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 \