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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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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 wisdom
I 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 borders
It 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 Parramatta
Returning 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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ACU hosts inter-religious Abraham Conference


The Australian Catholic University has hosted a major event that it believes has made a major contribution to the process of inter-religious dialogue.

The event, which involved 400 people in Melbourne last weekend, was the third International and Inter-Religion Abraham Conference, titled Our Future Together: Muslims, Christians and Jews.

“ACU National is proud to have hosted and co-organised this conference which marks a significant event in the process of inter-religious dialogue,” said Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Professor Gabrielle McMullen. “It demonstrates that it is possible for members of different faiths to meet on a common basis, to dialogue together and overcome our stereotypes and misunderstandings, to work together towards further understanding in the areas of education, religion and social issues, and to build communities marked by respect and peace.”

Meanwhile another major interfaith event is taking place this week in Sydney. Titled What is Our Future Together: Muslims Christians and Jews, partner organisations include the Parramatta Catholic Diocese, Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations.

Last night, Grand Mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina Dr Mustafa Ceric delivered a the Abraham Lecture, titled The Place of Religion in the Public Space, at Parramatta's Riverside Theatre.

Session Two of the Conference, which takes place at the University of Western Sydney on Sunday, includes a panel discussion on 'Real-Life Interfaith Experience Projects and Stories' that is open to the public.

SOURCE
ACU National hosts third International Inter-Religion Abraham Conference (Australian Catholic University 26/5/04)
Abraham Conference - Sydney 26 & 30/5/04

LINKS
Conference Leaflet


27 May 2004