Centacare search for families to adopt healthy babies




		WYD visitors in modest boost to tourism The number of tourists to Australia in World Youth Day month, July 2008, jumped by 47,000 compared with the same month last year, figures show. [More] NSW parents lobby to keep free student travel The New South Wales Catholic Education Commission has confirmed that it has called on parents of children in Catholic schools to lobby for the scrapping of a new travel levy for students. [More] Qld, Vic school teachers in new abuse cases A former Catholic College Bendigo staff member has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two young boys twenty years ago while a Darling Downs Catholic school teacher has been charged with seven counts of rape. [More] Catholic Healthcare pilots squalor phone hotline Catholic Healthcare is to launch a Sydney telephone hotline to coordinate responses to people living in domestic squalor. [More] Poland's Wyszynski proposed Wojtyla Cardinal Stefan Wyszinski declined to be nominated as pope during a 1978 conclave, proposing instead his compatriot Karol Wojtyla, the late Polish primate's journal reveals. [More] Vatican denounces Congo "massacre of the poor" Describing recents events in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a "massacre of the poor", Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi called for world support to end the violence and assist refugees. [More] Feature - A positive legacy comes from grief David and Samantha Meyn of East Maitland have gained wisdom beyond their years after losing their son Harrison, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of 6, in July 2006. Oscar, now 7 and Campbell, 3, speak often of their older brother and love to draw attention to the photos displayed at home. - Tracey Edstein, Aurora [More] Featured Website - Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education The western Sydney based Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education is the organisation behind the documentary on Australia's treatment of asylum seekers, A Well Founded Fear, which airs on SBS TV tonight. The Centre is a ministry of the Christian Brothers and has a history of advocacy and campaigning on social justice issues. [More] Radio - The Rhythm Divine: The Rapping Priest Fr Stan Fortuna is a Catholic priest and a founding member of the Community of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, an order established in the heart of the South Bronx in 1987. But he is also a musician known worldwide as "the rapping priest". Even after 20 years it's not a title he's totally comfortable with. [More] Opinion - A moment in history for Anglicans and Catholics 2008 has been a year of potentially historic breakthroughs between Anglican Christians and the Chair of Peter. Many Catholics have noted with great interest the growing number of Anglicans who have approached the possibility of coming into full communion with the Catholic Church. - Deacon Keith Fournier, Catholic Online [More] 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
				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\502\145.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\502\145.php on line 131 Centacare search for families to adopt healthy babies Sydney Centacare's Adoption Services is in the "unusual" position of having to recruit for prospective adoptive parents as NSW figures show a record low in the number of foster children who found a permanent home this year. The news comes as adoption became the centre of public discussion after it was revealed Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott had been happily reunited with the son he adopted out 27 years ago (pictured). The Catholic Weekly reports that the story has refocused attention on the option of adoption for women who otherwise might consider abortion as a solution for an unwanted pregnancy. Angharad Candlin, of Centacare Adoption Services, says the search is on for families for a number of healthy local babies it has placed in temporary foster care awaiting a decision about adoption or returning home. Centacare places about 10 children each year from all racial, religious and cultural backgrounds, primarily aged around four to 12 months. Ideally, the birth parents choose the adoptive parents who they think will best match the needs of their child from a pool of around 20-30 couples. But currently there are only 11 couples in the pool. Federal Health and Ageing Minister Tony Abbott has said that his case of being happily reunited with his biological son who was adopted 27 years ago is an incentive for couples considering adoption. Mr Abbott commended Daniel O'Connor's adoptive parents for raising him to be such a "fine young man" and so "pyschologically together". He reflected on ABC Radio that his was a happy story for all the people involved and that he was "disappointed there are so few babies adopted these days". Meanwhile, journalist and former Keating adviser on women's affairs Anne Summers comments in the Sydney Morning Herald today, Abbott's "media manipulation" associated with his rediscovery of his son allows him to "claim the moral high ground on abortion in a way that was not possible previously". "This is not ideology, he can now argue, this is a life saved. By implication, everyone can do what he did," she said. Ms Summers suggested that the episode has "increased the degree of difficulty for pro-choicers who want to maintain the status quo on abortion". SOURCE Search for families to adopt healthy babies (Catholic Weekly 27/2/05) Abbott's tale is grubbier than it seems (Sydney Morning Herald 25/2/05) LINKS Centacare Sydney Tony Abbott Anne Summers Happy Families Downunder - Adoption Links ARCHIVE Overjoyed Abbott pleads case for adoption (CathNews 22/2/05) Abbott backs new anti-abortion lobby (CathNews 1/2/05) Meeting of Bishops´ taskforce on pastoral responses to abortion (CathNews 24/12/04) Bishops propose abortion alternatives (CathNews 26/11/04) Persecution today for ´mad monk´ Abbott (CathNews 10/12/04) Melbourne Archbishop welcomes abortion debate (CathNews 10/11/04) Liberals say Abbott will pay for commitment to faith before politics (CathNews 8/11/04) 25 Feb 2005