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The Record 450 Hay Street, Perth, G.P.O. Box

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No. 2048.

Y SEPTEMBER

977

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Bishops want I

changes in the Family Law Act The fact that a couple can commence legal separation immediately after their marriage and hove their divorce completed 12 months later gives little support to the ideal of marriage, according to the Australian Bishops. Reviewing the effect of the Family Law Act that was introduced in 1975. the Bishops stated recently that the expectations of those about to marry, immediately or in the future, must be affected by the ease with

which

obligations can

so easily shed.

of the legislation of fulfilment of the prombuttressing marriage has ises and predictions made been forgotten, they say. for this Act," they say. Rising divorce rates may "Delay must be avoided. not he a reliable index on the stability of marriage, Among recent holiday religious education camps, the one held at but Australian society has Moors received a visit from Bishop QUINN, who met children he will be been lulled into a false sense confirming next month, Gavin HAYWOOD, Elizabeth JORISSEN, Kevin be of security. LLOYD, Rosemarie osophy

In a letter to the AttorCOUNSELLING ney General, the Australian The Government, they Bishops Conference says that present legislation in say, assumes that everyone would be happy with the practice gives very little

of strong community Family Law Act as it support to a young couple stands. The Bishops want the about to marry. Family Court to take greater advantage of approved IN RETROSPECT marriage guidance organiLooking back on the per- sations for counselling and iod of preparation for the also to appoint more counlegislation over two years sellors to give long term ago, they say that there was attention to a couple. too much emphasis placed They say that the statuon the harrowing effects of tory period of separation marriage breakdown. should be lengthened so Correspondingly there was that couples will take adinsufficient attention paid to vantage of long-term counsteps designed to make mar- selling. riage breakdown less likely. They also want a geneThe Bishops call on the ral review of the working Government to give atten- relationship between judges tion to two matters: making and counsellors and the way the couple pause a sufficient in which decisions are made time before undertaking di- about which counsellors a vorce and the provision of couple will see. long-term counselling. "The Australian communSpeed in the handling of ity cannot afford to wait processes with the possibil- for the passage of years beity of divorce by mail in- fore systematic questions dicate that the original phil- are asked about the level sense

PASSAMANI, Robyn JOHNSON and HUGHAN. (See also Page 2).

Rome again sets conditions

for general absolution

BIRMINGHAM (NC). In a letter to the bishops of England and Wales the Vatican's Doctrinal Congregation has insisted once again that three conditions must be simultaneously fulfilled before general absolution can be given without individual confession.

solution. Services of Penance with general absolution were first

introduced 1975,

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It recalled that it was meant by talking about there ops to the approved authquite possible that the ap- not being enough confessors ors without mentioning propriate occasion for gen- available to hear confessions them by name. eral absolution might not "properly". The Doctrinal Congregaexist in England and Wales. In their letters to Rome tion also insisted that genThe letter was read to the they quoted priests horrified eral absolution was not to National Conference of at the idea of reverting to be seen as an alternative Priests, holding its annual the "slot -machine mental- to individual personal conmeeting in Birmingham this ity" and speaking of the fession but was strictly month, by Archbishop "irreverent administration something for emergency George Dwyer of Birming- of the sacraments" involv- use only. ham. president of the bish- ed in gettiing through peoThe congregation's reply, ops' conference. ple's confessions at a rate which was dated July 26, is to be discussed by the EngIt was in answer to his of one a minute. To this the Doctrinal lish and Welsh bishops at letters asking for clarificareplied by their next meeting to be tion of the three conditions Congregation laid down in the norms re- merely referring the bish- held in November. gulating the new rite of Penance and stressing the pastoral benefits that had resulted from the experimental use of general ab-

Karen

during

Lent,

the dioceses of and Notting-

The three conditions are: That there must be a great number of penitents. That there must be too few confessors available to hear individual confessions properly. And that those coming to such a service of Penance would otherwise be deprived of the sacraments

for a long time.

Questions put by the English and Welsh bishops included asking what was

RHODESIAN BISHOP COMING Bishop Donal Lammont, formerly of Um tali in Rhodesia, Is currently in Australia at the invitation of the

Australian Hierarchy. In August, 1976, Bishop Lamont was charged by the Rhodesian Government with having failed to report the presence of terroroists. He appealed against a sentence of ten years' imprisonment and it was reduced to four years, three to be suspended for a period of five years. He was subsequently expelled from the coun-

try. On March,

1977, he

made a lengthy "Speech

TO From the has been

PENH Dock" that recently pub-

lished.

On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, September 19, 20, 22, 23, Bishop Lamont will read from his speech on

6WN at 10.20 a.m. each day in "By the Way". Bishop Lamont can be heard in Perth on Tuesday, September 27, in the Gibney Hall. Trinity College, at 8 p.m.; a talk will be given by him to clergy and Religious at the same venue on Monday, September 26.