Europe: Ecumenical pilgrims start journey to advocate for climate justice at UN climate talks

A group of ecumenical pilgrims started a journey towards the 2018 World Climate Conference hosting city Katowice, in Poland, where high level talks about the preservation of creation will take place. “Go then!” (Geht doch!, in German) is the motto of the Ecumenical Pilgrimage for Climate Justice that took off in Bonn, Germany, on 9 September.

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National Apology to Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse

The government has announced when it will deliver the national apology to survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse: 22 October.

There are only 800 places, with 400 going to organisations that support survivors, and the other 400 open to a ballot. A website has been created for people to join the ballot for places at the National Apology

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The Guardian: Why Faith is becoming more and more popular

If you think religion belongs to the past and we live in a new age of reason, you need to check out the facts: 84% of the world’s population identifies with a religious group. Members of this demographic are generally younger and produce more children than those who have no religious affiliation, so the world is getting more religious, not less – although there are significant geographical variations.

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Royal Commission: Catholic Church must reform canon law in wake of child sex abuse royal commission

Amid international media hype and confusing reporting, Australia’s Catholic leaders delivered their official response to the Royal Commission on Institutional Responses to Sexual Abuse last week.

So, has the Australian Catholic Church “rejected mandatory reporting“, as Al Jazeera published? Or did The Hindu get it right with their headline: “Australian Catholic leaders vow to end abuse cover-up“?

The devil is, as always, in the detail. And there is a lot of detail.

The joint response from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) and Catholic Religious Australia (CRA), which represents nuns, sisters and brothers, monks and friars, says bishops and religious leaders accept most of the recommendations of the royal commission.

Simultaneously, the long-awaited Truth, Justice and Healing Council (TJHC) report, a self-analysis commissioned by the ACC and the CRA, was made public — it’s a bitter medicinal pill Catholic leadership themselves had paid for and asked to be administered.

The bottom line is that the diverse and independent parts of a complex Catholic Church in crisis have managed — for better or for worse — to pull themselves together and form a coordinated response.

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Tasmania: September 2018

Tasmania Logo

Welcome to Interfaith September, a time of many Interfaith peace activities including United Nations International Day of Peace. As part of the festivals occurring this month, the Jewish High Holy Days begin today with the New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Religions for Peace Tasmania Branch will be celebrating UN International Day of Peace on Sunday 23 September from 3.00-4.30pm at UTAS Multifaith Centre, TUU Building, Churchill Ave, Sandy Bay

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Royal Commission: exploring the task of rebuilding and renewal for Australia’s Christian churches

The conference Health and Integrity in Churches and Ministry calls for a ‘reformation’ of Australia’s churches following Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Participating churches were the Catholic Church (and Catholic Religious Orders), the Anglican Church, the Uniting Church, Churches of Christ and members of the Salvation Army along with representatives of other Christian denominations.

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Royal Commission: Catholic Church will not break seal of confession


The Catholic Church has not accepted the royal commission’s recommendation to break the seal of confession regarding child sex abuse, arguing it impinges on religions liberties. Almost nine months after the findings were handed down, the Catholic Church has delivered its formal reply rejecting one of the commission’s key recommendations.

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UN calls on China to free 1 million Uighurs from alleged re-education camps

United Nations’ human rights experts have voiced alarm over alleged Chinese political re-education camps for Muslim Uighurs and called for the immediate release of those detained on the grounds of what China describes as “countering terrorism”.

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Buddhism: Sexual Misconduct leads to closure of Centres

The leadership of Against the Stream Meditation Society sent a letter to its community announcing that founder Noah Levine was found to have “more likely than not” “violated the Third Precept of its own Teacher’s Code of Ethics, namely, “to avoid creating harm through sexuality,” with multiple women, and that the organisation’s centers would be shutting down.

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Queensland: One God Many Voices – Abrahamic Faiths Concert

Almost 200 people attended the annual evening of Jewish, Christian & Muslim Sacred Voices and Music at the ICD Griffith University on 23rd August. For the first time children from bot the Muslim and Jewish faiths joined together to render a touching rendition of the national anthem. It was also the first time that the young Jewish children sang in public. The whole group received a resounding applause.

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