Church trying to ‘limit’ abuse debate
Barney Zwartz; 17/5/08
The Sydney bishop disowned by Australia’s Catholic bishops as failing to understand basic church teaching says the church is trying to restrict debate on sexual abuse. Bishop Geoffrey Robinson released a statement yesterday replying to his condemnation by the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference last week, saying he was disappointed but not surprised. Bishop Robinson, the auxiliary bishop of Sydney, who for a decade headed efforts by the Australian Catholic Church to tackle sexual abuse, resigned in disillusionment in 2004. Last year he published Confronting Sex and Power in the Catholic Church, arguing that until the church considered radical reform from the Pope down, it was not serious about tackling clerical sexual abuse.
Power trip leaves the faithful in distress
Juliette Hughes; 17/5/08
It’s not a good time to be a woman in the Catholic Church right now. When I read Barney Zwartz’s piece last week on how the Australian Catholic bishops had put out a statement dissociating themselves from one of their most enlightened and compassionate members, I felt sick, then angry, really angry.Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, now retired from Sydney’s Catholic archdiocese, published a book last year, Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church. It’s one of the most hopeful, honest and responsible pieces of writing ever to come out of the church. But the other bishops are running away from its wisdom, too scared to withstand pressure coming from a Vatican whose reaction was predictable, given the dismal track record of the latest two popes.
See: http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/power-trip-leaves-the-faithful-in-distress/2008/05/16/1210765169675.html
Tags: Australia, Christianity, Power, Sex Trade, Women