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.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) have gathered information on the theological foundations for diocesan pastoral councils and their history in Australia, as part of its response to The Light from the Southern Cross, a national review of diocesan and parish governance and management.

A new book produced by the Australian Catholic Bishops titled Streams of Light: Easter Messages from Australian Bishops During Lockdown 2020 is a collection of sermons and pastoral letters of the bishops of Australia during the height of the pandemic.

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President Archbishop Mark Coleridge said bishops and leaders of religious congregations have worked with Catholic Church Insurance for more than 100 years, last year reporting that recent and projected compensation claims for historical abuse had necessitated an increase in the company’s capital levels.

Venezuelan lay theologian and advisor to the Synod of Bishops, Professor Rafael Luciani will share his experience in the inaugural ACI Cardijn Lecture on the theme “The Emergence of Synodality: The Latin American Experience,” which will take place on at 1.00pm AEDT on Saturday 13 November.

Governance and Structure were raised to the forefront of Church discussion in the findings of the Royal Commission (2017), and both are now key agenda items on the upcoming fifth Plenary Council of Australia in October 2021.

Jesus taught that the Eucharist is essential for nourishing the divine life, says Bunbury Bishop Gerard Holohan, on the occasion of the Feast of Corpus Christi. Bishop Holohan released the Pastoral Letter, highlighting that Christ taught that, without the Eucharist, we suffer spiritual malnutrition, even bulimia.

The fifth Australian Plenary Council has been formally convoked, or launched, by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

In less than two months, Catholic Social Services WA will hold their first of two national symposiums themed “Walking with His people” to raise awareness around supporting and assisting disadvantaged people in WA. By Amanda Murthy.