FINDING GOD IN ALL THINGS
By Michele Frankeni
‘Australian Catholics’ editor, ‘Madonna’ magazine associate editor, Jesuit Communications.
The past, present and future of Catholic thought and institutions were canvassed at the Australasian Catholic Press Association Conference (ACPA). Around 50 Catholic media representatives from Australia and New Zealand attended ACPA in Christchurch, Aotearoa/NZ, in late August 2026.
The conference included the presentation of the 2026 ACPA awards, recognising excellence in Catholic journalism. Australian Jesuit Fr Joshua Choong SJ was recognised for a piece he wrote for Australian Jesuit News, titled ‘Epiphany in the desert’. The piece, which told how Joshua – then a scholastic – joined a group of fellow scholastics for a journey to the US-Mexico border, won Best Article – Faith Formation.
The conference itself was an opportunity to learn more about the Catholic Church in New Zealand. Charles Ropitini, a catechist for the Hawke’s Bay Maori Apostolate based at Pakipaki Maori Mission, spoke of his family connection to the Venerable Meri Hohepa (Mary Joseph) Suzanne Aubert and the Sisters of Compassion. He detailed her journey from France to New Zealand, where she became a health and social welfare pioneer. Her work took her to Hawke’s Bay, the Whanganui River and to Wellington. During her extraordinary life, she combined Maori medicine with Western science and wrote books in Maori, English and French.
Mass on Day 2 of the conference. Photo courtesy of ACPA.
There was interest in the more recent history of the Conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV. Cardinal John Dew, Archbishop Emeritus of Wellington, said he was continually surprised at the interest in an event held 15 months prior, but detailed his experience of the events surrounding the Conclave, as well as what it was like to be involved.
Conference speakers for the present were CEO of Caritas Aotearoa NZ and vice-president of Caritas Internationalis Mena Antonio and chaplain, writer and media enthusiast Frank Ritchie. Mena detailed growing up in a large Catholic Samoan immigrant family and then of the work of Caritas Aotearoa NZ and its work with Pacific Island communities. Frank helped establish Media Chaplaincy New Zealand which is dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of people working in the industry.
Two speakers, James Bergin and Dr Chelsea Houghton, looked at the impact of AI on communications now and into the future. James emphasised the Rome Call for AI ethics document signed in 2020 which provides an ethical approach to using artificial intelligence. The document enumerates six principles for ethical use.
They are:
- Transparency: AI systems must be understandable to all;
- Inclusion: They must not discriminate against anyone because every human being has equal dignity;
- Accountability: There must always be someone who takes responsibility for what a machine does;
- Impartiality: AI systems must not follow or create biases;
- Reliability: AI must be reliable; and,
- Security and Privacy: These systems must be secure and respect the privacy of users.
Chelsea said that to reach people, guiding principles should be to offer human development, offer belonging and offer voice and action.
Michele Frankeni (centre) accepting the award on behalf of Australian Jesuit News.
The conference ended with an awards evening, with a number of Jesuit publications recognised, including Australian Jesuit News:
- Australian Jesuit News won the Faith Formation category with ‘Epiphany in the desert’ by Fr Joshua Choong SJ. The judges’ comment: ‘A writer wrestles with the implications of his faith in Jesus as he walks in the footsteps of migrants. This is writing that takes the religious impulse seriously.’
- In the Ecumenical and Interfaith category, Eureka Street won with the article ‘We need to talk about anti-Judaism resurfacing in the Church’ by Emma Carolan. The judges said: ‘An opinion piece that takes a vexed issue in a sophisticated way. A well-written thing, demanding introspection.’
- Eureka Street was Highly commended for ‘Who owns the future of Antarctica?’ by Jessica T Miskelly in the Climate and Environment category. The judges commented: ‘The best-researched piece in the field by a wide margin, moving from the 1959 Antarctic Treaty through recent geopolitical activity in the region and cuts to Antarctic science funding. Written by a meteorologist, the science holds up and the argument is sustained throughout. A serious piece of environmental journalism.’
The next ACPA conference will be held in Melbourne from 25-27 August 2027.
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All photos courtesy of ACPA.