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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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Vatican expert warns against "criminalisation of religious opposition" to gays
Noted US Vaticanologist John L Allen has warned against a trend towards "criminalisation of religious opposition to homosexuality" following a UK Government decision to refuse to allow Catholic adoption agencies to bar services to gay couples.
In his regular column for the National Catholic Reporter this week, Mr Allen says that the Blair government decision last week is a trend that poses deep challenges to the Catholic Church.
"Not only in terms of legal exposure, but its capacity to articulate a positive message on sexuality and the family," he said.
The ruling by the British Blair government means that government-funded Catholic adoption agencies in the UK will not be exempted from complying with proposed new rules allowing gay adoption.
Mr Allen characterises the story as part of a "cultural 'mega-trend' in the affluent North" involving "a collision between the irresistible force of the gay rights movement, and the immovable object of religious commitment to traditional 'family values'".
Citing recent court battles in Sweden, Canada, France and the US, Allen warns that courts may increasingly be asked to hear appeals from Christians who believe they're being discriminated against for their views on gay rights.
"It's not much of a stretch", Mr Allen continues, "to imagine pastors being fined or even imprisoned for statements opposing the rights of homosexuals to marry or adopt."
Recognising Pope Benedict's efforts to present Catholic teaching on sexual morality in a positive, non-confrontational manner, Mr Allen asks whether "the train-wreck of a church/state crisis be avoided".
"Benedict XVI is, among other things, a musician, and he has tried to strike the right tone; the question is whether he or anyone else can complete the score, while also managing to stay out of jail," Mr Allen concludes.
SOURCE
Religious opposition to homosexuality increasingly a question of law (NCR Cafe, 2/2/07)
LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
National Catholic Reporter
John L. Allen (Wikipedia)
ARCHIVE
British Church to defy ruling on gay adoptions (CathNews, 31/1/07)
Cardinal warns British govt over gay adoptions (CathNews, 24/1/07)
Family institution under attack, says Vatican document (CathNews, 6/6/06)
Pell prepares for fight on gay adoption (CathNews 1/5/06)
Scottish Catholics seek opt-out on adoption laws (CathNews 18/1/06)
Church concerned for adopted children of same-sex couples (CathNews 25/7/05)
5 Feb 2007
