Church in Oceania

Australia to amend religious freedom bills to consider health facilities
- Catholic News Service, Church in Oceania
- Oct 17, 2019
The Australian government said it will make changes to religious freedom legislation concerning religious hospitals and aged-care facilities, after the Catholic Church pushed for changes to a recently released draft legislation package.
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Newman’s conscience insights timely today, says Sydney archbishop
- Catholic News Service, Church in Oceania
- Oct 14, 2019
St. John Henry Newman’s insights into the function and meaning of conscience “could not be more timely” given widespread moral confusion in the Western world, said Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher.
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NZ bishop resigns over ‘unacceptable’ sexual relationship
- Associated Press, Church in Oceania
- Oct 4, 2019
Pope Francis accepted the resignation of a New Zealand bishop Friday over what church officials said was “completely unacceptable” sexual behavior with a young woman.
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Australian diocese to pay millions in settlement in one abuse case
- Catholic News Service, Church in Oceania
- Sep 28, 2019
Australia’s Ballarat Diocese will pay up to $3 million (US$2.03 million) in a landmark compensation claim for clerical sexual abuse after a victim, code name JCB, won an out-of-court settlement for abuse during the early 1990s by Gerald Ridsdale, a former priest.
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Australian states to have priests report abuse disclosed in confession
- Catholic News Service, Church in Oceania
- Sep 26, 2019
The Australian states of Victoria and Tasmania have become the latest in the country to pass legislation criminalizing priests who fail to report the abuse of children disclosed during confession.
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Cardinal Pell appeals abuse convictions to Australian High Court
- Catholic News Service, Church in Oceania
- Sep 17, 2019
The application to the country’s highest court is Cardinal George Pell’s last legal recourse, and comes 27 days after the Supreme Court of the Australian state of Victoria decided, in a 2-1 decision, not to overturn his conviction on one count of child rape and four counts of indecently assaulting minors.
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