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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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Wollongong bishop seeks return of cult members
The Bishop of Wollongong, Bishop Peter Ingham, wants – "for the good of their souls" – to help followers of cult leader William Kamm "back into full communion with the Catholic Church". 
The Catholic Weekly reports that Kamm, head of the so-called Order of St Charbel community near Nowra has been sentenced to up to five years' jail for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl described as his 'spiritual wife'.
He will return to a Sydney court in December to face five counts of sexual assault and six of aggravated indecent assault. He is alleged to have abused a girl when she was aged between 11 and 15 at his religious community.
The Vatican outlawed Kamm in 2002 and authorised Bishop Peter to issue a decree against him and his associates, outlining the Church's rejection of his claims and teachings, and ordering him to disband his movement.
Kamm claims to have had visions from the Virgin Mary, who, he says, gave him the name "Little Pebble" to protect his real identity. He says he has been the vehicle for more than 500 prophecies from Mary, and even Jesus Christ after God 'spoke' to him in a paddock in 1984.
Bishop Ingham said: "My concern as chief pastor of the diocese of Wollongong is to protect people of good faith who have become caught up with Mr William Kamm, Fr Malcolm Broussard (the group's bishop) and their associates.
"For the good of their souls, I want to help these people back into full communion with the Catholic Church.
"Ever since Bishop William Murray first warned people of the dangers of Mr Kamm's movement a quarter of a century ago and asked him to cease, the diocese of Wollongong has continued, through Archbishop Philip Wilson and myself, to make it quite clear that Mr Kamm and his teachings and activities are in contradiction to the authority of the Catholic Church.
SOURCE
Cult members invited to return (Catholic Weekly 30/10/05)
LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
Website of the Little Pebble | Announcement by Bishop Malcolm Broussard (14 October 2005) regarding the Sentencing of the Little Pebble (16/10/05)
ARCHIVE
Cult to continue despite leader's conviction (CathNews 17/10/05)
Federal cash for Little Pebble cult school (CathNews 3/8/04)
Little Pebble to face trial (CathNews 26/11/03)
Little Pebble disciple cleared of sex assault charges (13/2/03)
´Little Pebble´ to face court next month on sex charges (5/11/02)
Church bans NSW South Coast cult 'miracle worker' (18/6/02)
MORE STORIES
Cult falls apart (South Coast Register 19/10/05)
27 Oct 2005
