Home > Bishops > Plenary meetings > List of article(s)

• You will be my witnesses - A Pastoral Letter from the Catholic Bishops of Australia - 25 Jun 2008
  Australia's Catholic Bishops have issued a pastoral letter to all practicing Catholics asking them to reach out to those Catholics who, for different reasons, have drifted away from the Church.
• "Catholic? Been Away?" - Bishops' invitation for people to return to the Church community - 15 Jun 2008
  Australia's Bishops recently placed this advertisement in Sunday newspapers across the country in an effort to reach out and invite people back to the Church community.
• News from the May 2008 Plenary meeting of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference - 20 May 2008
  The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference held its Plenary Meeting at Mary Mackillop Place, North Sydney from May 2 to May 8, 2008.
• ACBC appoints new Chair for the National Catholic Education Commission - 9 May 2008
  The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has appointed Mrs Therese Temby to the position of Chair of the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC).
• A Statement from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference - 8 May 2008
  In 2007 Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, retired Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney, published a book entitled “Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church: Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus.”
• Catholic Bishops call for national day of prayer for Burma cyclone victims - 8 May 2008
  The Catholic Bishops of Australia have called for a national day of prayer this Sunday, in solidarity with the people of Burma who are suffering so greatly from the tragic effects of Cyclone Nargis.
• Archbishop Philip Wilson re-elected ACBC President - 8 May 2008
  Archbishop Philip Wilson was re-elected as President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference during the ACBC Plenary Meeting which concluded in Sydney today.
• Apostolic Nuncio tells Bishops he has come to be a companion in their pastoral ministry - 3 May 2008
  The recently arrived Apostolic Nuncio to Australia, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, has thanked the Bishops and the people of the Church in Australia for their warm welcome and said he saw his role here as that of a companion.
• News from the November 2007 Plenary Meeting of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference - 17 Dec 2007
  News briefs from the November Plenary Meeting of the ACBC
• Bishops thank all those working so tirelessly towards World Youth Day in Sydney - 5 Dec 2007
  As World Youth Day 2008 draws nearer, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference would like to recognise the contribution of many WYD workers throughout the country.
• A statement from the Catholic Bishops of Australia on a way forward for Indigenous Australia - 30 Nov 2007
  The Catholic Bishops of Australia today urged the new Federal Government to commit itself to addressing the fundamental causes of entrenched disadvantage in Indigenous communities.
• Catholic Bishops offer prayers, congratulations to incoming Labor Govt - 26 Nov 2007
  The Australian Catholic Bishops today offered their prayers and congratulations to Kevin Rudd and the Australian Labor Party on their victory in the Federal Election.
• News from the May 2007 Plenary Meeting of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference - 15 May 2007
  A summary of news items from the ACBC Plenary Meeting, May 2007
• Catholic Bishops express concern for and solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe - 10 May 2007
  The Catholic Bishops of Australia today concluded their Plenary Meeting by expressing their deep concern for the people of Zimbabwe who are suffering oppression and deep hardship.
• Students gain new ‘hands-on’ resource for learning about media and faith - 9 May 2007
  Catholic school students across Australia will have the opportunity to become ‘cadet reporters’ and learn more about the life of Jesus in a new multi-media resource sponsored by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.
• Challenge for WYD lies in listening to the young people who attend - Nuncio - 4 May 2007
  The Church in Australia will be on show during World Youth Day 2008, and the challenge lies not only in how the event is staged but in how the Church listens to and acts on the experiences of the young people who attend, the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Ambrose De Paoli said today.
• News from the November Plenary Meeting of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference - 8 Dec 2006
  A summary of news items from the ACBC Plenary Meeting
• Statement from the Australian Catholic Bishops on the detention of David Hicks - 1 Dec 2006
  Mr David Hicks has been detained without trial at Guantanamo Bay since 2001, with no ability to contest the accusations against him. There is now heightened concern for his physical and mental health, in conditions which reputable human rights agencies have said are tantamount to torture.
