Welcome to Eureka Street

back to site

Keywords: Clergy

  • RELIGION

    A controversial graduation address

    • Bill Uren
    • 11 December 2024

    A contentious graduation speech at Australian Catholic University laid bare divisions between traditional Catholic values and modern sensibilities. The backlash, marked by audience walkouts, underscores broader challenges facing the Church.

    READ MORE
  • RELIGION

    Pope Francis' challenge to become a synodal Church

    • Bruce Duncan
    • 14 November 2024
    14 Comments

    The Synod is possibly the most important event in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council. And despite its focus on internal Church reform and participation, can it effectively address broader social and moral issues in the world while still promoting a more inclusive and accountable Church?

    READ MORE
  • RELIGION

    The quiet revolution in women's roles in the Church

    • Joanna Thyer
    • 07 November 2024
    3 Comments

    At the World Synod in Rome, four women joined to advocate for ordaining women as deacons. Though the topic remains off the table officially, the message highlights the Church’s internal conflict between traditional values and growing calls for inclusion and change.

    READ MORE
  • RELIGION

    Francis’ Church may be more transparent and accountable, but don’t call it democratic

    • Bill Uren
    • 04 September 2024
    6 Comments

    The Synod on Synodality begins its second session in October. And while the synodal process may involve consultation, Pope Francis is keen to remind those hoping for reform that teaching authority remains with the Pope and bishops. As the Pope has insisted on a number of occasions, the Church is not a democracy, and the synod is not a parliament.

    READ MORE
  • RELIGION

    When the Pope drops by

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 28 August 2024
    5 Comments

    As Pope Francis embarks on a demanding tour, skipping Australia to visit smaller marginalised Catholic communities in Indonesia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, he is demonstrating the priority of the Church in reaching out to those on the margins.   

    READ MORE
  • RELIGION

    Women deacons: Is it time?

    • Elizabeth Young
    • 15 August 2024
    12 Comments

      Copious research has demonstrated the historical existence of women deacons, including St Phoebe, the only person in scripture with the descriptor Deacon. So how far off is Australia from ordaining women deacons? 

    READ MORE
  • RELIGION

    Passing generation of Vatican II clergy

    • John Warhurst
    • 01 August 2024
    14 Comments

    In a troubling sign for Catholic reform in Australia, the National Council of Priests faces a dire membership crisis. Founded in 1970 to embody Vatican II's spirit, the organization now struggles to attract younger clergy. This decline mirrors broader challenges in the Church and may imperil efforts toward synodality and renewal.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    Walking in two worlds

    • Michael McVeigh
    • 28 May 2024
    3 Comments

    When US-based Catholic Jason Evert was due to speak to Catholic schools across NSW,  there was a backlash, sparked by online activists. The controversies around Evert’s visit highlights just how difficult it is becoming to walk that line between the values and demands of the Church we represent, and the society in which we live.

    READ MORE
  • RELIGION

    How Jung turned grief into a philosophy of life

    • Barry Gittins
    • 21 May 2024
    6 Comments

    When friends faced a heartbreaking loss, they found solace in Carl Jung's writings, granting them permission to grieve and hope. Given his life of contradictions, how should we evaluate Jung's contributions and his complex relationship with religious faith?

    READ MORE
  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Sins of the fathers

    • Ken Haley
    • 29 March 2024
    2 Comments

    Recent years have made clerical child sexual abuse a badge of shame within Australia’s Catholic hierarchy, and rightly so. But Anne Manne’s new book, Sins of the fathers, will give pause to those who blame these offences on the rule of hieratic celibacy.

    READ MORE
  • RELIGION

    Australia's rainbow Church

    • John Warhurst
    • 13 March 2024
    7 Comments

    The Vatican's decision to let priests bless couples in 'irregular relationships' has sparked diverse reactions within the Australian Church, revealing the complex interplay of faith and cultural diversity within Australia’s Church communities.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    Eureka Street person of the year 2023

    • David Halliday, Michael McVeigh, Laura Kings, Michele Frankeni, Andrew Hamilton, Julian Butler
    • 21 December 2023
    10 Comments

    To close the year for Eureka Street, the editorial team wanted to nominate who we considered to be the Eureka Street ‘person of the year’ based on this year's newsmakers.

    READ MORE
Join the conversation. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter  Subscribe