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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Pope turns 84
Pope John Paul marked his 84th birthday yesterday with a cake baked by his cook, Sister Germana, and the Italian publication of a new autobiography.
The 200-page book, Get Up and Let Us Go (pictured), follows his journey from new Bishop of Krakow to being elected as Pope. It contains intimate reflections on the Holy Father's faith and details his experiences in Communist-era Poland.
Despite deteriorating health the Pope maintains a gruelling schedule of appearances and foreign trips. Vatican officials said the Pope's best birthday present would be a visit to the Swiss capital Bern at the beginning of June, when he will meet thousands of young Roman Catholics.
John Paul II is renowned for his record-breaking number of trips abroad, but it will be the first time he has gone outside of Italy since he visited Slovakia in September.
During that trip the Pope appeared weak and was unable to deliver his speeches himself, sparking speculation that he was nearing death.
However, just a month later he was able to take part in silver jubilee celebrations to mark his 25th year as head of the Roman Catholic Church and since then has much recovered.
Although confined to a wheelchair and suffering from the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, he appeared well on Sunday as he canonised six new saints at a service in St Peter's Square attended by thousands.
The Pope's new book, which will be translated into several languages, is a sequel to Gift and Mystery, an account of his early years in the priesthood, which was released in 1996.
SOURCE
Pope celebrates his 84th birthday (BBC 18/5/04)
LINKS
Pope celebrates 84th birthday (The Advertiser 18/5/04)
Pope Jean Paul II turns 84 (Sydney Morning Herald/AFP 18/5/04)
Should Bush Ask Pope's Pardon for Iraq War? (Reuters 17/5/04)
Pope Marks Birthday With Launch of Book (The Guardian/Associated Press 18/5/04)
John Paul II celebrates 84th birthday (Missionary Service News Agency 18/5/04)
Pope Highlights a Devotion Shared by Newly Canonized Saints (Zenit 17/5/04)
Pope Hopes Olympics Signal Peace (Zenit 17/5/04)
Pope Laments "Unacceptable Violence" in Mideast (Zenit 17/5/04)
Pope's New Book a Call to Optimism (Zenit 17/5/04)
Russian orthodox church abroad wouldn't welcome Pope's visit (Interfax 18/5/04)
Swiss bishops denounce calls for Pope to retire (Swissinfo.org 18/5/04)
Messages pour in for the Pope's birthday (IOL South Africa/AFP 18/4/04)
Pope Suggests He May Have Been Too Lenient with Dissenters (Lifesite 17/5/04)
Happy Birthday Holy Father (Independent Catholic News 18/5/04)
Pope's birthday marked with launch of his latest book (Independent Catholic News 18/5/04)
Pope John Paul II Marks 84th Birthday (Associated Press/HeraldSun.com 18/5/04)
Pope Feels Reign Has Been Too Soft (Reuters/New York Post 17/5/04)
In new book, pope says his experience in Poland shaped his papacy (Catholic News Service 18/5/04)
In new book, pope wonders if he has been strict enough as a leader
Send birthday greetings to Pope John Paul II (Catholic World News 18/5/04)
Happy Birthday, Your Holiness! (AsiaNews.it 18/5/04)
Happy birthday, Holy Father ! (Vatican Information Service 18/5/04)
The Holy Father
19 May 2004
