Tasmania's Catholic Archbishop Julian Porteous Likens St Marys Scripture Reading Furore to Thorburn AFL Religion Row [Australia]

ABC News ^ | 10/23/22 | Loretta Lohberger

[marshmallow]

Opposition to a planned biblical reading about marriage at a girls' school graduation mass shows society is becoming "increasingly hostile to Christian beliefs", according to Tasmania's Catholic archbishop — who likened it to the Essendon saga over Andrew Thorburn's resignation.

Hobart Catholic school St Mary's College made headlines last week when concerns were raised about the chosen reading for its graduation Mass — Ephesians 5: 21-23 — which includes:

"Wives should regard their husbands as they regard the Lord, since as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the head of his wife; and as the Church submits to Christ, so should wives submit to their husbands, in everything."

After concern among staff, students and parents, and backlash on social media, Archbishop Julian Porteous agreed to change the reading, and provided an alternative.

The section of Ephesians 5 is the reading for the day, but, being an ordinary weekday, those choosing the readings have freedom to choose something else.

Questions were also asked about whether a reading about marriage was the best choice for an occasion that is celebrating academic achievement.

In his homily during Sunday's mass at the Guilford Young Chapel in Hobart, Archbishop Porteous said it was "not unusual for the teaching of sacred scripture to be at variance with the attitudes and ethos of our age".

"We now find ourselves as Catholics, as Christians, being criticised and persecuted because we believe what the scriptures teach and we desire to live by its imperatives, even when they are at variance with the ethos of our times," he said.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

They should read until the end of the chapter to get the full teaching, not that that would make any difference to people who are looking to be offended. Come to think of it, in Ephesians 5 there is plenty to offend a lot of people, because it does teach, as the archbishop points out, an ethic different from the world’s.

[HKMk23]

“They should read until the end of the chapter to get the full teaching,...”

^^^ THIS ^^^

EXACTLY!

[married21]

I was the lector for daily mass that day in our parish. As a woman who had a law career I found it amusing to be doing this reading, but people really need to look at the whole thing. The first thing Paul says is that Christians need to be subordinate to one another. And he later says that he means “pay respect to”. So wives, respect your husbands, and husbands sacrifice your life for your wives. One could argue that wives are getting the better deal, not the worse, as they are not the ones being asked to lay down their lives.
I have no problem reading this to graduating students. It’s a good discussion starter about the benefits and limitations of academic knowledge, compared to the benefits of living in love, per our faith.