Australian Ambassador to the Vatican Her Excellency Chiara Porro has this week met with Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB.

Ambassador Porro is currently visiting Australian Bishops and their diocese, following her appointment to the role in August 2020.

In a Pastoral Letter released this week Wednesday 27 July, Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB highlighted that in the two formal Assemblies of the Plenary Council, and in the many years of preparation, there has been a recognition that, in spite of the many failures and limitations of individual Catholics and of Catholic communities, the Church remains a powerful force for good in our society.

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President and Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has this week reflected on a pair of firsts – becoming the first bishop of a West Australian diocese elected President and the first member of a religious order.

In an interview with the Australian Catholic Bishops Communications platform, Media Blog, Team, Archbishop Costelloe admitted he was “surprised and somewhat daunted” when he was elected President of the Conference in May.

At the Bishops Conference’s biennial election of president and vice-president in May, Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB was elected President, and Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP re-elected Vice-President.

Plenary Council Members applaud the closing of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia, Saturday 9 July 2022. Photo: Fiona Basile/ACBC. The nine-month celebration phase of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia ended on Saturday, with Council Members standing and applauding as President Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB formally declared the Council closed. Almost four-and-a-half years aft...

Archbishop Costelloe encouraged Members to believe that what the Archangel Gabriel said to the Blessed Virgin Mary is true for them today: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow.”

Plenary Council Members have celebrated the passage of almost all motions contained in the Motions and Amendments document that formed the second assembly’s agenda on Friday 8 July.

In an exclusive interview with The Australian this week, incoming Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President and Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB says the Church’s falling support is a “wake-up call” as it works to balance its convictions with the realities of an increasingly secular nation. The Perth Archbishop said the Church needed to be faithful to its core principles a...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9v7KrvQB3I Day 3 highlights video from the Second Assembly of the Fifth Plenary Council. Video: Neil Helmore/ACBC.