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
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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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Adelaide Archbishop backs equal rights for gay couples
The Adelaide Archdiocese has given support for a South Australian Parliamentary Bill giving gay and lesbian couples access to the rights enjoyed by heterosexual couples.
The Advertiser reports that Archbishop Philip Wilson (pictured) threw his support behind the Statute Amendment (Relationships) Bill yesterday "so that people can be properly protected in their rights".
The Bill would give equal rights to same-sex couples in areas such as property, inheritance, superannuation and medical laws, and bring SA in line with other states.
Discussing the Bill at a meeting of Parliament's Social Development Committee, Archbishop Wilson emphasised the importance of protecting the union of marriage but said the law also should be extended to protect the rights of same-sex couples.
"We clearly regard marriage as being a unique type of relationship . . . but at the same time we recognise the fact that there are people in society who live in other kinds of relationships," he said. "The difficulty that we find in a modern society is that we are living in a time of change.
"It seems to me that it's possible to (give same-sex couples equal rights) by defining the terms clearly and making sure . . . we don't use ambiguous terms in the legislation."
The Bill also was supported by Presbyterian Church Minister Stefan Stucki yesterday, who also wanted to protect the union of marriage.
But representatives from the Assemblies of God and Pray SA argued strongly against the Bill. "We stand against anything that would undermine (marriage) and the Bill would certainly undermine it," Pastor Ken Graham said on behalf of Pray SA.
Let's Get Equal Campaign spokesman Matthew Loader welcomed Archbishop Wilson's support for extending rights to same-sex couples.
"We're very pleased with the comments that were made by the Catholic Archbishop. His comments, from a major church, indicate that this Bill simply isn't as controversial as some people are suggesting," he said.
Mr Loader said he would support Archbishop Wilson's proposal to replace the term "domestic partner" in the Bill.
SOURCE
Equal rights backed for gay couples (The Advertiser 17/3/05)
LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
Archdiocese of Adelaide
Statutes Amendment (Relationships) Bill 2004 (Parliament of South Australia)
ARCHIVE
British bishops ban discrimination against gays, co-habitors (CathNews 9/2/05)
NZ Bishops' last-ditch bid to block gay union Bill (CathNews 6/12/04)
Bishop has 'no difficulty' with civil recognition for gay couples (CathNews 27/10/04)
Papal envoy conciliatory on gay relationships (CathNews 6/5/04)
MORE STORIES
A "No" to Homophobia, and Homosexual Acts (Zenit 9/3/05)
Gay Marriage 'Insidious' Pope Declares (Big News Network 22/2/05)
Cardinal Sandoval calls for respect for homosexuals without harming the family (Catholic News Agency 23/2/05)
Canadian cardinal says same-sex law could affect religious freedom (Catholic News Service 18/2/05)
17 Mar 2005
