Archbishop Costelloe said the commission did not appear to have sought constitutional legal advice despite submissions detailing the problems with abolishing Basic Religious Charities.
In 2007, the ACBC commissioned a project, Catholics who have stopped attending Mass, which focused on once active Catholics who had ceased participating in Mass and their parish, and the interpersonal, cultural and societal factors that led to their disengagement with liturgy and ecclesial life.
National Centre for Evangelisation Director Malcolm Hart said a range of resources were being developed to assist parishes in using sport to reach out to their communities.
More than 2.6 million Australians have been granted a pay rise though this week’s decision by the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to raise the nation’s minimum wage. The approved increase of 3.75 per cent takes effect at the beginning of July. The minimum hourly rate will rise from $23.23 an hour to $24.10, or by $33 per week for a full-time worker.
“As we journey together, we must continue to heal from the past while also looking toward the future. We need to find effective ways to ensure the common good is shared by all people of this nation, especially our First Nations People,” said Chair of the Bishops Commission for Relations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Bishop Charles Gauci, as Australians marked National Reconciliation Week.
In May 2021, when the most recent survey was conducted, just over 53,000 people attended Mass celebrated in a language other than English each weekend, which represented 13.6 per cent of all Mass attenders – a rise of 3.3 per cent since the last count in 2016.
Bishop of Sale, Greg Bennet, will take on the role after Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, retired from the position at the end of the maximum three, two-year terms.
Twenty-five dioceses and three Eastern Catholic Church eparchies submitted summaries of their consultation outcomes, while a further 13 organisations submitted summaries from the national consultation – culminating in the final report.
The Australian Catholic Bishops have this week expressed their concern for the conflict in the Holy Land.
“We believe that a just ceasefire with the release of all hostages and unhindered access for desperately needed aid are essential at this time. We support global efforts to negotiate a lasting peace.”
The Mass has a history of use in Diocese of Broome for over 50 years and is celebrated in multiple local languages.