Religion News Selection

March 13-20, 2022

A selection of religion news stories from Australia

(Research: Greg Spearritt)

 

ABUSE

Teacher sues Al-Taqwa principal for sexual harassment, assault (The Age, Melbourne)
Mar 20 – The principal of Victoria’s largest Islamic school is being sued by a female teacher for sexual harassment and assault.

INTERNATIONAL STORIES
Catholic Church

In first-ever Vatican criminal tribunal, Cardinal Becciu says donations went to charity, not brother (Sydney Morning Herald)
Mar 18 – Vatican City: A once-powerful cardinal has testified he donated €125,000 ($188,000) of Vatican funds to a Sardinian diocese for purely charitable reasons, rejecting Vatican prosecutors’ claims that the money benefitted his brother who ran the charity.

Islam

Karnataka state’s hijab classroom ban upheld in Indian court (ABC News)
Mar 16 – An Indian court has upheld a ban on the wearing of the hijab in classrooms in the southern state of Karnataka, a ruling that could set a precedent for the nation’s large Muslim minority.

Other

Jerusalem’s Christian rivals put aside grudges to repair city’s holiest church (Sydney Morning Herald)
Mar 20 – Jerusalem: The three Christian communities that have uneasily shared their holiest site for centuries are embarking on a large-scale project to restore the ancient stone floor of the Jerusalem basilica.

ISLAM

In Melbourne’s fast-growing west, the doors of Victoria’s biggest mosque are open ‘for everyone’ (ABC News)
Mar 14 – It started as a community’s dream more than a decade ago.

Australian exporters set to profit from new halal trade market access in Malaysia (ABC News)
Mar 17 – The global market for halal certified products is set to nearly double by 2030 and Australian exporters are in prime position to profit after recent trade negotiations, officials say.

RELIGION & SOCIETY

Exclusive Brethren, migrants and farmers the unusual social mix that has this little WA town thriving (ABC News)
Mar 13 – Follow a road train roaring out of Perth en route to the resource-laden north and after a few hours you’ll come across the township of Dalwallinu.

Craic? St Patrick’s Day traditions a furphy (Sydney Morning Herald)
Mar 17 – (Opinion: Ronan McDonald) Did you know there’s no such word in the Irish language as craic, (as in “having the craic”, having fun)?

Never on a Sunday: Western Australia’s long history of banning fun (ABC News)
Mar 19 – Almost as soon as the Swan River Colony formed, laws were introduced to ban many kinds of entertainment and commerce on Sundays, and weren’t repealed until more than a century later.

‘We are sorry’: Hillsong apologises for Brian Houston conduct breach (Sydney Morning Herald)
Mar 20 – The interim global leader of Hillsong Church has apologised to two complainants after the church’s Australian founder, Brian Houston, was found to have engaged in behaviour that breached its moral code of conduct for pastors.

Faith festivals an opportunity to reflect on conflict, and peace (Sydney Morning Herald)
Mar 20 – (Opinion: Gabi Kaltmann) Since the war began in Ukraine, I find myself in a state of disbelief.