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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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Archbishop hails Church Resources Internet ratings win
Archbishop Barry Hickey, Chairman of the Bishops' Committee for the Media, has congratulated Church Resources on winning the Hitwise award for Australia's most popular religious website for 2005.
The award, presented on Friday night at Luna Park in Sydney, confirms that the loyalty of CathNews readers has been recognised with the naming of Church Resources websites as No. 1 in the 'Lifestyle - Religion' category, as determined by the Hitwise Internet research company. The Hitwise statistics are drawn from information provided by Australia's Internet Service Providers.
The Church Resources count includes all Church Resources' websites (see links below), although most CathNews is the most popular offering, with 88% of the visitors.
Archbishop Hickey said: "Church Resources' attractive websites provide succinct news and comments on matters of Catholic interest in Australia and beyond," Archbishop Hickey said. "Its popularity can only grow as more people discover it."
Earlier this month, the Bishops' Committee for the Media issued Go Tell Everyone, a pastoral letter that highlighted the importance of the Church's work in communications, particularly Internet and other new media.
Late last year, Church Resources appointed a dedicated communications manager, Peter Dobbie, to coordinate the expansion of its websites.
"We are continually developing our communications offerings to inform, inspire and support individuals and organisations in their daily lives and mission," he said. "It's a rewarding endeavour and exciting to see it meeting the needs of our audience."
Church Resources was founded in 1997 to equip the Church for the Internet age. CathNews was introduced in 1999. Daily Prayer Online commenced in 2003, the Catholic Australia portal in 2005, and the Daily Readings podcasts last month.
Church Resources also has a joint purchasing arm providing millions of dollars of savings each year for Catholic organisations through phone systems and services, office supplies, vehicles, travel, utilities and more.
The Hitwise performance awards are based on aggregate usage statistics from a geographically diverse range of Internet Service Provider networks in metropolitan and regional areas, representing all types of Internet usage including home, work, educational and public access. The methodology is audited by PriceWaterhouseCoopers on a quarterly basis.
In another development, Church Resources announces the appointment of Minh Nguyen as assistant editor of CathNews. Later this week, he will join Michael Mullins, who goes part-time in order to take up the role of editor of the Jesuits' new venture Eureka Street Online.
Pictured: Joe Di Santo (Hitwise GM Sales & Marketing), Peter Dobbie (Church Resources Communications Manager), Michael Mullins (CathNews Editor), David Pearson (Church Resources Marketing Manager).
SOURCE
Church Resources awarded most popular religious web site in Australia (Church Resources 24/2/06)
LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
Hitwise
Church Resources
CathNews
Christian News Online
Catholic Australia
Daily Prayer Online
Daily Readings Audio
Parish Suppies Central
Go Tell Everyone: A pastoral letter on the Church and the Media (Australian Catholic Bishops Conference)
Bishops' Committee for the Media
ARCHIVE
Bishops vow to take up media challenge (CathNews 17/2/06)
Bishops' Pastoral Letter on media set for launch today (CathNews 16/2/06)
Vatican correspondent John Allen Jr to visit Sydney (CathNews 2/2/06)
Vatican media archbishop heading to Sydney (CathNews 12/1/06)
Church to ramp up use of media (CathNews 12/12/05)
MORE STORIES
Bishops go for media (The Record 23/2/06)
Spreading the Word (Catholic Leader 24/2/06)
Church media approach must be ‘open to times' (Catholic Weekly 26/2/06)
Arab World and Asia: New Priorities for Vatican Radio (Zenit 21/2/06)
27 Feb 2006
