News - National
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26-Nov-2010
Private schools are threatening court action to prevent the publication of information about their finances on the My School website, after previews that indicated the website is riddled with errors, said The Australian.
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25-Nov-2010
The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Benedict has approved a historic shift to allow condoms to avoid AIDS - while carefully painting it as no change at all, said a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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24-Nov-2010
Former Defence Force chief, General Peter Cosgrove, will be installed as the new Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University (ACU) this Sunday in a ceremony at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, according to a media statement.
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23-Nov-2010
Cardinal George Pell and Parramatta Bishop Anthony Fisher have clarified that Church teaching on condoms has not changed, reports The Australian. The Catholic News Agency cites the Vatican spokesman saying the same.
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24-Nov-2010
The future of a Western Port parish priest who spoke in support of women's ordination hangs in the balance, said a report in the Peninsula Weekly.
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19-Nov-2010
The parish priest at Western Port, in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, says he expects to lose his job after the publication of a report in The Age today relating to a homily delivered two months ago endorsing women priests.
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24-Nov-2010
NSW state government plans to introduce ethics classes into primary schools are in disarray after the Coalition announced it would not support them as an alternative to scripture if it wins power next year, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
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23-Nov-2010
Petersham RSL club in NSW has cancelled a "Black Mass Music Festival" scheduled for later this month, following complaints, reports The Catholic Weekly.
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22-Nov-2010
Although ethics classes will be voluntary for NSW primary schools, the Sydney Morning Herald has confirmed that parents who want the classes for children will be able to appeal to the Education Department if the principal and the majority of the school community opposes.
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19-Nov-2010
A Catholic schoolteacher will replace the former minister Joe Tripodi as Labor's candidate in Fairfield, NSW, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
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25-Nov-2010
Pro-life suppporters have been asked to contact their local members as fears grow that a private member's bill to decriminalise abortion will soon be introduced in the Queensland Parliament, said The Catholic Leader.
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25-Nov-2010
A South Australian voluntary euthanasia bill has been "clearly defeated" in the state parliament, said an AAP report in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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23-Nov-2010
The country's first hospital ethicist has written to Premier Mike Rann urging him to block the introduction of voluntary euthanasia in South Australia, reports The Advertiser.
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19-Nov-2010
Australia's women religious will travel to Canberra next week to hold meetings about human trafficking with politicians, community leaders, academics, union bosses and foreign embassy staff, said a media statement.
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News - International
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25-Nov-2010
An artillery attack by North Korea on South Korea's Yeonpyeong-do Island has damaged the island's only Catholic Church, said ucanews.com.
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25-Nov-2010
An unprecedented worldwide pro-life vigil will take place in dioceses across the globe uniting their prayers with Pope Benedict on Saturday, November 27, said the Catholic News Agency.
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25-Nov-2010
The Vatican official in charge of the reform of the Legionaries of Christ has begun to introduce changes to the group, as Pope Benedict acknowledged that the Holy See had been slow to act on the scandal in the order, said AP reports in the Washington Post.
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24-Nov-2010
Pope Benedict said he would not hesitate to relinquish his post if he no longer felt ''physically, psychologically and spiritually'' up to the job, said a report by the UK Telegraph in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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24-Nov-2010
The Pope said condom use was equally acceptable for men and women, based on the new book of interviews with him, according to an AP report in the Herald Sun. The book goes on sale today, and orders for it are jumping "pretty rapidly", said an AFP report in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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22-Nov-2010
Pope Benedict has said that condom use can be justified in instances such as male prostitutes using them to stop the spread of HIV, which The Age calls a stunning reversal of traditional teaching in fighting AIDS.
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22-Nov-2010
The Vatican is preparing a document for all bishops' conferences offering guidelines for a "coordinated and effective program" of child protection and for dealing with allegations of clerical sexual abuse, reports the Catholic News Service.
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26-Nov-2010
A US priest who has been removed from active ministry over alleged abuse has been charged with attempting to hire a hitman to murder a teenage boy who accused him of sexual assault, said a report by The Times in The Australian.
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24-Nov-2010
Seminaries in England have received the highest number of applicants this northern autumn in over a decade, said a Catholic News Agency report.
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23-Nov-2010
The Society of St Pius X has ordered Holocaust-denier Bishop Richard Williamson to reconsider his decision to retain an attorney associated with the neo-Nazi movement, says the Catholic Culture website.
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22-Nov-2010
A support committee promoting the candidature of Belgian sociologist and Vatican II expert, Father Francois Houtart, for the Nobel Peace Prize has withdrawn its bid upon the priest's request, said a media release.
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22-Nov-2010
Recent research by a South Korean Catholic hospital has shown that adult stem cells can provide a highly effective treatment for malignant brain tumours and other types of cancer, vindicating the Church's stance on using these or artificially derived ones rather than embryonic stem cells, reports ucanews.com.
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26-Nov-2010
A Vatican communiqué says Pope Benedict deeply regrets China's illicit ordination of a bishop and points out that the act was a "grave violation of Catholic discipline", reports ucanews.com.
