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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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Adelaide to host World Day of the Sick
Pope Benedict XVI has chosen Adelaide to host the World Day of the Sick, which will once again bring to Australia hundreds of Catholic bishops and health experts from around the world. 
The 2002 World Day of the Sick was held in Sydney.
The Advertiser reports that the gathering will include up to 30 Vatican dignitaries, although the Pope will not attend. The annual event is significant on the Catholic calendar and highlights the plight of the ill and frail.
Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson suggested the city after Papua New Guinea indicated it did not have the resources to host the event. The major focus will be mental health and human dignity.
"We are delighted to be hosting the 2006 World Day of the Sick, which will bring health and the dignity deserved by the sick and dying to the forefront of the global community’s conscience," said Archbishop Wilson.
"Health issues, such as mental health and aged care, are affecting all countries and our response to the care of those in need is a good indicator of a compassionate society."
Head of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan was in Adelaide yesterday to announce the Pope's decision.
He revealed Pope Benedict had a deep personal interest in the plight of the mentally ill, after the Nazis killed a mentally-ill relative.
Mexican-born Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan yesterday met Archbishop Wilson to plan for the event. Cardinal Barragan said the Pope would send an emissary, yet to be announced, to deliver his World Day of the Sick message.
"For me mental illness (would be) something like a nightmare," he said. "The mind is in darkness. We must take care of the needy. They are among the most needy."
The event includes a public conference, civic reception for dignitaries and a mass at St Francis Xavier's Cathedral where the sick will be anointed with holy oil.
World Day of the Sick was instituted by Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1992, to bring more attention to human suffering and to recognise the importance of carers of the sick and frail.
The first World Day of the Sick was celebrated at the Marian Shrine of Lourdes, in France, in 1993. It takes place in a different continent each year to celebrate February 11 -- the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, whose shrine in France has become a temple of human suffering.
World Day of the Sick has been held in Africa, Lebanon and Italy. It is the second time the event has been staged in Australia, with Sydney hosting the day four years ago (see notes below for timeline). In 2001 in Sydney, more than 3000 people attended a special Mass for the sick at St Mary’s Cathedral on the World Day of the Sick.
SOURCE
Vatican hands Adelaide key religious coup (The Advertiser 29/9/05)
Pope picks Adelaide for global event in 2006 (Catholic Communications Adelaide 30/9/05)
LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care
Pope John Paul II - Messages - World Days of the Sick
Catholic Health Australia - World Day of the Sick
Archdiocese of Adelaide
ARCHIVE
Cameroon hosting today's World Day of the Sick (CathNews 11/2/05)
Lourdes celebrates World Day of the Sick (CathNews 10/2/04)
Call for better community care for aged on World Day of the Sick (CathNews 11/2/03)
Pope blesses Holy Land pilgrimage of disabled (CathNews 13/2/02)
MORE STORIES
Pope picks Adelaide to host conference (The Age/Australian Associated Press 29/9/05)
30 Sep 2005
