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, son of the
king, announced this morning at a brief press conference – itself an unusual
event – the formation of an Islamic military alliance to fight terrorism.
Other
New Zealand approves
colander hats and flying noodle weddings (The West Australian)
Dec 20 - Wellington (AFP) - Colander-wearing members of the Church of the
Flying Spaghetti Monster could soon be legally married in New Zealand after the
church was approved to hold "Pastafarian" marriage ceremonies.
ISLAM
Enlightenment - that is
what Islam truly needs (Sydney Morning Herald)
Dec 15 – (Opinion: Paul Monk) The kind of reformation that Islam needs is one
that frees it from the medieval traditions and muddled histories that plague
it.
Bendigo mosque appeal
thrown out of court (The Age,
Melbourne)
Dec 16 - Victoria's highest court has thrown out a protracted legal bid by a
group of Bendigo residents to stop a mosque being built in the regional city.
We need to talk about
Islam, says former radical Maajid Nawaz (Brisbane Times)
Dec 19 - People in the West are reluctant to discuss Islamism because they are
frightened of being portrayed as racist, according to Maajid Nawaz, a British
politician and former extremist who spent five years in an Egyptian jail.
Moderate Islam in danger (The Australian)
Dec 19 – (Opinion: John Lyons, Jennine Khalik) The Grand Mufti of Australia is
under siege politically and publicly.
POLITICS
Stop megaphone politics
on Islam (The Australian)
Dec 16 – (Opinion: Concetta Fierravanti-Wells) Recent calls for a reformation
of Islam demand a reality check.
Liberal divisions after
ASIO chief Duncan Lewis 'intervenes' on MPs' Islam comments (Sydney Morning Herald)
Dec 17 - Divisions have opened up in the Turnbull government, with right-wing
MPs frustrated at the Prime Minister's reluctance to call out radical Islam and
angry that ASIO boss Duncan Lewis has asked some MPs to temper their comments
to avoid causing offence.
RELIGION & SOCIETY
Church of the Flying
Spaghetti Monster fights for recognition in Australia (ABC News)
Dec 18 - The Australian arm of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has
been encouraged by New Zealand's decision to grant the church approval to
conduct weddings.
Can we truly forgive? Is
the Christian demand relevant today? (Brisbane Times)
Dec 19 – (Opinion: Barney Zwartz) Corrie ten Boom is famous in Christian
circles for a superhuman act of grace.
From the Archive…
Religion News Australia 2015 – 47 (Dec 13 - 20)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 46 (Dec 6 - 13)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 45 (Nov 29 – Dec 6)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 44 (Nov 22 - 29)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 43 (Nov 15 - 22)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 42 (Nov 8 - 15)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 41 (Nov 1 - 8)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 40 (Oct 25 – Nov 1)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 39 (Oct 18 - 25)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 38 (Oct 11 - 18)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 37 (Sept 27 – Oct 11)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 36 (Sept 20 - 27)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 35 (Sept 13 - 20)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 34 (Sept 6 - 13)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 33 (Aug 30 – Sept 6)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 32 (Aug 23 - 30)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 31 (Aug 16 - 23)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 30 (Aug 9 - 16)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 29 (Aug 2 - 9)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 28 (July 26 – Aug 2)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 27 (July 19 - 26)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 26 (July 12 - 19)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 25 (July 5 - 12)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 24 (June 28 – July 5)
Religion News Australia 2015 – 23 (June 21 - 28)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 22 (June 22 - 29)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 21 (June 15 - 22)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 20 (June 8 - 15)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 19 (June 1 - 8)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 18 (May 25 – June 1)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 17 (May 18 - 25)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 16 (May 11 - 18)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 15 (May 4 - 11)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 14 (April 27 – May 4)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 13 (April 20 - 27)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 12 (April 12 - 20)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 11 (Mar 30 – April 12)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 10 (Mar 23 - 30)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 9 (Mar 16 - 23)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 8 (Mar 9 - 16)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 7 (Mar 3 - 9)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 6 (Feb 23 – Mar 3)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 5 (Feb 16 - 23)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 4 (Feb 9 - 16)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 3 (Feb 2 - 9)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 2 (Jan 26 – Feb 2)
Religion News Australia 2014 – 1 (Jan 4 - 26)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 53 (Dec 29 – Jan 4)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 52 (Dec 22 - 29)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 51 (Dec 15 - 22)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 50 (Dec 8 - 15)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 49 (Dec 1 - 8)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 48 (Nov 23 – Dec 1)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 47 (Nov 17 - 23)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 46 (Nov 10 - 17)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 45 (Nov 3 - 10)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 44 (Oct 27 – Nov 3)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 43 (Oct 20 - 27)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 42 (Oct 13 - 20)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 41 (Oct 6 - 13)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 40 (Sept 29 – Oct 6)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 39 (Sept 22 - 29)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 38 (Sept 15 - 22)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 37 (Sept 8 - 15)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 36 (Sept 1 - 8)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 35 (Aug 25 – Sept 1)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 34 (Aug 18 - 25)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 33 (Aug 11 - 18)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 32 (Aug 4 - 11)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 31 (July 28 – Aug 4)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 30 (July 21 - 28)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 29 (July 14 - 21)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 28 (July 7 - 14)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 27 (July 1 - 7)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 26 (June 23 - 30)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 25 (June 16 - 23)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 24 (June 9 - 16)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 23 (June 2 - 9)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 22 (May 26 – June 2)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 21 (May 19 - 26)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 20 (May 12 - 19)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 19 (May 5 - 12)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 18 (Apr 28 – May 5)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 17 (Apr 21 - 28)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 16 (Apr 14 - 21)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 15 (Apr 7 - 14)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 14 (Mar 31 – Apr 7)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 13 (Mar 24 - 31)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 12 (Mar 17 - 24)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 11 (Mar 10 - 17)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 10 (Mar 3 - 10)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 9 (Feb 24 – Mar 3)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 8 (Feb 17 - 24)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 7 (Feb 10 - 17)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 6 (Feb 3 - 10)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 5 (Jan 27 – Feb 3)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 4 (Jan 20 - 27)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 3 (Jan 13 - 20)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 2 (Jan 6 - 13)
Religion News Australia 2013 – 1 (Dec 30 – Jan 6)