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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
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".
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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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Catholic Welfare says policy tweaks amount to little
A small number of single parents will be temporarily exempted from the Federal Government's welfare changes in an attempt to address concerns about the severity of the reforms, but changes the Government has agreed to are "only the first steps in a long journey", according to Catholic Welfare Australia Executive Director Frank Quinlan.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that, despite lobbying by church and welfare groups including Catholic Welfare Australia, the main aspects of the policy remain, which means hundreds of thousands of people will have to live on lower benefits unless they find jobs.
No one will have their payments cancelled without being warned by Centrelink, the Minister for Workforce Participation, Kevin Andrews, said yesterday. People with children may get financial assistance to ensure their offspring are not affected.
The main aspects of the changes remain, including stricter work requirements for single parents and people with disabilities, and stopping payments for two months if people do not meet those requirements.
To be exempted parents will have to show there is a lack of suitable child care, children suffer behavioural problems requiring support during school hours, or a lack of suitable work. People leaving abusive relationships will also be temporarily excused.
Foster carers, home schoolers, parents with four or more children, or parents who care for a child with a serious illness or disability are those most likely to be excused.
The changes to the way penalties are imposed were made to ensure people who suffer episodic mental or physical illnesses did not lose their welfare payments if they were unable to meet work requirements because of their condition.
The Church and welfare groups welcomed the softening of the changes but said they did not go far enough. The executive director of Catholic Welfare Australia, Frank Quinlan, said he wanted more changes to the policy.
"The fundamentals of a sound welfare-to-work package are adequate income support, education and training and job creation," he said. "[Yesterday's] announcements only relate to the first of these. Investment in education and job creation remains inadequate."
SOURCE
Welfare to work rules tweaked (Sydney Morning Herald 22/9/05)
LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
Welfare to Work announcements the first steps in a long journey (Catholic Welfare Australia 21/9/05)
ARCHIVE
Churches warn Govt about job welfare changes (CathNews 16/9/05)
Church pressure wins Govt change of heart on unemployed (CathNews 5/9/05)
Federal Budget boosts family relationships (CathNews 11/5/05)
Catholic Welfare stands up for long-term unemployed (CathNews 2/5/05)
MORE STORIES
Welfare-to-work program rules eased (ABC News 21/9/05)
22 Sep 2005
