Catholics have to create their own spaces for dialogue on key issues by using such institutions as Catholic universities and the Catholic press, said John Allen, Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter.

At the forthcoming federal election, Australian voters must ask themselves whether their party of preference serves the common good, according to the CRLI's Social Action Office, Queensland.

Bishop Geoffrey Robinson has retired early, due to ill-health. He was recently honoured for his work on the Towards Healing protocols. Cliff Baxter ponders the man and concludes that "a gentleman took a hospital pass".

Human sinfulness is to some degree 'hard-wired' into our biology, claimed Dr Kim Power at the Women and the Australian Church Conference. The good news is that human beings can 're-wire' themselves to overcome fears that have been learned.