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.
[More]
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".
[More]
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.
[More]
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.
[More]
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.
[More]
Bees for Benedict
Italian scooter manufacturer Piaggio has presented Pope Benedict with two new specially made three wheeled vehicles.
[More]
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
[More]
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.
[More]
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
[More]
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
[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\503\160.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\503\160.php on line 131
Nasal feeding tube fixed to Pope
Pope John Paul II is receiving supplementary nutrition through a feeding tube as he continues his "slow and progressive" recovery, the Vatican has announced.
Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said yesterday that a nasogastric tube was inserted in order to improve the pope's caloric intake and help him regain his strength.
The pope underwent a tracheotomy to relieve breathing problems in late February. He is also believed to have Parkinson's disease, which often causes difficulty in swallowing.
The written announcement came just a few hours after the Holy Father made a surprise appearance at his studio window to bless thousands of pilgrims gathered below in St. Peter's Square. The pope had also tried to speak to the crowd using a microphone, but the few syllables he uttered were incomprehensible.
"The Holy Father continues his slow and progressive convalescence," Navarro-Valls said in a written statement. "The pope spends many hours of the day in an armchair, celebrates Mass in his private chapel and stays in working contact with his collaborators, directly following the activity of the Holy See and the life of the church," Navarro-Valls wrote.
Navarro-Valls said the pope's medical care continued to be provided by his personal doctor, Renato Buzzonetti.
A Vatican official said the feeding tube was being used to offer additional nutrition. He said the pope could continue eating and drinking. The tube was inserted just after the pope's public appearance at his studio window yesterday, said the official.
Meanwhile Italian newspapers are reporting that the files of the old East German secret service contain documents confirming that the Soviet Union ordered the 13 May 1981 attempt on the life of Pope John Paul II.
Catholic World News says that two newspapers, Corriere della Sera and Il Giornale , are reporting that files from the Stasi, the East German spy agency, confirm the suspicions long held by Vatican officials. Documents in newly opened files show that the KGB, the Soviet spy agency, ordered the assassination attempt, which was carried out by the Bulgarian secret service.
Dimitar Tzonev, a spokesman for the Bulgarian government, said that officials in Sofia are ready to hand over their secret-service archives to the Italian commission charged with investigating the assassination attempt, which was carried out by Mehmet Ali Agca. An Italian parliamentary commission is also carrying out an investigation of KGB recruitment in Italy.
SOURCE
Vatican says pope gets feeding tube to improve caloric intake (Catholic News Service 30/3/05)
KGB ordered Pope's assassination, new documents show (Catholic World News 30/3/05)
LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
Nasogastric tube (MedicineNet.com)
ARCHIVE
Pope to have mountain named after him (CathNews 30/3/05)
Pope's silent Easter Sunday blessing, then no show Monday (CathNews 29/3/05)
Audience cancelled, but Pope blesses crowd from window (CathNews 24/3/05)
Fresh doubts about Pope's health (CathNews 23/3/05)
Palm Sunday pilgrims retrace Jesus' trip to Jerusalem (CathNews 21/3/05)
Pope marks anniversary of Gaudium et Spes (CathNews 18/3/05)
No more updates on Pope's health crisis (CathNews 17/3/05)
Era of 'video-pope' approaches (CathNews 15/3/05)
Pope returns home from hospital (CathNews 14/3/05)
Pell says distance creates Australian uncertainty about Pope's health (CathNews 14/3/05)
Pope to come home for Holy Week (CathNews 11/3/05)
Pope a non-starter for Holy Week (CathNews 9/3/05)
Pope told to use gestures to spare voice (CathNews 8/3/05)
Pope´s message to Berlusconi on hero Nicola Calipari (CathNews 7/3/05)
Pope hoping to be home for Easter (CathNews 4/3/05)
Cardinal urges pope to keep World Youth Day commitment (CathNews 4/3/05)
Pope celebrates Mass in hospital room (CathNews 2/3/05)
Chilean cardinal to announce Pope´s successor (CathNews 1/3/05)
Pell backs Pope resolve to carry on (CathNews 28/2/05)
Pope set for tracheotomy procedure (CathNews 25/2/05)
Mixed signals on Pope recovery (CathNews 23/2/05)
New Pope book hits Jewish sensitivities (ICathNews 21/2/05)
Pope tells media to promote truth, not trash (CathNews 22/2/05)
Vatican official urges effort to reach lapsed Catholics (CathNews 4/6/04)
Pope again encourages use of Internet for evangelisation (CathNews 18/2/04)
Vatican official urges advertising that promotes human dignity (CathNews 29/10/03)
64% in US use Internet for religious reasons (CathNews 19/5/04)
Pope says truth in media serves cause of peace (CathNews 26/3/03)
MORE STORIES
Pope's appearances leave many wondering about his health, future (Catholic News Service 29/3/05)
Pope receives feeding tube, Vatican calls recovery 'slow and progressive' (Catholic News Agency 30/3/05)
Pope tries to speak but gives silent blessing to crowd in St. Peter's Square (Catholic News Agency 30/3/05)
Pope Fed via Nasal Tube as He Fails Again to Speak to Crowd (Christian Today 30/3/05)
Pope being fed through a tube (CNN 30/3/05)
Heavy speculation on Pope's health (Catholic World News 29/3/05)
Pope gets feeding tube (Catholic World News 30/3/05)
1981 attack on Pope planned by Soviets: Report (Agence France-Presse/Hindustan Times 30/3/05)
Pope gives blessing without speaking (Missionary Service News Agency 30/3/05)
Pope getting nutrition from feeding tube (Associated Press/Sydney Morning Herald 30/3/05)
Pope fed through nasal tube (Agence France-Presse/The Australian 30/3/05)
Pope to feed and breathe via tubes (The Australian/The Times 31/3/05)
Fears that Pope may never speak again as doctors consider surgery (Irish Independent 30/3/05)
Pope: Light of the Risen Christ conquers darkness of evil (Vatican Information Service 30/3/05)
Pope appears at window, blesses faithful in silence (Vatican Information Service 30/3/05)
Pope's convalesence slow, eating assisted by gastic tube (Vatican Information Service 30/3/05)
31 Mar 2005
