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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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Bishop calls for more time to debate anti-terror laws
Bishop Christopher Saunders of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council (ACSJC) is urging the Federal Government to allow more time for the scrutiny of its Anti-Terrorism legislation.
Bishop Saunders of Broome, who chairs the ACSJC, recognised the Government's responsibility to ensure that Australia's security arrangements are capable of detecting and addressing potential terrorist attacks. But in the statement released on Friday, he stressed that it is essential such arrangements adequately respect and protect the rights of all Australians.
"This legislation will be complex and it could have far-reaching consequences for the civil and political rights that all Australians presently enjoy," he said. "To push for the approval of the Bill before Christmas will undermine proper Parliamentary review and rule out the possibility of adequate public input."
Bishop Saunders pointed out that Federal authorities already have extensive powers to counter possible terrorist threats.
The additional powers now being sought include:
• preventative detention without charge;
• the application of control orders including home detention and tracking devices;
• extended "stop, question and search" powers;
• the so-called "shoot-to-kill" power (while it appears this power may not be pursued); and,
• a new criminal offence of leaving baggage unattended at the airport.
"It is a concern that these powers are likely to be considered without the level of scrutiny and improvement that earlier anti-terror Bills were exposed to during 2002 and 2003," he said. "The ACSJC calls for more time for Parliamentary review of the proposed legislation with the opportunity for extensive public debate."
SOURCE
More time needed on Anti-Terror laws (Australian Catholic Social Justice Council 28/10/05)
LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
Australian Catholic Social Justice Commission
ARCHIVE
Bali Bishop in Adelaide for terror remembrance (CathNews 11/10/05)
MORE STORIES
Anti-Terrorism Laws: Eureka Street joins condemnation (Jesuits Australia 28/10/05)
31 Oct 2005
