Terry Fewtrell is an active Canberra Catholic and a strategic analyst. He looks at the case of Bishop Bill Morris, conspicuously absent from the recent Rome ad limina visit by the Australian bishops and argues that this is a moment crucial for the future of Catholicism in Australia.

Convened in Assisi in 1986 by Pope John Paul II, the Day of Prayer for Peace was an event without precedent, and both Christians and members of other religions are still engaged with the process of reflecting on it, appraising its significance and taking forward what happened there writes Kevin McDonald in The Tablet (15 October 2011). Pope Benedict convened another Assisi Day on [...]

Daniel Ang, Pastoral Planning Officer for the Diocese of Parramatta, explores the roles and responsibilities at all levels of church life in bringing about a truly collegial church.

The Australian bishops were in Rom during October for their regular five yearly report. This gave Cardinal Pell the chance to get the pope to bless his favourite project in Rome – a beautifully refurbished old religious house which has been turned into a 33 room guest house for paying visitors. Its grand chapel and organ have been richly restored. It can be used for conferences and has a 150 seat auditorium.

Our letter to Bishop Brian Finnigan in May said that, during the Ad Limina visit in October, we would have discussions concerning the events which led to the departure of Bishop William Morris from the pastoral care of the Diocese of Toowoomba. That has been done. We had individual meetings with Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, and Cardinal William Levada, [...]

The statement of the Australian Catholic Bishops contains inaccuracies and errors of fact evidenced by the documentation relating to the issues concerning myself and a number of Vatican Dicasteries.

This is a lunchtime address given by Bishop Kevin Dowling CSsR, Bishop of Rustenburg, South Africa, to a group of leading laity in Cape Town, South Africa on 1 June, 2010.

In just six years, Benedict XVI has shaped the Church through his appointments of key clergy to high office in Rome. The Slavic slant of his Polish predecessor has gone although, as this Tablet analysis reveals, Benedict has not replaced it with a German tendency – but the usual Italian one.

Mike Fallon tells the story of a cardinal from Glasgow in Scotland speaking truth to power on the translation of the missal.

Daniel O’Leary speaks of the challenges of moving through the stages of life’s journey.