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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Clancy loses papal conclave voting right
Sydney's retired Cardinal Edward Clancy turned 80 on Friday, which means he loses his right to vote for the next pope, and Australia will have only two electors at the papal conclave.
Cardinal Clancy, who was an auxiliary bishop in Sydney and Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn, before he was appointed Archbishop of Sydney, was elevated to cardinal in 1988. He retired in 2001.
Under a rule instituted by Pope Paul VI in the early 1970s, cardinals lose their right to participate in the election of a pope once they reach the age of 80. The loss of Cardinal Clancy from the papal conclave brings the number of Australian electors to two - Cardinals George Pell and Edward Cassidy.
A dinner to honour the cardinal was held earlier this month at the International College of Tourism and Hotel Management (formerly St Patrick’s College) at Manly in Sydney. Guests included his successor Cardinal George Pell.
Currently there are 132 cardinal electors, all but four appointed by John Paul II. Next on the list for removal is Slovakia's Cardinal Korec (who turns 80 on 22 January). Ten cardinals will lose their voting rights during 2004, including Cardinal Edward Cassidy, who turns 80 on 5 July.
According to America magazine's Papal Transition FAQ, the maximum number of cardinals was set at 70 by Sixtus V in 1586. John XXIII ignored this limit and the college grew to over 80 cardinals. In 1970 Paul VI reformed the college of cardinals by increasing the number of electors to 120, not counting those 80 years of age and over who were excluded as electors. John Paul II exceeded this limit by two in 1998 and by 15 in 2001 and 2003.
Pictured: Cardinal Edward Clancy (right), with successor Cardinal George Pell.
LINKS
Non-Voting Cardinals (catholic-hierarchy.org)
Voting Cardinals (catholic-hierarchy.org)
Manly dinner to honour cardinal’s 80th birthday (Catholic Weekly 16/11/03)
Conversation: People ‘often look for God in wrong places’ - Cardinal Clancy, retired Archbishop of Sydney (Catholic Weekly 7/7/02)
Papal Transition FAQ
17 Dec 2003
