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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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Bishop Manning named a "Champion of the West"
Bishop Kevin Manning has been named one of the "2006 Champions of the West", a group that includes actor Toni Collette and cricket legend Mark Waugh.
Catholic Outlook reports that the awards were presented on 10 March at the "Celebrate the West" luncheon to raise funds for the San Miguel Family Centre, an outreach of the De La Salle Brothers' BoysTown.
The awards recognise the unique contribution made to the culture of Western Sydney by the recipients in the areas of public life, the arts, sport and business.
The event was hosted by actor Bryan Brown and attended by the Governor of NSW Marie Bashir and her husband, Sir Nicholas Shehadie.
The 2006 Champions are Mr Jim Aitken, Mr Bruce Brown, Ms Toni Collette, Mr George Eliot, Bishop Kevin Manning, Ms Jean Peare, Mr Mark Waugh, Mr Peter Wynn, and Mr and Mrs John and Clara Whelan.
Bishop Manning was honoured for his community leadership since becoming the Bishop of Parramatta in 1997. Bishop Manning is well known for his commitment to social justice, Catholic education and inter-faith dialogue in Australia's fastest-growing Catholic Diocese.
In accepting his award Bishop Manning said, although born in the town of Coolah in country NSW, he was proud to be counted among Western Sydney's "Champions".
"I was brought up during the Depression years," he said. "Even though life was hard, there were some things that you could take for granted: a strong and loving family life, solid education, the possibility of employment, all held together by our Catholic faith.
"I know that in Western Sydney today many young people do not have these opportunities or are unable to avail of them. So I am delighted to support the work of San Miguel, and youth ministry and other diocesan agencies whose aim is to help needy families and give them a chance in life."
He said recent media reports on a survey measuring "tolerance" in Australia's suburbs had surprised some in revealing that it is often the more affluent suburbs that are the least tolerant of other people's ethnicity, language and beliefs.
By contrast, the Diocese of Parramatta celebrates its multiculturalism every day with 72 language groups represented in its schools. "I know that the best of human, and Australian, values are practiced by the people of the Western suburbs," Bishop Manning said.
People who settled in Western Sydney, he said, wanted the same basic things in life: "A job which will support their families, decent housing, education for their children and opportunities to build family life."
He said the Church is right to engage in political debates to help protect these "basic human necessities."
"This is why I was keen to be involved in the debate on the Workplace Relations Bill, trying to promote the human dignity of workers, and their entitlement to fair treatment, wages and conditions in the workplace," said the Bishop.
SOURCE
Bishop Manning a "Champion of the West" (Catholic Outlook April 2006)
LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
Diocese of Parramatta | The Bishop of Parramatta
6 Apr 2006
