Religion News Selection
August 15 – 22, 2021
A selection of religion news stories from Australia
(Research: Greg Spearritt)
ABUSE
Catholic organisations admit liability for now-deceased paedophile priest Bryan Coffey (ABC News)
Aug 17 – Two Catholic organisations have admitted liability in the Supreme Court related to the actions of a now-deceased paedophile priest.
‘Truth has prevailed’: Boys abused by priest were called liars, court told (Sydney Morning Herald)
Aug 18 – When 12 young boys were sexually abused by a priest at a boarding school in the NSW Southern Highlands, many summoned the courage to tell trusted adults in the hope they would be believed and protected.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The urgent case for Jesus (The Australian)
Aug 21 – (Review) For an intellectual of such range, so engaged with the current world, religion somehow brings out a homespun streak in Greg Sheridan.
INTERNATIONAL STORIES
Islam
The Taliban say they will preserve women’s rights under sharia law. But what does that mean? (ABC News)
Aug 21 – In their first press conference since seizing control of the Afghan capital, the Taliban have assured women their rights would be respected “within the limits of Islam”.
Religious Violence
The world must not look away as the Taliban sexually enslaves women and girls (ABC News)
Aug 16 – Since the withdrawal of American and NATO forces from Afghanistan in July, the Taliban have swiftly taken control of large parts of the country.
The Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan has laid bare the magnitude of western hubris (The Guardian, Australia)
Aug 17 – (Opinion: Polly Toynbee) Here ends the west’s grotesque delusion that it could use its military might to turn Afghanistan into a stable democracy, a shining path of moderate Islam.
Progress was always fitful. Many Afghan women felt unsafe before the Taliban’s arrival
Aug 22 – (Opinion: Sippi Azarbaijani-Moghaddam) I am thinking about Farkhunda.
RELIGION & SOCIETY
Catholic hospitals’ revolt on euthanasia (The Australian)
Aug 21 – Catholic hospitals will defy Queensland euthanasia laws that force them to allow doctors to administer end-of-life drugs in their facilities.
For some, being a tradwife is about more time with family. For others, it’s a dangerous ideology (ABC News)
Aug 22 – Growing veggies, making clothes from scratch and ditching the office job to stay at home.
