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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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More Catholics on all continents except Europe
The number of Catholics is increasing on all continents except Europe, according to new data issued for World Mission Sunday.
Independent Catholic News reports that new data taken from the latest edition of the Church's statistical yearbook, as of December 2003, baptised Catholics increased by 0.3%, and now comprise 17.23% of the world's population.
There was a slight increase in the number of priests, a decrease in the number of women religious, and a sizeable growth of lay missionaries and catechists.
The number of Catholics grew by over 15 million, totalling more than 1.085 billion worldwide.
The number of Catholics increased in Africa by 0.34%, America by 0.17%, Asia by 0.03% and Oceania by 0.37%. Europe decreased by 0.31%.
The number of persons per priest in the world increased by 156 (the overall ratio was 12,264 to 1). By continent, the numbers were as follows: increase in America (+63) and Europe (+57) and Oceania (+13); decrease in Africa (-409) and Asia (-450).
The number of Catholics per priest in the world increased by 35 (the overall ratio was 2,677 to 1). By continent: increase in America (+51) and Europe (+12), in Africa (+29), Oceania (+13); Asia same as last year (average 2,407 Catholics per priest).
The number of bishops in the world increased by 47, to 4,742. The numbers increased on every continent, markedly in Europe (+23).
The number of women religious fell 6,663, to 776,269. Decreases were reported in Europe (-9.397), the Americas (-2.843) and Oceania (-297); increases were seen in Asia (+3,445) and Africa (+2,429).
The number of major seminarians, diocesan and religious, decreased by 826, to a total of 112,373.
Overall increases were posted in Asia (+686) and Oceania (+9). Diocesan major seminarians fell by 711, to 72,266; and religious seminarians fell by 115, to 40,107. Both categories decreased in Africa, the Americas and Europe; but increased in Asia. In Oceania, diocesan seminarians increased and religious seminarians decreased.
Minor seminarians, diocesan and religious, increased by 1,411, to 98,372. Increases were posted only in Europe (+84) and Oceania (+57). Minor diocesan seminarians fell by 1,081, to 75,562; religious fell by 330, to 22,810.
Europe saw an increase in diocesan seminarians, and a decrease in religious. Oceania showed an increase in both categories.
SOURCE
Latest Catholic Church statistics (Independent Catholic News/Fides 24/10/05)
MORE STORIES
Rapid Increase in Alternative Forms of The Church Are Changing the Religious Landscape (The Barna Group 24/10/05)
Church Growing Everywhere Except Europe (Zenit 23/10/05)
26 Oct 2005
