Pontifical Council on Christian Unity head, Cardinal Walter Kasper, has warned the Anglican church that it "must clarify its identity" and make "difficult decisions" ahead of its forthcoming Lambeth Conference.
[More]
Quarantine for Indigenous welfare cards undermines responsibility: CSSA
Quarantining welfare payments in indigenous communities fails to address the real issues putting children at risk and undermines people's sense of responsibility, according to Catholic Social Services Australia Executive Director, Frank Quinlan.
[More]
Baby dies in car outside Toowoomba school
A five month old girl died yesterday after the child's mother left her in the family car while she collected her other children from a Toowoomba Catholic school.
[More]
Latin back on menu at Vatican website
The Vatican website has introduced a section in Latin which will publish the official original editions of pontifical documents.
[More]
Abuse victims plan protest for pope
Support groups for victims of clerical abuse are joining together to hold protests during Pope Benedict's Australian visit.
[More]
ACU seeks student volunteers
Australian Catholic University has announced that starting in 2009 it will base its selection of students on their involvement in cultural, sporting and religious activities including volunteering as well as on academic performance.
[More]
Hart slams Vic government over Catholic school funding
Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart has attacked the Victorian government for its failure to increase funding for Catholic schools while boosting support for public schools by $1.3 billion and raising state teachers' annual salaries by $5,000.
[More]
Priests and sisters among Burma dead
At least two priests and several sisters are among the ten of thousands of Burmese killed by Cyclone Nargis, a Salesian priest says, with many churches and related projects also badly damaged.
[More]
Feature - Woodstock and worship renew chance for improved relations
Since Pope John Paul II launched World Youth Day 22 years ago, it has become the Olympic Games of world religion, the largest and most complex spiritual event held on a recurring basis across the globe. One part worship and one part Woodstock, the youth oriented festival is designed to offer a rocking rebuttal to impressions that Catholicism is sliding toward oblivion. - John Allen, Sydney Morning Herald
[More]
Featured Website - Rosary in the street
May is a month of devotion to Our Lady often best expressed through the Rosary. This website is encouraging people not just to pray the Rosary in their homes, but to take the pray with others to the street.
[More]
Television Review - No limits
A television program devoted to showcasing people living with a disability is indeed a rare find in our commercialised world and its quest for perfection. No Limits looks at living life to the fullest with a disability, featuring stories about workshops on UN dignity and rights of people with disabilities, disability standards in education, disability legislation and much more.
[More]
Opinion - Respect the key to youth violence
Without other standards of human flourishing to counteract those communicated on billboards and in advertising, the young members of some communities are deprived of all sources of self-esteem and respect. Unable to hope for those signs of success which the consumerist environment holds up for our emulation, young men in particular can be without resources to resist the message given them that they are failures, nonentities, nothing. - Thinking Faith
[More]
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
Warning: main(http://www.cathnews.com/cgi-bin/ad_management.pl) [function.main]: failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found in E:\hshome\eureka0\cathnews.com\news\412\110.php on line 131
Warning: main() [function.include]: Failed opening 'http://www.cathnews.com/cgi-bin/ad_management.pl' for inclusion (include_path='.\;C:\HSphere.NET\3rdparty\PHP\4.4.7\PEAR') in E:\hshome\eureka0\cathnews.com\news\412\110.php on line 131
Charles de Foucault heading for beatification
The Vatican will today advance the causes of several candidates for beatification and canonization, including Charles de Foucauld and Cardinal Clemens August von Galen.
Catholic World News reports that in a ceremony scheduled for later today Rome time, Pope John Paul II will approve a series of decrees prepared by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
The decrees include testifying to the "heroic virtue" of candidates, who will then be eligible for beatification if an authentic miracle is discovered, and recognising the authenticity of miracles attributed to their candidate's intercession.
In April 2001, the Holy Father approved a decree affirming the heroic virtue of Fr Charles Foucauld, the former soldier and convert who lived as a hermit in southern Algeria, working as a pioneer of dialogue with Muslims, until his death in 1916. The recognition of a miracle would make the French priest eligible for beatification.
Another decree is expected to approve a miracle attributed to Cardinal von Galen, who died in 1946, just a month after being raised to the College of Cardinals. Known as the "Lion of Muenster" (a reference to his native city), he was a bold and outspoken opponent of the Nazi regime, and particularly the extermination of handicapped Germans.
Several other decrees will involve Polish candidates; it is possible that they could be beatified in June 2005, if Pope John Paul goes ahead with a tentative plan to visit his native land. Among them is a priest who served as the confessor to Sister Faustina, the Polish nun who popularized the Divine Mercy devotion, and was canonized by Pope John Paul in April 2000.
SOURCE
Beatification closer for Foucauld, von Galen, others (Catholic World News 17/12/04)
MORE STORIES
Pope John Paul II greets a group of Beslan schoolchildren (Novosti 19/12/04)
Pope Condemns Same Sex Union as Attack on Society (Reuters 18/12/04)
Violence never the answer, Pope says (ABC/AFP 17/12/04)
May the Christmas tree teach us to give ourselves, says the Pope (AsiaNews.it 19/12/04)
Pope tells ADL leaders he hopes relations continue to improve (Catholic News Service 17/12/04)
Pope to ADL: let us work together to eliminate all forms of racism (Catholic News Agency 17/12/04)
Pope's schedule curtailed after Christmas (Catholic World News 17/12/04)
John Paul II at Christmas time (Philstar.com 18/12/04)
Pope says same sex union attack on society (Reuters 18/12/04)
Pope condemns Christmas materialism (Reuters 19/12/04)
Holy Father welcomes five new ambassadors to the Vatican (Vatican Information Service 16/12/04)
Spread joy through your work in circuses and fairs (Vatican Information Service 16/12/04)
Respect and promote the life of peoples and individuals (Vatican Information Service 16/12/04)
Overcome Evil With Good, Urges Pope (Zenit 17/12/04)
"New Direction for Africa" Advocated by Pope (Zenit 16/12/04)
Pope Warns of a New Colonialism in AIDS Fight (Zenit 17/12/04)
A Papal Foundation Aims to Help AIDS Sufferers (Zenit 17/12/04)
John Paul II Urges Catholic-Jewish Friendships (Zenit 17/12/04)
Pope Hopes Artists Get "Message of Truth" (Zenit 17/12/04)
Eucharist Is a True Place to Adore Jesus, Says Preacher (Zenit 17/12/04)
20 Dec 2004
