Australian Catholic Bishops Conference

Big news out of the Vatican. Pope Francis' fourth encyclical, entitled “Dilexit nos – Encyclical Letter on the human and divine love of the Heart of Jesus Christ”, will be released at a media conference in Rome on Thursday at 8pm AEST. The speakers will be Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, Italy, theologian and Sr. Antonella Fraccaro, general head of the Disciples of the Gospel. The press conference will be livestreamed on the Vatican News YouTube channel. Read about it here: https://lnkd.in/eUWunFRR

Did you know next year is a Jubilee year for the Catholic Church? The Jubilee 2025 logo is rich with meaning. It shows four stylised figures to indicate all of humanity from the four corners of the earth. They are each embracing another, indicating the solidarity uniting people across the world. The first figure is clinging to the cross. The underlying waves are choppy to indicate that the pilgrimage of life is not always on calm waters. Often, personal circumstances and world events call for a greater sense of hope. This is why the lower part of the Cross is elongated turning into an anchor, which dominates the movement of the waves. The anchor has often been used as a metaphor for hope. In maritime jargon, the "hope anchor" is the name given to the spare anchor, used by vessels for emergency maneuvers to stabilise the ship during storms. The image shows how the pilgrim's journey is not individual, but rather communal, with the signs of a growing dynamism that moves more and more toward the Cross. The Cross is dynamic, bending toward and meeting humanity as if not to leave it alone, but rather offering the certainty of its presence and the reassurance of hope. (Logo description is summarised from the Dicastery for Evangelisation)

Australians are playing a key role in the Second Assembly of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. How are things going at the halfway mark of the assembly? Find out from Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, who has been at the centre of much of the preparation and discussion at the assembly. Here he speaks with Australian Catholic Bishops Conference National Centre for Pastoral Research director Dr Trudy Dantis on the sidelines of the assembly in Rome. National Catholic Education Commission Catholic Archdiocese of Perth Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne Archdiocese of Brisbane Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst Malcolm Hart Geraldine Doogue Take a listen and share it:  https://lnkd.in/g92b57Yw

Dr Trudy Dantis, director of the National Centre for Pastoral Research and a participant in the Synod in Rome, has been posting a series of video interviews with fellow participants. The latest is with Grace Wrakia from Papua New Guinea. Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay Catholic Archdiocese of Perth Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne National Catholic Education Commission Australian Catholic Bishops Conference National Centre for Pastoral Research Post-Courier Online https://lnkd.in/gtkhm2gW

A very big week indeed. How do you respond to being nominated as a Cardinal? Read this bishop’s story: https://lnkd.in/g8D_5JmA

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference congratulates Bishop Mykola Bychok, who has been nominated as a cardinal. Please pray for him as the church prepares for a consistory on December 8 to celebrate the installation of 21 new cardinals. As Pope Francis noted of the cardinals in his announcement: "Their origins express the universality of the Church, which continues to proclaim God's merciful love to all people on earth. Their inclusion in the Diocese of Rome also manifests the inseparable bond between the See of Peter and the particular Churches spread throughout the world." https://lnkd.in/gQ2kXW6Q

Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, has opened the First General Congregation of the second session of the Synod General Assembly in Rome with a message of peace: "As we celebrate this Assembly, wars are being fought in many parts of the world! We are on the verge of a widening of the conflict. How many generations will have to pass before the warring peoples can once again 'sit together' and talk to each other, to build a peaceful future together? We embrace the sisters and brothers present in the room who come from war zones or nations where the fundamental freedoms of peoples are violated. Through their voices we can hear the cries and tears of those who suffer under bombs, especially children, who breathe this climate of hatred. As believers we are called to desire and pray for the precious gift of peace for all peoples." The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference is calling for a day of prayer for peace on October 7. Please join us in praying for peace. (Pictured are the Oceania participants in the Synod) Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney Catholic Archdiocese of Perth Archdiocese of Brisbane Australian Catholic University The University of Notre Dame Australia Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay The Archdiocese of Suva

Bishop of Sandhurst Shane Mackinlay reflects on the two-day retreat held in the lead-up to the Synod in Rome. Fourteen Australians are attending the Synod which runs until the end of October. Vaticano Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney Catholic Archdiocese of Perth Archdiocese of Brisbane Archdiocese of Hobart National Catholic Education Commission

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has delivered a homily at the Synod retreat in Rome. Full text can be read here: https://lnkd.in/geDsN7UM

Australian and Oceania participants are gathered in Rome for the start of a two-day retreat ahead of the second session of the Synod on Synodality. Please pray for them as they continue their Synod journey. The Archdiocese of Suva Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Pacific Alliance for Catholic Education Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney Catholic Archdiocese of Perth Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne Australian Catholic University The University of Notre Dame Australia The University of the South Pacific