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.
[More]
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
[More]
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.
[More]
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
Warning: main(http://www.cathnews.com/cgi-bin/ad_management.pl) [function.main]: failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found in E:\hshome\eureka0\cathnews.com\news\310\117.php on line 131
Warning: main() [function.include]: Failed opening 'http://www.cathnews.com/cgi-bin/ad_management.pl' for inclusion (include_path='.\;C:\HSphere.NET\3rdparty\PHP\4.4.7\PEAR') in E:\hshome\eureka0\cathnews.com\news\310\117.php on line 131
Rockhampton bishop asked to quit
The lawyer for victims of convicted pedophile priest Michael Joseph McArdle has called for Rockhampton Diocese Bishop Brian Heenan to stand down for failing in his duty of care.
The Australian newspaper reports that Simon Harrison of Brisbane law firm Quinn and Scattini lodged a criminal compensation claim in the Brisbane Supreme Court yesterday on behalf of one of McArdle's victim. He said other victims would lodge similar claims soon.
Mr Harrison said Bishop Heenan either knew the abuse had occurred and failed to give proper support to the victims, or should have known it.
After 68 year old McArdle was jailed earlier this month for six years after pleading guilty to numerous indecent dealing charges, Bishop Heenan renewed his apology and offer of support to victims.
"I have come to appreciate more and more what a devastating effect sexual abuse has on victims and their families, although only those victimised could really know the pain," he said.
Bishop Heenan also renewed his commitment to supporting victims and their families in whatever way was appropriate.
"I will offer whatever support I can. The needs of the victims are our primary concern. I cannot change the past, but a terrible tragedy has occurred here and we must now do what we can to support these people in their lives."
Meanwhile president of US Conference of Catholic bishops said earlier this week that a forthcoming study of the sexual abuse of children by the country's clergy in the past 50 years would likely produce "startling" numbers.
But Bishop Wilton Gregory cautioned no other comparable studies had been done for other areas such as schools, sports or the medical community.
He called for surveys in other sectors to put the results into perspective because pedophilia was not just a Catholic problem.
"The bishops really want to be honest with our people and say, "This is the data we want to share with you," he said.
"The numbers are going to be startling because they are going to be aggregate, over 50 years, and they will be startling because there is no context."
The National Review board of the Catholic Bishops Conference commissioned the study — which will include information from all 195 American dioceses — to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.
The study is a compilation of information about offenders, victims, incidents of abuse, cost of therapy and legal fees.
SOURCE
Bishop told to quit (The Australian) - payment required
Church study on sex abuse "startling' (Reuters/The Star Toronto)
LINKS
Diocese of Rockhampton | Bishop Brian Heenan
Rockhampton bishop renews apology to priest's victims (10/10/03)
Rockhampton bishop calls meetings to discuss church sex abuse (15/8/02)
Public apology for Rockhampton priest's sex abuse (17/6/02)
Church apologises to abuse victims (The Age)
Church apologises for abuse (The Courier-Mail)
Pope laments 'scandalous behaviour' of some priests (Ananova)
Towards Healing
Quinn & Scattini
22 Oct 2003