• Pastoral Letter to those suffering from the Drought - 1 Dec 2006
  We write this letter to you as we are gathered together in Sydney. There are Bishops from rural Australia, from all the capital cities, from the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory and from every state of Australia.
• Bishops welcome new research - 1 Dec 2006
  New research exploring why some Catholics have stopped going to Mass would be a valuable tool in forming pastoral strategies to help people return to the practice of their faith, Australia’s Catholic Bishops said today.
• Faithful must be equipped to live their faith – Apostolic Nuncio - 29 Nov 2006
  The faithful must be prepared and equipped to live their faith by the provision of sound education in both schools and in adult life, the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Ambrose De Paoli said today.
• Australia’s Bishops gather for Plenary Meeting - 27 Nov 2006
  The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference will hold its twice-yearly Plenary Meeting in Sydney this week, from November 27 to December 1.
• Marriage in the Catholic Church - Frequently Asked Questions - 24 Oct 2006
  Why does marriage matter so much to the Church? Find out the answer to that question and to many others in this informative and easy-to-read booklet.
• Catholic Bishops write to Prime Minister urging him to reconsider changes to asylum processing laws - 17 May 2006
  Australia’s Catholic Bishops have written to Prime Minister John Howard urging him to reconsider proposed legislation to process all boatpeople asylum claims offshore
• Commission Membership 2006 - 12 May 2006
  A chart outlining the membership of new Bishops' Commissions.
• Catholic Bishops and Islamic leaders meet together for lunch and dialogue - 11 May 2006
  In a landmark meeting, the Catholic Bishops of Australia invited a group of Islamic leaders to their Plenary Meeting this week, to have lunch together, to engage in Interfaith Dialogue and to visit the tomb of Blessed Mary Mackillop.
• Catholic Bishops give thanks for safe rescue of miners - 9 May 2006
  The Catholic Bishops of Australia, meeting in Conference at Mary Mackillop Place in Sydney, today express our joy at the safe rescue of the trapped miners Brant Webb and Todd Russell.
• Homily - Mass of the Holy Spirit - 5 May 2006
  Outgoing ACBC President, Archbishop Francis P. Carroll's homily for the Mass of the Holy Spirit, celebrated on the opening day of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference plenary meeting.
• Nuncio reflects on the emerging style of Pope Benedict XVI - 5 May 2006
  The emerging style of Pope Benedict XVI as a Pope of Dialogue, could offer a model of ‘reaching out’ which had relevance for all Episcopal ministry, the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Ambrose De Paoli said today.
• Archbishop Philip Wilson elected as Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President - 5 May 2006
  Australia’s Catholic Bishops today elected Archbishop Philip Wilson as the new president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.
• Bishops’ Plenary Meeting, November 2005 – News Briefs - 6 Dec 2005
  Australia's bishops have met for their twice-yearly Plenary Meeting.
• Australian Bishops welcome Vatican Instruction on the question of admission of homosexual men to seminaries and the priesthood - 30 Nov 2005
  Australian Bishops welcome Vatican Instruction on the question of admission of homosexual men to seminaries and the priesthood
• A letter from the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference to Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong - 26 Nov 2005
  We, the Catholic Bishops of Australia, respectfully appeal to you and your Cabinet to reconsider granting clemency to Australian national Van Tuong Nguyen.
• Australian Catholic Bishops’ statement on RU486 - 25 Nov 2005
  Recent controversy over the abortion drug RU486 has reopened the public debate over abortion. That the question of abortion keeps surfacing in Australia reflects deep unease in our community about the fact that one in four pregnancies ends in abortion – somewhere around 90,000 a year. Research shows that nearly three quarters of Australians think that this rate is far too high.
• A statement from the Catholic Bishops of Australia to mark the 40th anniversary of Nostra Aetate - 25 Nov 2005
  This year marks the fortieth anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the statement of the Second Vatican Council on relations between the Church and non-Christian religions. It was an epoch-making document, and we cannot let the anniversary pass without expressing our gratitude for all that it has made possible and our hopes for the future to which it points.
