What are we allowing society to do to our daughters? Anna Krohn speaks to Melinda Tankard Reist about her new book exposing the sexualisation of children, especially girls.     Melinda Tankard Reist.   By Anna Krohn   "At my 21st, I want people to say “Here comes one hot chick!” So declared a 14-year-old schoo...

Q&A with Fr John Flader: This week - Doctors of the Church - just who are they? The “Angelic Doctor,” St Thomas Aquinas. Can you please explain what Doctors of the Church are? How does someone come to be named a Doctor and how many are there?   By Fr John Flader   First of all, as you are probably aware, the word “doctor&rdquo...

There is a high degree of vanity in the oft-repeated claim that we are a secular society and that ours is a secular democracy. The first piece of vanity is that ‘everyone’ knows what the claims mean, whereas it is much closer to the truth to say that ‘nobody’ knows what they mean. There are many meanings attached to ‘secular’ and ‘secularism’, bu...

Bishops in Australia stand with the Pope on past abuses.   John Ellis, who said he was abused by a Benedictine monk from the early 1970s to mid-1980s, is pictured outside St Mary’s Cathedral after Pope Benedict XVI delivered an apology to clergy sexual abuse victims during World Youth Day in Sydney in July, 2008. Photo: CNS/Paul Haring.   By Anthony ...

Atheism Vs God - Cardinal to address Festival of Dangerous Ideas in Sydney.   Anti-theist and journalist, Christopher Hitchens.     By Anthony Barich SECULARISM is a minority sport and temporary phenomenon  that only survives in the Western world by attacking Christianity or living off Christianity’s moral capital, Cardinal George P...

Goverment is failing children say Women's Forum.     An example of the sexualisation of children discussed by family and women’s welfare groups.   By Anthony Barich THE Federal Government’s response to a Senate Committee’s report on ‘Sexualisation of children in the contemporary media’ falls well short of addressing ...

Directives provide moral, ethical guidance for families and health care organisations     Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, Arizona.   Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, Arizona issued a document last week to help Catholics make tough decisions concerning artificially administered nutrition and hydration that are consistent with Church teaching. ...

Body Language: Christopher West delivers the first of a series about spousal prayer. By Christopher West   Recently, while preparing for a long drive, I decided to look through my old collection of tape series for something to listen to (yes, I still have a cassette deck in my car). My eyes landed on a box set called Passion for God by a Carmelite Abbess named Mothe...

Indian archdiocese issues austerity code for priests, urges lay people to pray for them. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India - A southern Indian archdiocese has issued a code of conduct for priests and seminarians encouraging them to be role models for the faithful and warning them not to succumb to worldly pleasures. “It is time for introspection,” said Auxiliary Bishop Sebastia...

Cardinal ways in to long standing debate about the theological work of Christopher West.   Christopher West.   By Anthony Barich   CARDINAL Justin Rigali, the Archbishop of Philadelphia, has declared his unwavering support for controversial Theology of the Body (TOB) speaker Christopher West who has been lambasted by prominent theologians ...