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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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Indonesian Catholics executed this morning
After their last request for the sacrament of reconciliation was refused, three Catholics who had been convicted of anti-Muslim violence were executed early today near Palu, the capital of Sulawesi province in Indonesia.
"They have been executed. Their bodies are now undergoing an autopsy at the police hospital," the men's lawyer Roy Rening said, according to a News report.
Mr Rening said he was informed of the executions of Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marianus Riwu by the prosecutors' office in Palu, the capital of religiously-divided Central Sulawesi province, where the men were being held.
Mr Rening said he refused to be present at the deaths to protest a rejection by the state of their last demands, including that their bodies be flown back to their hometowns or laid in wake at Palu's main Catholic church.
He was unable to give further details about the precise time of the death, but a flurry of activity had occurred around midnight local time (0400 AEST) at the tightly-guarded jail, where a steady rain drizzled overnight.
"It has been done... the location was around the airport," an un-named police official told Reuters, adding that the bodies had been taken to a police hospital.
The trio were initially scheduled to be shot last month but authorities granted a last-minute reprieve - even following the preparation of their coffins - shortly after Benedict XVI issued a plea for clemency, though a link was denied.
Tibo, da Silva and Riwu were convicted of leading a Christian militia that carried out attacks against Muslims in the province, but they categorically denied they were the masterminds behind the unrest.
The case of the three poor farmers drew international concern from rights activists, who criticised the fairness of their trial and saw the men as scapegoats targeted while few others were convicted over the violence that began six years ago, leaving those most responsible on the run.
On Thursday, the men had met for the last time with their relatives, their priest and their lawyer, Mr Rening, who criticised authorities for declining to meet their final requests.
"They should just do the execution and return their bodies to the family... This is a new crime, and I protest this attitude," Mr Rening said.
Typically authorities do turn bodies over to families after executions, following a routine autopsy. Authorities may be concerned that the bodies could become a focal point for protest.
The men's priest, Fr Jimmy Tumbeleka, said he was concerned that a refusal to hand over the bodies could "trigger more anger from the family and others" in the province, where Muslims and Christians live in roughly equal numbers.
More than 4000 security forces have fanned out across the province in the past two days in anticipation of the executions.
Christian leaders had urged their faithful to stay calm and refrain from any violence ahead of the executions, with widespread prayer services for the men being held.
The executions were carried out just a few days ahead of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting which is expected to begin this weekend.
According to Amnesty International, which had raised questions about the fairness of the men's 2001 trial, the most recent previous execution in Indonesia was in May 2005.
Last requests refused
Indonesian agency Antara adds that the Central Sulawesi public prosecutor's office rejected all of the men's four last requests.
The prosecutor's rejection was disclosed by Fr Tumbelaka after he had visited the Central Sulawesi public prosecutor's office where he was received by a member of the execution team, Agus Setiawan.
The men had earlier made their requests through Fr Tumbelaka including a request that their bodies be laid in state at Palu's main church for one day before burial.
Tibo and Marinus had also asked that their bodies be buried in Beteleme village, Morowali district, while Dominggus wanted his body returned to his family in Flores for burial there.
The inmates also asked that their execution be witnessed by Joseph Suwathan, a bishop from Sulawesi, Fr Tumbelaka, Fr Melky Toreh (from the main church in Palu) and their lawyer, Mr Rening.
Their fourth request was that they be allowed to convey a special message to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono through mass media.
All of their requests were rejected by Prosecutor Agus Setiawan who said the authority to handle the convicts up to their burials was in the hands of the state.
Catholic World News adds that the men's requests for a last Mass and Confession were also refused.
Confusion and secrecy
The family of the three men had said earlier yesterday that they had yet to receive official information about the imminent execution of the trio, Central Sulawesi Christian Church Synod chairman Rev Rinaldy Damanik said on Thursday.
Robert Bala Keitimu, a lawyer from the Indonesian Justice and Peace Advocacy Service (Padma), said in Batam on Wednesday that the families of the three death row convicts had at that time received no official information on the date of the execution.
"We knew from the media that Tibo and his friends are to be executed but have so far not received any official information from the Palu District Court," Mr Keitimu said.
SOURCE
Christians executed by firing squad (News.com.au, 22/9/06)
Public prosecutors reject Tibo et al's four last requests (Antara, 22/9/06)
Indonesia executes 3 Christians over Muslim deaths (Reuters India, 22/9/06)
Three Sulawesi militants executed (BBC News, 22/9/06)
Family of Tibo et al yet to be informed about execution (Antara, 21/09/06)
Indonesia: condemned men denied sacraments (Catholic World News, 21/9/06)
ARCHIVE
Execution looms again for Indonesian Catholics (CathNews, 20/9/06)
Demonstrators call for execution of Indonesian Catholics (CathNews, 5/9/06)
Fate of Bali bombers raises hope for three condemned Indonesian Catholics (CathNews, 22/8/06)
Miracle last hour stay of execution for death row Indonesians (CathNews, 14/8/06)
Thousands rally to save death row Catholics in Indonesia (CathNews, 11/8/06)
Indonesian Catholics to face firing squad on Saturday (CathNews 10/8/06) a/A>
Indonesian death row Catholics lose court appeal (CathNews 16/5/06)
Further appeal opportunity for Indonesian death row Catholics (CathNews 19/4/06)
Activists maintain fight for death row Indonesian Catholics (CathNews 10/4/06)
Second clemency plea for death row Indonesian Catholics (CathNews 28/3/06)
Pope sends envoy to death row Indonesians (CathNews 22/3/06)
Indonesian bishop condemns Catholics' death sentence (CathNews 29/11/05)
Looming execution of three Indonesian Catholics (CathNews 17/11/05)
Indonesian bishop concerned about resurgence of violence in Poso (CathNews 16/8/02)
22 Sep 2006
