Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and representatives of other Orthodox and Anglican churches accompanied Pope Benedict in lighting a candle to launch the Year of St Paul.
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Volunteers refuse WYD powers
Rural Fire Service and State Emergency Service volunteers will not seek "authorised person" status while assisting with WYD in order to avoid "negative interactions with people".
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Vietnam up, US down on WYD numbers
A record number of Vietnamese pilgrims will attend World Youth Day this year but US numbers are down - and 50 Angola pilgrims are stranded in Sydney instead of Adelaide because tour organisers thought the SA capital was only an hour way.
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Celebrate the living spirit: Bishops urge
Australia's bishops have urged Catholics to "celebrate the Living Spirit" to mark Aboriginal and Torres Islander Sunday this weekend.
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Korean priests in Mass protest against US beef
Two hundred South Korean priests have celebrated a street Mass in Seoul to protest an unpopular government decision to resume beef imports from the US.
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Bees for Benedict
Italian scooter manufacturer Piaggio has presented Pope Benedict with two new specially made three wheeled vehicles.
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Feature - Walking away from what they do not know
"People who leave the Church are not leaving because they are rejecting the teachings of John Paul II or Pope Benedict. Most do so because they go to Catholic schools and they think that the kind of warm secular humanism with Christian gloss that they get in Catholic schools is in fact the Catholic faith and it hasn't captured their imagination, their love or their intellect so they are walking away from something that they do not know." - The Catholic Herald
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Featured Website - First Things
First Things is a monthly ecumenical journal concerned with the creation of a "religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society." It is published by The Institute on Religion and Public Life in the United States of America.
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Film Review - Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda is essentially a martial arts comedy and is a total action movie. It has striking effects and action sequences and a particularly impressive concluding fantasy sequence which brings DreamWorks to a new level of technological sophistication. There is a strong cultural feel about the movie and it heavily draws on Chinese culture to bring authenticity to its fantasy. - Peter Sheehan, Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting
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Opinion - God is without circumference
His challenge was to see the beauty in every face, even when the owner of that face had long given up on it. Surely, that is to love others as Jesus did—Jesus the One who never gives up on us. If we are to love as Jesus loved, we need to be forgiving people. Forgiving people are bridge-builders and reconcilers. - Fr Chris Gleeson, Madonna
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OPINION
Beyond knowledge to wisdomI believe this is one of the crisis points for contemporary Christianity. Put bluntly, its representatives do not seem wise. Yes, those representatives can give you any amount of information, some of them can even speak knowledgeably of Christian teachings. Wisdom is another thing altogether. - Fr Michael Whelan [More] - Aquinas Academy
FEATURE
Connected across bordersIt is time for leaders of nations to see their national interests as connected with the interests of people on the other side of the globe. We have reached the point where human existence is at stake and our destiny is inextricably linked. If we are to overcome this crisis of climate change we need to think beyond the confines of national states. - Just Comment [More] - Edmund Rice Centre
FEATURED CATHOLIC WEBSITE
Catholic Education Diocese of ParramattaReturning to our education theme, we shine the spotlight on arguably the most innovative Catholic education website in the country. In addition to all the standard features of any CEO site, Parramatta's includes some interactive opinion polls and a competition for students to attempt to ''Become the Executive Director for the day''. The site is also well regarded for its RE and curriculum resources.
- www.parra.catholic.edu.au
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Slur on Mother Teresa in paper stuns Church
A bizarre attack on Mother Teresa published in a British newspaper last week has produced a reaction of surprise and dismay within the Church.
The article, by one of her long-term critics Christopher Hitchens (pictured), appeared in The Mirror under the headline 'Why Mother Teresa should not be a Saint' and proceeded to criticise the Vatican decision to beatify her in October.
In the article, Hitchens asks why the traditional seven-year interval between the death of a person and their beatification, the standard first step on the path to sainthood, has been ignored in this case. He notes that Mother Teresa, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, was first put forward for beatification only four years after her death and also claims only one miracle has been required of her when two are usually asked for.
Mr Hitchens' article comes after he previously published a book in which he accuses the Macedonia-born nun of exploiting her fame and receiving funding from questionable sources such as the Duvalier dictatorship in Haiti. He claims she was more interested in mixing with the rich and famous than helping the poor in Calcutta and never gave proper account of the huge sums of money donated to her.
Mr Hitchens also slams Mother Teresa's strict views on pro-life and contraception issues, and ends by saying he feels the media have created a 'collective hallucination' of her life.
But Church sources have dismissed Hitchens' criticisms, and a spokesman for the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales said Mother Teresa was 'an extraordinary woman whose goodness, humility and depth of faith are legendary.'
SOURCE
The Universe
LINKS
Why Mother Teresa should not be a saint (The Mirror)
The Christopher Hitchens Web
Pope to move Mother Teresa closer to sainthood (20/12/02)
Pope to approve Mother Teresa miracle (Reuters)
Pope to OK Beatification for Mother Teresa (AP)
Pope keen to beatify Mother Teresa in Calcutta (17/12/02)
Mother Teresa's Cause Website
Vatican body recognises Mother Teresa miracle (2/10/02)
Miracle Approved; Beatification Set for Mother Teresa
Vatican confirms Mother Teresa 'miracle' (CNN)
Mother Teresa successor says happy for miracle nod (Reuters)
Vatican moves Mother Teresa nearer to canonisation (25/9/02)
Hundreds pray at Mother Teresa´s tomb (27/8/02)
Mother Teresa beatification could occur this year (20/8/02)
Mother Teresa voted India´s greatest citizen (14/8/02)
The Mother Teresa Website
15 Jan 2003
