The
Catholic Weekly
Online
Sydney
15 February 2004
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Birthday wishes for Aloysius
SA parishes merge
Focus on family
Gregorian Schola offers singers big chants
Gibson’s Passion ‘work of faith’, says cardinal
How to help create a ‘culture of peace’
Pregnant pause: The joy of showing our baby the way
There is a doctor in the house
Wollongong diocese buys site for high school
Boree log bush bash
Work in Catholic education brings honour for four
Bishop launches ‘significant’ new faith courses
$80,000 boost for drug fight
Editorial: Greatest story
Letters: Something special
Conversation: Fr Aiden Kelly, prison chaplain - Helping souls in a captive Congregation
On a walk with God ...
A credible Jesus
A biblical-based Mary
A life of Mercy with music
Care, prayer still very much in order
The Polding legacy
‘Catholic-only’ order denied
US-bound on the pitcher’s mound
‘Catholic-only’ order denied
REBUTTAL: Archbishop Bathersby
The Archdiocese of Brisbane has rebutted claims made in a Sunday newspaper article that non-Catholic volunteer charity workers at the St Vincent de Paul Society have been ordered by the Catholic Church to change their religion or leave the organisation.
The Sunday Mail article centered on a St Vincent de Paul Society local Special Works conference president who, it was claimed, was given an ultimatum by the Catholic Church to convert to Catholicism or step down.
The Archbishop of Brisbane, Archbishop John Bathersby, says the Catholic Church has issued no such “directive”.
“The Catholic Church at no point has made any statement on this matter, nor has it made any statement regarding people’s conversion to Catholicism in relation to the St Vincent de Paul Society,” Bishop Bathersby said.
“The article also made mention of the fact that the Catholic Church administers the St Vincent de Paul Society.
“This is totally incorrect as the Society has been a private organisation since its inception in 1833.
“In Queensland it is incorporated with Letters Patent under the Religious Educational and Charitable Institutions Act 1861,” he said.
Following publication, the St Vincent de Paul Society has had to work tirelessly to try to correct the article’s inaccuracies and allay the concerns of volunteers and staff.
The State President of the St Vincent de Paul Society, Michael McKeown, issued a statement saying the Society always welcomes and appreciates volunteers and supporters of all faiths.
“The Society includes many non-Catholics among its members and volunteers and will continue to do so,” Mr McKeown said.
“We also assist over 250,000 people in Queensland each year without regard to race or creed.
“This issue only pertains to those who hold leadership roles and comes from our Governance manual whereby a conference president must be an active conference member and bear witness as a practising Catholic.
“It is a clear link to the Catholic nature of the Society, a vision reinforced by our mission statement, which states that ‘the Mission of the Society of St Vincent de Paul in Australia is to deepen the Catholic faith of its members – to go out into our nation to heighten awareness of Jesus Christ’.”
Mr McKeown hopes the matter can be resolved by the conference president making use of the Society’s formal grievance procedures and policies.