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Pontifical Council on Christian Unity head, Cardinal Walter Kasper, has warned the Anglican church that it "must clarify its identity" and make "difficult decisions" ahead of its forthcoming Lambeth Conference.
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Quarantine for Indigenous welfare cards undermines responsibility: CSSA
Quarantining welfare payments in indigenous communities fails to address the real issues putting children at risk and undermines people's sense of responsibility, according to Catholic Social Services Australia Executive Director, Frank Quinlan.
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Baby dies in car outside Toowoomba school
A five month old girl died yesterday after the child's mother left her in the family car while she collected her other children from a Toowoomba Catholic school.
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Latin back on menu at Vatican website
The Vatican website has introduced a section in Latin which will publish the official original editions of pontifical documents.
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Abuse victims plan protest for pope
Support groups for victims of clerical abuse are joining together to hold protests during Pope Benedict's Australian visit.
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ACU seeks student volunteers
Australian Catholic University has announced that starting in 2009 it will base its selection of students on their involvement in cultural, sporting and religious activities including volunteering as well as on academic performance.
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Hart slams Vic government over Catholic school funding
Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart has attacked the Victorian government for its failure to increase funding for Catholic schools while boosting support for public schools by $1.3 billion and raising state teachers' annual salaries by $5,000.
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Priests and sisters among Burma dead
At least two priests and several sisters are among the ten of thousands of Burmese killed by Cyclone Nargis, a Salesian priest says, with many churches and related projects also badly damaged.
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Feature - Woodstock and worship renew chance for improved relations
Since Pope John Paul II launched World Youth Day 22 years ago, it has become the Olympic Games of world religion, the largest and most complex spiritual event held on a recurring basis across the globe. One part worship and one part Woodstock, the youth oriented festival is designed to offer a rocking rebuttal to impressions that Catholicism is sliding toward oblivion. - John Allen, Sydney Morning Herald
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Featured Website - Rosary in the street
May is a month of devotion to Our Lady often best expressed through the Rosary. This website is encouraging people not just to pray the Rosary in their homes, but to take the pray with others to the street.
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Television Review - No limits
A television program devoted to showcasing people living with a disability is indeed a rare find in our commercialised world and its quest for perfection. No Limits looks at living life to the fullest with a disability, featuring stories about workshops on UN dignity and rights of people with disabilities, disability standards in education, disability legislation and much more.
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Opinion - Respect the key to youth violence
Without other standards of human flourishing to counteract those communicated on billboards and in advertising, the young members of some communities are deprived of all sources of self-esteem and respect. Unable to hope for those signs of success which the consumerist environment holds up for our emulation, young men in particular can be without resources to resist the message given them that they are failures, nonentities, nothing. - Thinking Faith
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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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Pakistan legislators mull death for converts from Islam
In a move condemned by Pakistan's Catholic bishops, the south Asian country's National Assembly is considering an apostasy bill proposed by a pro-Taliban coalition of religious parties that imposes death on Muslim men who convert from Islam.
The Gospel Herald reports that the Apostasy Act 2006 was introduced by the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal - a coalition of six pro-Taliban religious parties - and was sent to the Standing Committee on Law and Justice last week.
If passed, the bill would also force convicted persons to forfeit their property and lose legal custody of any minor children.
"This situation is unfortunate and sad. We demand freedom of conscious, religion and expression in Pakistan, and this bill is contrary to the principle of freedom of choice," said Archbishop Lawrence John Saldanha, head of National Commission for Justice and Peace and chairman of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops' Conference, according to AsiaNews.
According to Section 4 of the bill, the testimony of two adults about someone leaving the Muslim faith, or the confession of the accused, is all that is needed for conviction.
However, in some courts testimony by non-Muslims is prohibited and is an added negative factor in the case of the accused.
"Because international human rights charters give every individual the right to change his or her religion according to his or her conscience, we hope and pray that this bill will not be passed," Archbishop Saldanha said.
Also, in the same session last week, lawmakers who approved the draft of the apostasy bill rejected a draft bill that would ease the country's current blasphemy laws.
The rejected bill called for an amendment of the blasphemy bill that would give equal treatment for Pakistanis of all faith. The current laws only punish those who have dishonoured the Quran or Prophet Mohammad.
The rejected bill called for prohibiting dishonouring the holy books of all religions. The amendment also proposed that if the accusations are found false then the accusers would be fined and imprisoned.
"The National Assembly of Pakistan has taken two steps backwards in religious freedom," said Faith McDonnell, religious liberty director at the Institute on Religion and Democracy, in a statement.
"They are entertaining legislation that violates international standards of human rights. They have also rejected a bill to reform Pakistan's misused blasphemy laws."
SOURCE
Pakistan Considers Bill Condemning Muslim Converts to Death (Gospel Herald, 15/5/07)
LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan (Wikipedia)
Pakistan Catholic Bishops Conference
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (Wikipedia)
Archbishop Lawrence John Saldanha
Clement Shahbaz Bhatti (Pakistan Christian Post)
ARCHIVE
Woolmer farewelled at Lahore cathedral service (CathNews, 2/4/07)
Pakistan to loosen blasphemy laws (CathNews, 25/1/07)
Pakistan bishop urges repeal of death sentence for blasphemy (CathNews, 23/7/06)
Pakistan Archbishop alarmed by decline in religious freedom (CathNews, 15/7/04)
Pakistani Christian dies after prison beating (CathNews, 2/6/04)
Pakistan president seeks review of blasphemy laws (CathNews, 21/5/04)
Another Christian's blasphemy trial commences in Pakistan (Cathnews, 25/7/03)
16 May 2007
