The Portal March 2016 | Page 20

THE P RTAL March 2016 Page 20 A personal view from Australia Wherefore art thou, Catholicism? Is Australian Society in crisis? Fr James Grant thinks it is The last few years in Australian society have been demanding and confronting times for Catholic clergy. The revulsion and odium of priestly sexual abuse has not diminished and in substantive form has taken hold in the public imagination as a distinctive characteristic now associated with Catholicism. The sad, new reality sees many priests avoiding children in their schools or as altar servers and  displaying  a reluctance to wear clerical attire in public, noting the intermittent yet growing public abuse and comment.    Another,  perhaps not  unrelated challenge concerns the liberty of the Church freely to teach what she believes and to express these convictions in public forums. A recent complaint to the Tasmanian Antidiscrimination Commission concerns the Tasmanian Archbishop’s right to produce and disseminate information, within his own schools, regarding the nature of Catholic marriage. Whilst this complaint does arise from the loony fringe of society, the more serious aspect concerns the increasing willingness to use legal mechanisms to muzzle free speech and legitimate debate. responsibility to future generations. Even if other Australians are excl \