Religion News Selection
April 3 – 10, 2022
A selection of religion news stories from Australia
(Research: Greg Spearritt)
EDUCATION
Parramatta Diocese accused of using school funds to buy church properties (Sydney Morning Herald)
Apr 5 – The Parramatta Catholic diocese is under investigation by the NSW government over allegations it used school funds to buy parish properties, a parliamentary hearing has been told.
Schools chaplaincy provider bans cohabitation and ‘sexually intrusive’ behaviour in staff’s private life (The Guardian, Australia)
Apr 9 – Australia’s second biggest schools chaplaincy provider imposes a code that discriminates against staff based on relationship status and sexual conduct, a whistleblower has alleged.
INTERNATIONAL STORIES
Catholic Church
The rumblings of World War III may have begun decades ago (ABC News)
Apr 10 – Are we already in World War III? Pope Francis thinks so.
POLITICS
Racist campaign against Towke says more about Australia than Morrison (Sydney Morning Herald)
Apr 5 – (Opinion: Osman Faruqi) The allegations that Scott Morrison played an active role in white-anting one of his preselection rivals over his Lebanese heritage and false claims that he was a Muslim should spark big questions about Australia’s attitude to race, and inspire deep soul-searching about our country’s media and political institutions.
Gold Coast Mayor does not ‘recall’ Seven Mountains Mandate support (ABC News)
Apr 9 – Mayor Tom Tate says he does not remember whether he offered his support for a religious ideology that seeks to influence government according to evangelical beliefs.
RELIGION & SOCIETY
Former Hillsong pastors say they were threatened by Brian Houston to hand over their church (ABC News)
Apr 5 – Two former European pastors have accused Hillsong co-founder Brian Houston and the church’s general manager of sending threatening emails during a dispute over the transfer of their church, cash, and assets to Hillsong Australia.
Also: Brand or church? How Hillsong is facing a day of reckoning (The Guardian, Australia)
Apr 9 – It was an emotional sermon and Phil Dooley, the interim leader of the global evangelical megachurch Hillsong was preaching about pain.
Also: Hillsong founder Brian Houston says megachurch ‘losing its soul’ after it makes his wife redundant (The Guardian, Australia)
Apr 10 – The founder of Hillsong, Brian Houston, has accused the megachurch of “losing its soul” and says his wife has been made redundant by the church’s board “through no choice of her own”.
Religious Australians are pushing for climate action (ABC News)
Apr 10 – Most religions believe the universe and everything in it is a creation of God or gods, and most demand that we nurture God’s creation.
