Australia
The Latest
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
New South Wales parliament delays final abortion bill vote
A final vote on a bill to decriminalize abortion in the Australian state of New South Wales has been delayed... Read more
Melbourne archbishop ready to defy law over seal of confession
The Archbishop of Melbourne has said he is prepared to defy a proposed new law that would force priests in... Read more
Archbishop Fisher 'deeply saddened' by advancement of NSW abortion bill
The Archbishop of Sydney has expressed his disappointment at the passage by the lower house of the New South Welsh... Read more
Pro-lifers hold vigil as debate begins on New South Wales abortion bill
As the parliament of New South Wales opened debate on a bill to decriminalize abortion in the Australian state Tuesday,... Read more
At watershed moment, assisted suicide could expand in Australia
Legal assisted suicide could expand in Australia, as the Western Australian government has introduced legislation to allow people deemed terminally... Read more
Bill to legalize abortion delayed after pushback in New South Wales
A bill that would decriminalize abortion in the Australian state of New South Wales has been delayed at least a... Read more
First permit issued under Australian state's assisted suicide, euthanasia law
The first permit for medically assisted death in Victoria was issued in recent weeks, within a month of the going... Read more
