Religion News Selection
Sept 6 – 13, 2020
A selection of religion news stories from Australia
(Research: Greg Spearritt)
ABUSE
Salvation Army to re-examine claim against serial paedophile James Michael Brown (ABC News)
Sept 10 – He was known as “king of the kids”, but beneath his charming veneer was a paedophile journeyman who infiltrated three religious groups over 20 years.
Queensland passes law to jail priests for not reporting confessions of child sexual abuse (ABC News)
Sept 9 – Priests in Queensland will now be compelled to break the seal of confession to report child sexual abuse or face three years in jail.
Also: Queensland Bishop says priests will not break seal of confession to report abuse, despite new law (ABC News)
Sept 12 – A Queensland bishop says priests in his diocese will not break the “seal of confession” and report known or suspected cases of sexual abuse to police, despite State Parliament passing legislation this week that requires them to do so.
INTERNATIONAL STORIES
Other
Thought capitalism couldn’t get worse? Meet the workplace ‘spiritual consultants’ (The Guardian, Australia)
Sept 7 – (Opinion: Jessa Crispin) Do you feel lost? Like your life has been drained of meaning or purpose?
POLITICS
Sydney Anglicans, religious schools declare support for Latham discrimination bill (Sydney Morning Herald)
Sept 6 – A number of powerful interest groups including the Sydney Anglican Diocese, the Association of Independent Schools and Catholic Schools NSW have declared support for One Nation leader Mark Latham’s bill to amend the state’s discrimination laws in favour of religious freedom.
RELIGION & SOCIETY
Kyle Sandilands ‘overstepped the mark’ with Virgin Mary comments, says watchdog (Sydney Morning Herald)
Sept 8 – Commercial radio presenter Kyle Sandilands breached standards of decency with last year’s on-air comments about the Virgin Mary, according to a ruling handed down this week by the Australian media watchdog.
From the ‘Jihadi Jew’ to a hijabi Instagrammer: when spirituality meets social media (ABC News)
Sept 13 – In Lee Weissman’s newly religious days, he carried his truth like a holy sledgehammer, he says, wielding it against unreceptive family and friends.
