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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Tight security for Mother Teresa's beatification
With an estimated 400,000 people expected to attend Sunday's celebration - nearly twice what organizers had originally expected - Italian law-enforcement officials are alert to the possibility of terrorist action.
To guard against possible threats, police will use helicopters, elite troops, plainclothes and uniformed officers, and a thorough search of all pilgrims entering St Peter's Square.
Extra security measures will be imposed on the Vatican beginning 24 hours before the ceremony, and continuing through Saturday night.
The need for extra security will be heightened by the presence of many prominent international political figures, some of whom could be regarded as terrorist targets.
The Vatican is expecting, among others, President Ibrahim Rugova of Kosovo, President Alfred Moisiu of Albania, and Princess Rania of Jordan.
The Vatican and the City of Rome have cooperated in making similar security arrangements for the canonisations of Sts. Padre Pio and Josemaria Escriva last year; both ceremonies drew crowds of up to 400,000.
SOURCE
Catholic World News
LINKS
What’s So Special About Mother Teresa? (Beliefnet)
Tight security for Mother Teresa's beatification (Catholic World News)
'Mother Teresa harmed Kolkata's image' (rediff.com)
Denver nuns heeding Mother Teresa's word (Denver Post)
In Rome, a Passion for Mother Teresa (Washington Post)
Modern science helps church verify miracles (Los Angeles Times)
Too Swift to Sainthood (Newsday)
Calcutta celebrates life of Mother Teresa (AFP)
Pope to accept Mother Teresa's blood (AFP)
Govt mulls over 'Mother Teresa award' (rediff.com)
Archbishop renews attack on BBC (Birmingham Post)
'Mother Teresa harmed Kolkata's image' (PTI)
U.S. kids in Rome help attach relics to Mother Teresa prayer cards (Catholic News Service)
Vatican decides against Mother Teresa exhumation (16/10/03)
Mother Teresa's 'miracle' to receive Communion from pope (Catholic News Service)
Special guests at Mother Teresa’s beatification (Catholic Weekly)
Play's a smash with nuns and children (National Post)
India's leader joins tributes to Mother Teresa (EWTN/Catholic World News)
Mother Teresa's nuns set up camp in Rome (Independent Catholic News)
The Debate Over Sainthood (CBS)
Nun's blood to pope (news24.com/AFP)
200,000 expected for Mother Teresa's beatification (Catholic World News)
Nuns gather Mother Teresa's 'relics' (2/10/03)
Beatification Mother Teresa of Calcutta 19 October 2003 (Vatican website)
Mother Teresa of Calcutta - Official site of the Cause of Canonisation
17 Oct 2003
