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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Specialists see pope's illness worsening
Neurology specialists say the extreme rigidity in his face indicates troubles with breathing and swallowing, which can lead to fatal infection.
For more than a decade, Pope John Paul II has suffered through Parkinson's disease in the international spotlight, his hands trembling, his once-stout posture slumped, his sermons slurred, as the neurological disorder slowly entraps his body. Now, as he celebrates 25 years as pontiff in Rome this week, concerns are intensifying that the disease may soon kill him.
Vatican sources are admitting to grave concerns about the health of Pope John Paul II, even as they insist that media reports are exaggerating the problem. No new plans are being made for major public ceremonies or papal trips outside the Vatican.
Catholic World News reports that as the Pope begins a week of intense activity, with a series of highly visible public ceremonies surrounding his 25th anniversary celebration, the beatification of Mother Teresa, and a consistory, a close associate has confided that doctors are worried about the Pope's health.
The associate, speaking to the Vatican news service I Media under condition of anonymity, revealed: "We have decided to suspend all major projects, such as trips, until next spring."
He even questioned whether the Holy Father would preside at public ceremonies that have already been scheduled for later this year. "It is more reasonable to wait at least until the end of the celebrations in these next days before we decide anything," he said.
A report in yesterday's Boston Globe suggests that even if the pope lives for years more, his severe physical decline is likely to continue. His ability to speak, write, walk, and stand - in other words, to communicate with the world's Catholics - will become more limited by the year. Dementia also looms.
But the pope's very public deterioration occurs as researchers are increasingly hopeful about treatment for the millions of people who suffer from Parkinson's disease, which kills off brain cells that control bodily movement. Although the breakthroughs will probably come too late for John Paul II, researchers say the coming decade seems filled with promise for patients.
SOURCE
Boston Globe
LINKS
Vatican officials concede fears on Pope's health
As Pope's Health Declines, His Inner Circle Tightens (New York Times)
Pope gives no hint of resigning, cardinals say (NewsObserver/AP)
Pope's globetrotting days may be over-medics (Reuters)
Meek and mighty hail old pope (Reuters)
Pope's Speech Is Failing (CBS)
Pope still able to do mission: cardinals (Canoe/AP)
Cardinal Laghi says pope has no intention of resigning (Catholic World News)
The Parkinson's Web
16 Oct 2003
