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.
[More]
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".
[More]
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.
[More]
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.
[More]
Bees for Benedict
Italian scooter manufacturer Piaggio has presented Pope Benedict with two new specially made three wheeled vehicles.
[More]
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
[More]
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
[More]
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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Pope appeals to Blair against Iraq war
Pope John Paul II held a private audience on Saturday with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, offering the Vatican an opportunity to voice its strong opposition to a possible war against Iraq.
The Vatican described the meeting as a "cordial" 30-minute conversation, adding that Blair also held talks with other top Vatican officials.
"The Holy Father expressed hope that, in solving the grave situation in Iraq, every effort is made to avoid new divisions in the world," Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in a statement.
British diplomats offered no details about the meetings and said Blair would not be available for comment because it was a private meeting.
Vatican officials stressed the need to resolve the crisis through the United Nations, and "to avert the tragedy of a war that is judged to be still avoidable by more sides," the statement said.
"Special consideration was given to the humanitarian situation of the Iraqi people, already tried greatly by long years of embargo," the Vatican said.
John Paul has strongly argued that military action would be a "defeat for humanity", and he has spoken out against economic embargoes.
SOURCE
AP
LINKS
Blair in Rome has audience with pope (Deutsche Welle)
The Prime Minister has not made the moral case for war (London Independent)
Pope´s plea to Blair (Herald-Sun)
Pope´s peace plea to Blair (Sunday Mirror)
Blair in ´prickly´ meeting at the Vatican (The Guardian)
Might I just have a quiet word? (The Times)
Politicians beating path to Vatican on Iraq war (International Herald Tribunal)
Full steam ahead: Blair disregards Pope´s plea
Pope Urges Blair to Avert Tragedy of War (Reuters)
Pope Calls for Day of Peace on March 5 (Reuters)
BLAIR ´SET TO BECOME A CATHOLIC´
Tony Blair is expected to become a Catholic when he steps down
as British Prime Minister, according to a report in Saturday´s London Daily Mirror.
Senior figures in the Catholic Church in England, and friends of the Blairs, say he has wanted to convert for some time but will wait until he leaves office.
Downing Street said his religious leanings were a "private matter". But some figures in the Catholic Church privately say Mr Blair must make a choice - remain an Anglican or convert to Catholicism.
Mr Blair´s wife Cherie and their four children are Catholics. A source close to the Blairs told the Daily Mirror: "He worships with them at Catholic churches."
SOURCE
Daily Mirror
24 Feb 2003
