4 September 2015
Your news from across the Archdiocese of Perth
Edition #47
Archdiocese announces ‘Big Move’ THE C AT H O L I C Archdiocese of Perth has this week announced that it has recently acquired a twostorey property located at 249 Adelaide Terrace, Perth, which will serve as the new operational and administrative headquarters for the Archbishop and the Church here in Perth. Mr Greg Ru s s o, Chief Executive Officer, Archdiocese of Perth, said, “The purchase of this building was a primary objective of Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB. We currently operate from various locations within the City and Northbridge. This property will afford the opportunity for us to bring together, for the first time, the Archbishop’s and Church office, the administration and finance departments, and the Communications office of the Church”.
The Archdiocese of Perth has this week announced that it has recently acquired a two-storey property located at 249 Adelaide Terrace, Perth, which will serve as the new operational and administrative headquarters for the Archbishop and the Church here in Perth. PHOTO: JAMIE O’BRIEN
“This will provide significant advantages in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and communication, benefits which will enhance the level of service we provide
to Catholic parishes and the community within this Archdiocese,” he said. The building is currently undergoing an internal fitout and is expected to be
ready for occupancy in early 2016. Part of the required renovations will be the addition of a lift to ensure the new premises provide full access for people with disability.
Archbishop Costelloe reflects on Pope Francis’ letter on Jubilee Year PERTH ARCHBISHOP Timothy Costelloe SDB has today, 2 September, spoken on the release of Pope Francis’ letter regarding the forthcoming Jubilee Year of Mercy and an important initiative. In a recent letter concerning the forthcoming Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has, among other important initiatives, extended the faculty to all Catholic priests to grant absolution in the Sacrament of Penance to 1 | EDITION #47 | 4 SEPTEMBER 2015
those who confess to the sin of abortion. This faculty is granted for the duration of the Year of Mercy, which begins on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (8 December 2015) and concludes on the Solemnity of Christ the King (20 November 2016). This announcement, which extends to the whole Catholic world, is an authority which priests in most parts of Australia have exercised for many years. All priests who
have the faculties (permission to exercise ministry) of the Archdiocese of Perth already have the year-round authority, given by the bishop, to absolve those who confess the sin of abortion. Rather than minimising the seriousness of abortion, which always represents a deliberate destruction of an innocent and defenceless human life, Pope Francis in his brief letter speaks of “a widespread and insensitive mentality” that leads to peo-
ple “not realising the extreme harm which such an act (abortion) entails”. The Pope goes on to reflect on those many women who, “although experiencing this moment as a defeat, believe that they have no other option”. So many of these women, he says, “bear in their heart the scar of this agonising and painful decision”. Pope Francis goes on to insist that “what has happened is Continued on Page 2