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In her new Quarterly Essay Highway to Hell, Australian climate scientist Joëlle Gergis pleads in language beyond the careful neutrality of traditional science-speak: ‘We need you to stare into the abyss with us and not turn away.’
Last month, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference released a pastoral statement on religion and sport. And while commending sport’s ability to promote growth in individuals and foster healthy communities, if sport is to be a field of mission, it should be more willing to dive into those places where the 'bruises' occur.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse made a recommendation for professional supervision within religious and pastoral environments. But can professional supervision repair broken trust, ensure accountability, and promote a more ethical approach to care in the face of past failings?
Personal grief, complicated by group dynamics, is a volatile mixture. Phillip Hughes' death reminds us that personal stories highlight the huge variety of needs and perceptions surrounding a death in the workplace. When do we tidy the desk of the colleague who won't be back? There is a time, but maybe it's not yet.
Bishop Morris wrote at considerable length to Archbishop Chaput, in a highly respectful and fraternal tone. To be fair to Chaput, I will quote his breathtaking response in full. It illustrates what still passes for due process and pastoral care in the Roman Church. We have to insist on something better. And with greater transparency, we will get something better.
I respect the work of exorcists who offer appropriate pastoral care to those acutely troubled. I also believe it is not generally helpful to give prominence in the churches to demonic possession and exorcism.
Adrian Lane is currently preparing a CD of his poems. An Anglican minister, he has a heart for the former Yugoslavia, and currently teaches Preaching and Pastoral Care at Ridley College in Melbourne.
Union officials and ministers of religion have much in common. No-one rings a union to tell them that they’re being treated well and paid decently. People only ring the union when they’re in trouble, and usually, by the time they get around to doing so, they’re in lots of trouble.