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
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Pell in Cathedral celebration before departure for Rome
Sydney's Archbishop George Pell last night celebrated Mass for the Pope's Silver Jubilee in a packed St Mary's Cathedral, his final public appearance before leaving for Rome for his elevation to the College of Cardinals.
Pell will receive the "red hat" from Pope John Paul II on Tuesday, making him one of the 135 senior clergy who will elect the next pope.
He told last night's congregation of more than 3000 that Pope John Paul II has repeated and developed his central themes in many different forms of teaching, explaining the liberating effect of truth.
He said some of the Pope's politically incorrect encyclicals - including those condemning abortion and euthanasia - have caused great debate in the secular world.
"There's no easy courting of popularity, no shirking of challenges," Dr Pell said. "The centre of the Pope's work is the question of the meaning of human life."
Dr Pell said there is a radical secular view that if a life is made of suffering, there was no point in living.
"John Paul has addressed this intellectually, and more recently with the public performance of his duties at such great cost," he said.
"He struggles wearily on, helped only by Christ's power driving him on irresistibly," Dr Pell said. "We thank God for his presence ... for his teaching and his character."
SOURCE
Suffering pontiff lives his teachings: Pell (The Australian) - payment required
LINKS
Archdiocese of Sydney | St Mary's Cathedral | Sydney celebrates Pope John Paul II’s Silver Jubilee this Thursday (Media Release)
World's cardinals gather in Vatican (phillynews.com)
Cardinals could split when choosing a successor to John Paul (Associated Press)
Cardinals divided on church future (Associated Press)
Crunching the College of Cardinals
Who will be the next Pope? (Slate)
Roman Catholic hierarchy gathers for John Paul II's 25th (AFP)
Cardinals consider moves to press for Pope's resignation (Independent)
World's cardinals gather in Vatican (phillynews.com)
HEALTH
Pope says God wants him to stay (CNN)
Resignation of ill pope an 'abstract possibility': George (Chicago Sun-Times)
Pope says God asking him to stay on (Reuters)
Pope asks for strength to go on (BBC)
PAPACY
Pope has pressed political agenda (Plain Dealer)
John Paul II created strong relations with other faiths (Plain Dealer)
Vatican stands firm despite dissent from U.S. laity (Plain Dealer)
Pope's reign fortifies church (Wausau Daily Herald)
Pope John Paul II: Spiritual Superman
A Pontiff for Our Time
Prominent Catholics discuss legacy of Pope John Paul II (ABC Radio The World Today)
John Paul II has left large footprints on world (Orlando Sentinel)
George Weigel: Pope John Paul II: Pastor to the World (Beliefnet)
Progressive Catholics Congratulate Pope, Look Forward (CTA-USA)
Cardinals: Like a father, pope has guided church in confusing times (Catholic News Service)
For Pope, a Milestone on Road of Epic Events (New York Times)
The Popes Who Served the Longest (Associated Press)
Poll Suggests Catholics Admire Pope (Associated Press)
Pontiff's progress (The Guardian)
NZ pays tribute to Pope (NZCity/IRN)
Editorial: Time for tribute (Catholic Weekly)
Putin congratulates Pope on 25th anniversary as pontiff (Gateway to Russia)
Patriarch Alexy II Congratulates John Paul II On 25th Anniversary of His Pontificate (Pravda)
The fisherman's catch (The Scotsman)
Poll Suggests Catholics Admire Pope (Associated Press)
Poll finds 71% of Canadians support the Pope (CTV.ca)
Archbishop Hails Pope’s Silver Jubilee (The Scotsman)
Silver Jubilee Tribute to Pope from Bishops of England and Wales (Catholic Communications Service)
Jubilee Tribute to the Pope: The Truth will make you free (Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor’s full address on BBC Radio 4's "Thought for the Day")
After 25 years, a changed papacy (Christian Science Monitor)
Memories of the Pope's election (BBC)
Peter Fray and Desmond O'Grady: Legacy of the 'living miracle' (The Age)
MORE LINKS IN PREVIOUS STORY
17 Oct 2003
