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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Vietnam up, US down on WYD numbers
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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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Bishops happy with Indian election result
The Catholic bishops' Conference of India has expressed relief that India's voters decided "not to give in to fundamentalism" when they handed a victory to the Congress Party over the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
"The people of India have voted for peace and social harmony," said Conference spokesman Fr Babu Joseph Karakombil SVD.
The people "have chosen not to give in to fundamentalism, not to mix politics and religion; they have demonstrated that they want a secular nation built on the values of tolerance and freedom," he told the Vatican agency Fides.
The BJP had called early elections in view of good results on the political level, peace negotiations with Pakistan and a growing economy. Few political observers predicted that the BJP would suffer in the elections.
The BJP's agenda of strong nationalist policy had given rein to Hindu fundamentalist movements following the Hindutva ideology of one people, one language and one culture.
Fr Karakombil said: "The triumph of the Congress Party means there will be a change in India's policies. It is in fact the moderate mind of the people not steeped in religious nationalism but a champion of a secular state founded on values guaranteed by the Constitution."
"Minority groups, including India's Christians, welcome the outcome of the vote because they know Congress will adopt policies which are for tolerance and progress and which foster social and religious harmony rather than increase tensions," he added.
SOURCE
Results of Indian Elections Please Episcopate (Zenit 16/5/04)
LINKS
Catholic Bishops welcome the verdict of the people (AsiaNews.it 17/5/04)
Indian Christian forum congratulates new government (Insights 14/5/04)
Christians say Indian election result is answer to their prayers (Ekklesia 14/5/04)
Catholic official says elections show Indians want secular democracy (Catholic News Service 14/5/04)
Church Welcomes the verdict of people calls for a stable government (Catholic Bishops Conference of India 15/5/04)
18 May 2004
