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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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Archbishop warns priests warned not to become pawns
Melbourne's Archbishop Denis Hart has refused to give his support to a charter protecting Melbourne's Catholic teachers from the federal industrial relations changes, despite the church's strong public criticism of the proposed laws.
The Age reports today that Archbishop Hart has written to the Catholic parish priests who run Melbourne's 300 Catholic schools with his "strong advice" not to sign the charter.
The Victorian Independent Education Union has asked schools to sign a charter that would guarantee they will not use the industrial changes to reduce wages and conditions, and force teachers on to individual contracts.
But in a memo sent to priests on 21 September, Archbishop Hart says that teachers are already protected by an industrial agreement. He urges priests to wait until the legislation is tabled, and there is an official church response.
"Advocates have been publicly seeking the support of churches and community groups for their position," he says in the memo seen by The Age. "We need to ensure we are not used as a pawn in this debate."
Archbishop Hart said yesterday it was "better to wait and see what was proposed, rather than to react too hastily when things are not quite clear".
"We're not wanting to rush into a hasty reaction, because that may be unfair to all parties concerned," he said.
Archbishop Hart said Catholic schools had a good track record as employers. "We value people and we are going to continue to do that," he said.
Tony Keenan, the head of the independent teachers union, said he could not understand Archbishop Hart's position. "It just seems unnecessarily nervous, and will create an enormous amount of anxiety in Catholic schools," Mr Keenan said.
He said many country Victorian Catholic schools outside the Melbourne archdiocese had signed the charter, while a handful had done so in Melbourne in defiance of the Archbishop's position.
SOURCE
Priests warned not to become pawns (The Age 14/10/05)
LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
Archdiocese of Melbourne
Victorian Independent Education Union
ARCHIVE
Papal twist in Parliament work debate (CathNews 12/10/05)
Govt IR detail fails to ease Commission's concern (CathNews 11/10/05)
Church body open to national industrial relations system (CathNews 12/9/05)
Church body slams IR policy proposals (CathNews 9/9/05)
Bishop urges Govt to tread softly on IR (CathNews 2/9/05)
Minister says full employment is Catholic "first principle" (CathNews 19/8/05)
Remote area voice sees PM ´off target´ on IR (CathNews 12/8/05)
Commission answers PM´s denial of existence of Catholic position (CathNews 10/8/05)
PM dismisses voice of Church (CathNews 8/8/05)
Melbourne Archbishop coordinating IR response (CathNews 3/8/05)
Minister tells churches to stay out of IR fight (CathNews 11/7/05)
Pell voices wages concerns (CathNews 4/7/05)
Canberra bishop speaks out on job insecurity fears (CathNews 1/7/04)
Church leaders worried about Howard IR changes (CathNews 29/6/05)
Bishop hits back at Minister´s claims on IR reforms 1/6/05)
Catholic body seeks meeting with Minister over workplace laws (CathNews 30/5/05)
MORE STORIES
Anglican, Catholic clergy echo concerns for low-paid workers (Canberra Times 12/10/05)
14 Oct 2005