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23-Nov-2010
The Catholic Church in Hong Kong has issued a public apology to billionaire Li Ka-shing over remarks by a priest that likened the tycoon to the devil, said a report by the UK Telegraph in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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23-Nov-2010
Hong Kong-based Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, an aide to Pope Benedict XVI on China Church affairs, said he wanted to have "a good cry" over the illicit ordination of a bishop in Chengde, Hebei province, reports ucanews.com.
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22-Nov-2010
For the first time in nearly five years, the government-backed Catholic Church in China has ordained a bishop who does not have the approval of the Pope, says a BBC report on ABC.
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Regulars
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26-Nov-2010
The Director of Jesuit Refugee Service International, Fr Peter Balleis SJ, has called on Australia to live up to its reputation as a tolerant and multi-cultural nation by showing compassion to boat people, writes Catherine Marshall in Province Express.
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25-Nov-2010
More than 1,500 child soldiers in Uganda have managed to flee their captivity because a Catholic radio station gave them the courage to believe in a new life, writes Eva-Mariea Kolmann in Aid to the Church in Need.
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24-Nov-2010
An American priest visiting Perth has described his time as a Catholic chaplain in Iraq as like “living in a frat house” on a US installation, writes Anthony Barich in The Record.
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23-Nov-2010
Sarah Cassidy is the sort of no-nonsense woman you might expect to be headmistress of a primary school. But Cassidy doesn’t do children, and she doesn’t do husbands, either. She’s 43, single and celibate. She’s also a senior female figure in Opus Dei, writes Rebecca Hardy in The Herald Sun.
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22-Nov-2010
In 2006, when the local priest declared that St Brigid's Catholic Church in Crossley/Killarney in south-west Victoria was to be sold,the locals got angry. First, they fought the sale. By last year, they raised enough funds for a deposit to buy the precinct, writes Genevieve Barlow in Weekly Times Now.
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25-Nov-2010
America magazine carries an extended extract from Light of the World, the new book on the Pope, based on interviews with the German journalist Peter Seewald. The extract allows readers to follow the Pope's comments on controversial topics word for word, and in context.
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25-Nov-2010
Last year’s Redemptorists advent calendar turned out to be the most popular offering so far on its site. This year's is now available.
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24-Nov-2010
St Vincent de Paul has launched its Christmas Appeal for 2010. The Vinnies website has a click-through for anyone wanting to donate, plus other information about the appeal and homelessness.
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23-Nov-2010
The City of Sydney has launched its schedule of events for Christmas, which started on Thursday with the lighting of the 21-metre tree in Martin Place. This link has full details of all the events.
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22-Nov-2010
A public forum will held tomorrow on ways of minimising harm from gambling, at Cardinal Knox Centre in East Melbourne. For those who are interested in the subject but cannot attend, there is a Youtube clip with contributions on the subject from speakers, including Rev Tim Costello (pictured).
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25-Nov-2010
Isabelle Huppert plays Boubou, an unconventional woman, often oblivious of others, even her daughter. She goes off to apply for a job to prove herself in this French comedy. But all the time, she would love to go to Brazil. Copacabana is a dream.
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24-Nov-2010
Could there be a pelicula mas loco (crazier film) than Machete? Yes, but they tend to be released on DVD and disappear into mad movie limbo. Should you stray into this film, if you last the first five minutes, then you have enough fortitude to stay for the rest.
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23-Nov-2010
This is a World War II memoir that re-creates events in New Britain during the Japanese invasion and occupation, a story of interest to all Australians who want to know more about the war and the experience of Australian soldiers, nurses - and nuns.
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22-Nov-2010
This Harry Potter film is different from those that have gone before. Fantastic Quidditch matches and amazing wanderings have been replaced with darkly sinister acts. This is the darkest movie in the series so far, making it quite unsuitable for children of any age, which seems a pity.
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26-Nov-2010
I must confess my lack of objectivity as I review Norma Woodcock’s book From Fear to Faith because of my great personal debt to Norma who has deeply influenced my spiritual development over the last few years, writes Deacon Aaron Peters in The Record.
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26-Nov-2010
While Pope Benedict has not changed his mind about artificial contraception or even the usefulness of condoms in HIV/AIDS prevention, the new view is a substantial step forward for a number of reasons, writes Anthony Egan SJ in Thinking Faith.
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25-Nov-2010
Predictions that massive numbers of Anglicans will become Catholic seem far-fetched, writes Andrew Hamilton in Eureka Street. There is sharp division within the Anglicans over proposals to ordain women Bishops and gay bishops. But only some of those opposed would feel any attraction to Rome.
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24-Nov-2010
Pope Benedict XVI is famously his own best spin doctor. In the old days, the Vatican would dispatch senior officials to try to calm the waters after the pope said or did something controversial. More recently it’s worked the other way, writes John Allen in the NCR.
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23-Nov-2010
Earlier this year a New York Times correspondent reflected that in his travels he routinely encountered two Catholic churches, writes Jo Chandler in The Age. ''One is the rigid all-male Vatican hierarchy that seems out of touch, the ''other'' church ''does far more good in the world than it ever gets credit for.
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22-Nov-2010
If the Pope does mean to let married couples use condoms where one has AIDS, it is the most significant Vatican decision on sexual morality since Pope Paul VI ruled out the contraceptive pill in 1968, writes Barney Zwartz in The Age.
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