February
Lost opportunity that might have reshaped the Catholic Church
A little-remembered gathering in the 1960s could have stopped the problems which now batter the Church’s reputation, a new book argues.
The doomsday cult taking over Fiji and building ‘paradise’
The story of how a fringe South Korean church convinced Fijians to embrace its business empire – and ignore its dark side – is one with security implications for Australia.
November 2024
Archbishop of Canterbury quits in scandal over ‘prolific abuser’
The spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide has stepped down, after a report found he had failed to act on allegations against John Smyth.
Fortescue Energy chief quits religious group board amid staff concerns
Mark Hutchinson is no longer a director of Alpha Australia National Office, whose evangelical attitudes towards sex have displeased many employees.
October 2024
‘I have let you down’: Fortescue’s Hutchinson apologises to gay staff
Fortescue chairman Andrew Forrest says his leaders are required to back equality, prompting a mea culpa from energy boss Mark Hutchinson.
Fortescue boss a leader of church group against homosexuality
The chief executive of the company’s energy division is a director of Alpha International, which also preaches that prayer can cure cancer and crossed eyes.
This Nike-wearing millennial saint is shaking up Catholicism
Nobody doubts the short life of Carlos Acutis was one of piety and kindness – but is the teen’s rapid rise to sainthood simply a marketing ploy by the Vatican?
Revealed: How Opus Dei has flourished in the era of Trump
A new book details the close links between the secretive Catholic organisation and the Trump ally once referred to as the world’s third-most-powerful man.
September 2024
How Japanese temples and shrines became hot real estate
A surge in religious properties coming up for sale has authorities worried that prospective buyers are not interested in them for heavenly purposes.
July 2024
Australia’s great threat is a clash of civilisations
Seismic undercurrents of discontent are surfacing in society as religious beliefs collide and a generation is locked out of the housing market.
May 2024
The unlikely relationship between Russell Brand, Bear Grylls and God
Why would chief scout Grylls, a man with a flourishing global career, team up with the “cancelled” Brand – and risk harming his own squeaky-clean brand?
April 2024
‘At the end of the day, we’re Aussies’: Assyrians assess church attack
For Sydney’s tight-knit Assyrian community, Monday’s terrorist attack in a church was confronting and triggering for a long-persecuted people.
Muslims fear rise in Islamophobia as tensions run high after attack
There are fears in the Muslim community that law enforcement’s labelling of the stabbing of a bishop a terrorist attack will inflame Islamophobia.
Leaders condemn terror attack, call for calm
Political and religious leaders have called for calm after a shock stabbing in a Sydney church has put some communities on edge for reprisals.
Rio and BHP’s massive US copper mine faces religious freedom challenge
Resolution Copper would be the largest development of its kind. Native American groups opposed to it have found new financiers for legal action against it.
Shock stabbing at Sydney church a ‘terror’ attack
Spy agency head Mike Burgess said ‘lone wolf’ attacks remain Australia’s biggest threat after NSW Police labelled a Sydney church stabbing a terror attack.
March 2024
Why conservative Christians are tolerating vulgarity and lust
A raunchy, outsider, boobs-and-booze ethos has elbowed its way into the conservative power class, accelerated by the rise of Donald Trump.
Disgrace turns into love on the cross
Easter offers divine love beyond shame. God, it turns out, is far less judgmental than we are.
January 2024
A dazzling glimpse into a Sri Lankan holy spot
A visit to see a sacred relic requires patience and white clothing.
December 2023
Tax deduction curbs ‘an attack on religious freedom’
The draft Productivity Commission recommendations on charitable giving will be fiercely opposed by religious groups.