Australia
The Latest
Assisted suicide applications higher than expected under new Australian law
A total of 52 people in the Australian state of Victoria ended their lives by doctor-assisted suicide in the first... Read more
Head of Australian bishops' conference in Rome ahead of plenary council
Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane, president of the Australian bishops’ conference, is in Rome for high-level discussions ahead of the... Read more
Australia's disability inquiry told of mistreatment of people with Down syndrome
Parents of persons with Down syndrome are pressed to procure abortion, and their healthcare is negatively affected throughout their life,... Read more
Date set Cardinal Pell's last chance appeal hearing
Australia’s High Court has set a date for the final appeal of Cardinal George Pell, who was convicted in 2018... Read more
Australian bishops: religious discrimination bill has merit, but flaws should be fixed
Australia’s Catholic bishops have welcomed changes to a proposed religious discrimination bill to protect religious believers and institutions from discrimination... Read more
New disaster relief initiative unveiled in Australia
Catholic leaders in Australia have announced the creation of a new disaster response initiative to aid those affected by devastating... Read more
US bishops offer prayers after Americans killed fighting wildfires in Australia
Committee leaders at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voiced prayers and sorrow at the deaths of three American crew... Read more
As fires continue to burn, Australian bishop calls for prayer, support
As fires throughout parts of Australia continue to worsen, the Archbishop of Melbourne called for prayers and encouraged Catholics to... Read more
Revisions announced to Australia religious freedom bill
Following religious groups’ criticism of an Australian bill intended to protect religious freedom, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Attorney-General Christian... Read more
Australia's bishops protest national move to force priests to reveal confessions
Australia’s Catholic bishops support “nationally consistent” reporting standards for the abuse of minors, but cannot support new national legal standards... Read more
UPDATED: Australian High Court refers Cardinal Pell's appeal of sex abuse conviction
The Australian High Court announced Wednesday that Cardinal George Pell has been granted leave to appeal an August decision by... Read more
Australia proposes face-recognition program to fight underage porn access
A government department in Australia has proposed the use of a face recognition system to curb underage access to online... Read more
Christian think tank warns of flaws in Australian religious discrimination bill
Freedom for Faith, a Christian legal think tank, expressed concerns last week over unintended consequences of the Australian government's religious... Read more
Archbishop: NSW abortion legalization ‘a defeat for humanity’
The archbishop of Sydney lamented a controversial new law decriminalizing abortion in New South Wales, and stressed that the Church... Read more
Sex abuse scandal leaves Australian Church, gov’t scrambling for solutions
In the wake of a major clergy sex abuse scandal and the high-profile, controversial trial and conviction of sex abuse... Read more
Cardinal Pell submits appeal to Australian High Court
Cardinal George Pell Tuesday submitted an appeal of his conviction to the Australian High Court, following the Aug. 21 decision... Read more
New Australian law requires priests to break confessional seal
A law passed in the Australian state of Victoria on Tuesday would require priests to violate the seal of confession... Read more
Effort to pass abortion bill in NSW could push government into minority
As the Australian state of New South Wales considers a bill to decriminalize abortion, two members of parliament from the... Read more
Lawyers' group hesitant about Australia's religious discrimination bill
The president of the Law Council of Australia signalled dissatisfaction with the government's religious discrimination bill Wednesday. Among his concerns... Read more
Opinions divided in reaction to Pell decision
The decision by the Court of Appeal in Victoria to reject Cardinal George Pell’s appeal of his conviction for child sex... Read more
