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.
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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
[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 set to elevate 30 cardinals
Pope John Paul II will formally elevate 30 new cardinals, including Catholic Archbishop of Sydney George Pell, at a consistory of the so-called "princes of the Church" at the Vatican tonight Australian time.
Archbishop Pell has arrived in Rome after leaving Australia on Saturday.
Today's will be Pope John Paul II's ninth consistory, but the fact that it coincided with his 25th anniversary celebrations has given it a "pre-conclave" atmosphere, particularly as some Vatican watchers believe it may well be his last.
The 30 clerics will kneel before the Pope in St Peter's Square and receive the square red hat which denotes their high office in the Roman Catholic Church.
Twenty-six of them will join the elite group of cardinal-electors who will meet in conclave to elect the next Pope after the death of John Paul II.
The consistory will bring the number electors to 135, though it will have dropped to 131 by the end of the year, four more cardinals including Sydney's Cardinal Edward Clancy reaching the age of 80, precluding them from further involvement with electing a Pope.
Argentine Cardinal Jorge Medina speculated on Thursday that the Pope would consider stepping down - something he has repeatedly said he would never do - if his speech difficulty worsened to the point where he was unable to celebrate mass.
But Italian Cardinal Mario Francesco Pompedda, who as prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature is the Vatican's highest legal authority, said what counted was the Pope's ability to express his thoughts, not necessarily by speaking.
John Paul II though appearing increasingly stricken by Parkinson's disease, has highlighted his grim determination to continue his mission.
"Continue to pray for me, so that I can faithfully fulfill my service to the Church for as long as the Lord wishes," he asked the congregation at his 25th anniversary mass on Thursday.
SOURCE
Courier-Mail/AAP
LINKS
Pope prepares to install new cardinals (Associated Press)
Cardinals Suit Up in Red for Big Day (AP)
Cardinal Elect Denies Calling for Church Debate (Scotsman)
New cardinal will be fresh voice in the church world (Daily Record)
Pope to elevate 30 cardinals (AAP/Courier-Mail)
New Cardinals Impact Next Pope Decision (Associated Press)
Scots Catholics head for Rome (BBC)
New cardinal will be fresh voice in the church world (Daily Record)
Pilgrims Head for Rome to Witness Archbishop’s Elevation (The Scotsman)
Painting the Vatican red (news24.com)
Foley taking part in ceremony for new cardinals (phillynews.com)
John Paul II Implores Cardinals to Give Their Lives to Gospel (Zenit)
Voting Cardinals (catholic-hierarchy.org)
21 Oct 2003
