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A US Coast Guard officer who refused to be injected with a vaccine derived from the remains of an aborted child has won an exemption from the required vaccination.
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Pope thanks "wifes of Christ"
Pope Benedict yesterday thanked consecrated virgins for their "total gift" to Christ encouraging them to "always irradiate the dignity of being the wife of Christ."
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Mail and penny drop for WYD
Preparations for World Youth Day have stepped up a notch with a letter drop to half a million Sydney homes and the release of a commemorative colour coin of the Pope.
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Priest in supermarket trolley protest
Melbourne parish priest, Fr Noel Brady, has launched a protest against unsightly supermarket trolleys left abandond in streets for up to three months.
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Call to follow WA and reject cloning
Sydney archdiocese policy officer, Dr Brigid McKenna, has welcomed a decision by the Western Australian Legislative Council to reject cloning as a victory for "commonsense science and morality."
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US churches offer mortgage help
With US lenders threatening to repossess 650,000 homes in the first quarter of 2008, Catholic parishes are mobilising to offer assistance to mortgage distressed homeowners.
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Feature - A new dawn for Sorry Day
It is time for this country to build new relationships and to be open to future possibilities, we commit ourselves to deep, on-going dialogue with our indigenous sisters and brothers on further ways of moving forward. - Fr Mark Raper, Pathways
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Featured Website - Ron Rolheiser
This is the website of one of the best known Catholic priests in the western world. Fr Rolheiser is best known through his writings and lecturing on spirituality and prising open the Word in such a clear, beautiful and heart-inspiring style.
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Film Review - Shutter
Based on a 2004 Thai film of the same name, Shutter is an American/Japanese production. If you can take the shocks and violence of this genre, this film is worth the admission price for the cinematography alone. - Fr Richard Leonard, Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting
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Opinion - Middle class creep in Irish Church
During the transformation of Irish society from a largely rural and agricultural economy to an industrialised one there occurred a failure of imagination in the Irish Church. - Fr Oliver Rafferty, The Catholic Herald
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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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Pell announces new grant for adult stem cell research
The Sydney Archdiocese will fund a $100,000 grant for research on stem cells, further signalling its guarded support for some experimentation with some types of human cells.
The Courier-Mail reports that Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell announced the grant yesterday. This follows a $50,000 grant given by the Archdiocese in 2002 which led to a breakthough by Griffith University's Professor Alan Mackay-Sim (pictured) that succeeded in growing adult stem cells harvested from the nose.
With the Church opposed to research on cells harvested from human embryos, research on adult cells has potential to lead to life-saving treatments within the bounds of Church teaching.
Today's Courier-Mail report - written by Pell biographer Tess Livingstone - says that in the US last week, scientists reported new evidence of the effectiveness of treating congestive heart failure with a patient's own stem cells.
Cardinal Pell said breakthroughs in adult stem cell research were exciting and impressive.
"The achievements to date in this area far surpass anything that has been attained in the area of embryonic stem cell research," Cardinal Pell said.
The scientific community had argued that legalising the use of embryos for research would open the way to find cures for disease such as Parkinson's disease, diabetes and genetic conditions such as cystic fibrosis. Federal Parliament passed laws allowing surplus IVF embryos to be used for stem cell research in late 2002 but the church has maintained its opposition to the use of embryonic stem cells.
Cardinal Pell said: "The Catholic Church always supports good science working from a good ethical foundation, and the Archdiocese of Sydney is delighted to be able to collaborate with researchers making inroads in this vitally important area."
The latest grant is the second made available by the Sydney Archdiocese to further research into adult stem cells, and applications have been invited from Australian-based researchers.
An Archdiocesan statement yesterday said the grant will be awarded on the recommendation of an independent assessment panel, whose members include experts on science and ethics, according to the following criteria:
• The research meets the highest standards of scientific excellence.
• Therapeutic applications are likely to arise from the research.
• The research will be innovative, displaying novelty in its experimental approach.
• Receipt of this grant will be significant for the undertaking of the research.
• The researcher(s) have a track record of success in undertaking similar or related research.
• The research complies with the standards set out in Chapter 6 of the Code of Ethical Standards for Catholic Health and Aged Care Services in Australia.
SOURCE
Catholics fund cell research (The Courier Mail 26/7/05)
New Grant for Research on Adult Stem Cells from Catholic Church (Archdiocese of Sydney 25/7/05)
LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
Archdiocese of Sydney
A Discussion Paper on Ethics, Law & Medical Research Cloning & Stem Cells: A contribution to the national debate (Australian Catholic Bishops Conference 20/9/01)
ARCHIVE
Cardinal Pell hails stem cell discovery (CathNews 22/3/05)
Sydney Archdiocese announces Church funding for adult stem cell research (CathNews 26/3/03)
26 Jul 2005
