Author Archives: gavin

Matthew Warner is a very accomplished writer and a clear thinker who writes across a range of different platforms, including the National Catholic Register — that’s the good NCR, in case you’d forgotten. He wrote a great piece last week, the headline for which just makes you want to read it: “Why the world doesn’t take Catholicism seriously.” Matthew has a concise response (emphasis added), encapsulated in a great section of his post: [W]e can talk about catechesis and community … Continue reading →

I’ve written on many occasions in the past few months about the inquiries that are being held in Australia in sexual abuse of minors — one in a specific part of New South Wales, one in the state of Victoria and the national Royal Commission into how institutions responded to instances of abuse. The Catholic Church is not the only target of these inquiries, but it has been the focus of the media attention. The Victorian process is well advanced, … Continue reading →

It’s hard to believe that it’s almost six years since I first crowded into a small office in an attempt to record my first podcast. With very modest equipment, we cobbled together something resembling a news discussion, but were very lucky to be able to take The 15th Station to another level — and a far more professional level — with the use of Rendition Studios for our recordings for most of the subsequent 67 recordings. Last week, using that … Continue reading →

I was in Melbourne last week doing some preparation for CNMC Melbourne, the Catholic New Media Conference that I’m helping to organise for the first week of September. I have a number of friends in Melbourne who are outstanding people, and I always try to catch up with some or all of them when I’m in my favourite Australian city. One of those friends is Tim Kroenert, assistant editor at Eureka Street, and their resident film reviewer. I’ve always enjoyed … Continue reading →

I’ve previously introduced readers of the Soapbox to the brilliant work of the folks at Eye of the Tiber, the satirical website that is probably best described as the Catholic answer to The Onion, if you know that site. Eye of the Tiber writes fictional stories that are usually very, very funny, partly because they contain an ounce — or a few pounds — of truth, or ideas close enough to the truth to make one wonder where the satire … Continue reading →

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ve commented once or twice or 429 times about how the Catholic Church around the world, and in Australia and New Zealand in particular, often fails to adequately communicate the message of Jesus Christ to the faithful, not to mention to non-Catholics. It’s hardly a view that I alone hold; plenty of others are making the same case and trying to offer advice on how the Church can do better. A … Continue reading →

People in my part of the world have all been to Mass already this weekend (or have missed their chance to do so), while many of my friends in the UK or the US may not yet have attended Mass. When I went to Mass today, I didn’t see anything quite like what I’m about to write about. And none of my friends around the world will see anything quite like it either. Well, I suppose if a friend of … Continue reading →

Hand on heart, I can say that I am not remotely a science fiction guy. I’m not much of a fan of fantasy either, which makes it awkward when Catholics and New Zealanders — and especially Catholic New Zealanders — are almost obliged to profess their undying love for the Tolkien movies because of their Christian themes and because they were filmed in New Zealand. I guess I just prefer my films/TV shows/books to be “real”, even if they are … Continue reading →

Confident in my manliness and heterosexuality, even I, the Occupier of the Soapbox, can find a cute story every once in a while to share with you, my dedicated friends. This story is getting a bit old now, but there has been a resurgence of interest and like many stories, seems to get more coverage a few weeks or months down the track because some major news event stopped it from gaining any traction earlier. I’m not sure if that’s … Continue reading →

For those of us in the English-speaking world, Cardinal Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, was a largely unknown figure until his election in March. Unlike many long-time cardinals, there isn’t a great deal of written material from Pope Francis to give us some insights into his thinking and his views on a range of issues. Well, an interview has surfaced (a few days ago now) that offers a little glimpse into the mind of Cardinal Bergoglio. It was recorded a few … Continue reading →