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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
[More]
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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Church concern about Howard backdown on abortion drug ban
Catholic Health Australia CEO Francis Sullivan has voiced concern following the decision of Prime Minister John Howard to allow a cabinet rethink of Australia's ban on the abortion drug RU486.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the renewed pressure on the Government comes amid claims that cost and delays of surgical abortions are hitting women in country areas.
Mr Sullivan told the Herald that many Catholics would be concerned that the initial rhetoric from the Government about protecting the dignity of human life was coming under pressure.
The paper says that in a move that further complicates the push by the Health Minister, Tony Abbott, to reduce the number of abortions in Australia, Mr Howard yesterday said federal cabinet would review the ban on the import of the drug, which can induce abortions up to nine weeks after conception.
Mr Howard's move follows a call by the Liberal MP Sharman Stone for the ban on RU486 to be dumped, citing the plight of women in her country Victorian electorate who had difficulties arranging abortions.
The pressure from within the Liberal Party to relax the ban comes as the Government is already juggling other reproductive issues of concern to the Catholic Church, including the possible further relaxation of curbs on embryonic stem cell research and measures to rein in the number of abortions in Australia.
But Mr Abbott said yesterday there were no plans before the Government to relax the import ban on RU486 but he would listen to any case for change.
While the ban has remained since 1996, the Federal Government has permitted the use of the morning-after pill, effective for about 48 hours after conception.
Catholic Health's Francis Sullivan also rejected Mr Howard's statement this week that there was no single Catholic position on issues like workforce reform.
The Church had "a huge tradition" of concern on workplace issues and on issues like the use of embryos for stem cell experiments and RU486, there were broad Catholic concerns, Mr Sullivan said.
SOURCE
Abortion drug on a rethink (Sydney Morning Herald 14/10/05)
LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
Catholic Health Australia
ARCHIVE
Church mentors to stop abortion (CathNews 4/10/05)
MORE STORIES
No communion for pro-abortion political leaders, Synod told (AsiaNews.it 7/10/05)
Cardinal: It's not automatic sin to vote for pro-abortion candidate (Catholic News Service 6/10/05)
Catholic politician cannot support abortion, prelate says (Catholic World News 5/10/05)
14 Oct 2005
