Religion News Selection
May 9 – 16, 2021
A selection of religion news stories from Australia
(Research: Greg Spearritt)
ANGLICAN CHURCH
Christian soldier’s toughest mission (The Australian)
May 15 – (Opinion: Greg Sheridan ) Sydney’s new Archbishop confronts a culture which is hostile and a Christianity which is in a kind of slow crisis in Australia.
CATHOLIC CHURCH
Stop suppressing Catholics, outspoken nun tells Australian church leaders (Sydney Morning Herald)
May 16 – An outspoken US nun who was recently embroiled in a censorship row with Melbourne’s Archbishop has warned Australia’s Catholic Church it faces an inevitable decline unless it stops suppressing rank-and-file members pushing for reform.
INTERNATIONAL STORIES
Religious Violence
Never mind who started it, it’s clear who benefits from the violence in Gaza and Israel right now (Sydney Morning Herald)
May 13 – (Opinion: Gwynne Dyer) “Objective allies” generally don’t even talk to each other.
Also: Far-right Jewish groups and Arab youths claim streets of Lod as Israel loses control (The Guardian, Australia)
May 15 – A smell of petrol lingered in the air and the synagogue’s metal gate had been completely ripped from its hinges.
Also: Once this violence in Israel and Gaza ends, there can be no return to ‘normal’ (The Guardian, Australia)
May 15 – (Opinion: Jonathan Freedland) If Groundhog Day were a horror movie, it would look like this.
Also: Israeli forces destroy media outlets’ Gaza base, says it housed ‘Hamas military intelligence’ (ABC News)
May 16 – An Israeli air strike has destroyed a high-rise building that housed international media offices in the Gaza Strip, as the Hamas militant group continued a stream of rocket volleys into Israel.
Also: Israel PM Netanyahu vows to continue Gaza attacks for ‘as long as necessary’ (The Guardian, Australia)
May 16 – Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said attacks in Gaza will continue “as long necessary”, amid continuing hostilities that have so far killed 148.
Other
As India’s health system falters, COVID quackery gets a boost (ABC News)
May 16 – As India’s health system sags under the weight of an unprecedented second wave of COVID-19, medical quackery is growing in the gaps.
ISLAM
A sombre Eid for Uyghur Australians with families detained in Xinjiang (ABC News)
May 15 – As many Australian Muslims gathered with families and friends during the holy month of Ramadan, Rayhangul Abliz was feeling guilty about celebrating the Islamic holy month.
RELIGION & SOCIETY
Presbyterian Church of Queensland put into receivership (ABC News)
May 13 – The Presbyterian Church of Queensland (PCQ), which also operates a Toowoomba private school and aged care provider PresCare, has been placed into receivership.
