Religion News Australia
October 24 – 31, 2021
Religion news stories from Australia
(Research: Greg Spearritt)
ABUSE
Complex trauma almost ended Paul Klotz’s life until someone believed him (ABC News)
Oct 28 – Paul Klotz had an idyllic childhood adventuring with his dog Benson and horse Sanur through the streets of Emerald in central Queensland.
‘Didn’t want to know’: Rape survivor said school stonewalled him (Sydney Morning Herald)
Oct 30 – A rape survivor has accused a prestigious school of stonewalling his attempts to air the abuse he suffered at the hands of a former teacher who also dragged another boy from his bed in the middle of the night.
EDUCATION
The unnerving sound my presence in an all-male college unleashed stayed with me for years (Sydney Morning Herald)
Oct 30 – (Opinion: Julia Baird) I will never forget the first time I walked into the dining hall of St Paul’s College at Sydney University.
INTERNATIONAL STORIES
Other
‘Joyously subversive sex goddesses’: the artists who gave witches a spellbinding makeover (The Guardian, Australia)
Oct 28 – We all know what a witch looks like.
When the mystical goes mainstream: how tarot became a self-care phenomenon (The Guardian, Australia)
Oct 28 – When Jessica Dore was growing up, her mother had a tarot deck from which she’d pull cards – much to the mounting mortification of her daughter.
US President Joe Biden meets Pope Francis as abortion debate flares at home (Sydney Morning Herald)
Oct 30 – Vatican City: US President Joe Biden said Pope Francis told him he was a “good Catholic” who can receive communion, widening a gulf between Francis and conservative US bishops who want to deny it because of Biden’s support for abortion rights.
‘Astounding’ Roman statues unearthed at Norman church ruins on route of HS2 (The Guardian, Australia)
Oct 30 – Roman statues of a man, woman and child have been uncovered by archaeologists at an abandoned medieval church on the route of the HS2 high-speed railway.
This Icelandic priestess practises a Viking-era religion, and it’s on the rise (ABC News)
Oct 31 – Jóhanna Harðardóttir is friends with Thor.
JUDAISM
Nazi flag seized after act of ‘pure evil’ over Brisbane Synagogue (Brisbane Times)
Oct 31 – Queensland leaders have condemned the appearance of a Nazi flag over the Brisbane Synagogue just days before the Jewish community commemorates one of its darkest events.
RELIGION & SOCIETY
‘We want to minister to all’: Faith leaders welcome capped services for unvaccinated (The Age, Melbourne)
Oct 31 – After months of lockdown, the doors at St Dominic’s Catholic Church in Camberwell are finally open for worship and prayer again.
‘I do all this for my inner peace’: the Sikh volunteers feeding Melbourne (The Guardian, Australia)
Oct 31 – With the promise of “free food” plastered in large print, Sikh Volunteers Australia vans have become a familiar sight in times of crisis, providing healthy vegetarian meals to people in need, from bushfire victims to the homeless.