• A statement on terrorism by the Catholic Bishops of Australia - 25 Nov 2005
  We, the Catholic Bishops of Australia, meeting in Conference, condemn all acts of terrorism and pledge to intensify our efforts to promote a culture of respect, dialogue and peace in our community.
• Catholic Bishops call for changes to workplace legislation - 25 Nov 2005
  The Catholic Bishops of Australia today called for changes to the Federal Government’s employment law reforms to help moderate the impact on the poor, the vulnerable and families.
• Bishops’ Taskforce on Abortion launches consultation with women. - 1 Aug 2005
  The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Taskforce on Pastoral Responses to Abortion has launched a consultation with women in a bid to hear directly from them some of the experiences surrounding a difficult pregnancy or abortion.
• Bishops’ Plenary Meeting, May 2005 – News Briefs - 19 May 2005
  Australia's bishops have met for their twice-yearly Plenary Meeting.
• Catholic Bishops thank Australians for sympathy and support expressed since the death of Pope John Paul II - 12 May 2005
  The Catholic Bishops of Australia, meeting in Conference, wish to express their deep gratitude to the Australian community for the many expressions of sympathy and support that have come since the death of Pope John Paul II.
• Catholic Bishops call for generosity in Timor Sea talks - 12 May 2005
  The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, meeting in Sydney, has appealed to the Australian Government to be generous in its negotiations with East Timor.
• Personal witness to Christ is our calling, says new Nuncio - 6 May 2005
  Personal witness to the message of Jesus was the strength of Pope John Paul II, and remained the calling of all in the Church, Australia’s new Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Ambrose De Paoli said today.
• Australian Bishops launch Year of the Eucharist program - 20 Jan 2005
  Australia’s bishops have issued a program for the celebration of the Year of the Eucharist, focusing on the importance of celebrating Sunday Mass.
• Statement on Senate Report into Children in Institutional Care - 14 Dec 2004
  The Australian Catholic Bishops and the Leaders of Religious Institutes welcome the Report of the Senate Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care.
• Bishops' Plenary Meeting, November 2004 - News Briefs - 6 Dec 2004
  Australia’s bishops have approved a program for the celebration of the Year of the Eucharist which aims to be an agent of evangelisation on the importance of celebrating Sunday Mass. The program, prepared by the National Liturgical Commission, is set in the context of the Sundays of Easter and is linked with a proposal for a period of Eucharistic devotion from Trinity Sunday to Corpus Christi.
• Catholic Bishops propose abortion alternatives - 25 Nov 2004
  The Catholic Bishops of Australia, meeting in Conference today, announce the establishment of a Taskforce to investigate ways of increasing financial and human support for those facing the dilemma of abortion.
• The Wonder of the Eucharist - A Pastoral Letter - 13 Jun 2004
  To find the words to describe the sheer greatness of God’s gift to the human race in the Eucharist is a task beyond us. Human imagination and intelligence cannot begin to grasp this wonderful, awesome, mind bending reality! It is beyond price. Nothing in the Universe can compare with it. It is celebrated in space and time but the reality it brings to us is eternal because it makes present to us in the form of simple bread and wine Jesus Christ, Son of God, Son of Mary, truly God, truly man: the Word made flesh.
• Plenary News Briefs, May 2004 - 17 May 2004
  Australia’s Bishops have taken up Pope John Paul’s call to tackle secularism in Australian society and to encourage the observance of the Sunday Mass, with discussions at their Plenary Meeting focusing on a broad renewal and education with regard to the Eucharist.
• Catholic Bishops call for urgent response to the needs of asylum seekers and refugees - 14 May 2004
  The Catholic Bishops of Australia have issued a statement in which they call for the Government and all Australians to respond with urgency to the needs of asylum seekers and refugees.
• Plenary News Briefs, November 2003 - 30 Nov 2003
  Catholic families from across Australia are being invited to make a pilgrimage to Sydney in April for a weekend of inspiration and celebration at the second National Catholic Family Gathering.
• Catholic Bishops affirm and acknowledge the crucial role of volunteers in the life of the Church - 18 May 2001