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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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Pope calls for disarmament, backs nuke energy
In a message marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Pope Benedict pleaded for nuclear disarmament but backed the increased peaceful use of nuclear energy to promote development for the world's poor.
Zenit reports that the pope noted that among its objectives, the IAEA seeks "to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health, and prosperity throughout the world."
"The Holy See, fully approving of the IAEA's goal, has been a member from the organisation's foundation and continues to support its activity," Pope Benedict said.
"The epochal changes of the last 50 years are evidence of how, in the difficult crossroads at which humanity finds itself, the commitment to encourage the nonproliferation of nuclear arms, to promote a progressive and agreed-upon nuclear disarmament, and to favour the peaceful and safe use of nuclear technology for authentic development - respectful of the environment and always attentive to the most disadvantaged populations - is always relevant and urgent," the pope said.
Citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict re-emphasised how in the place of "the arms race there must be substituted a common effort to mobilise resources toward objectives of moral, cultural and economic development, redefining the priorities and hierarchies of values."
The Pope asked that "scientific and technological knowledge be used with a sense of responsibility and for the common good, in complete respect for international law."
In his message the pope also condemned the kidnapping of innocent people especially by armed militias, calling such abductions "criminal acts" that violate human dignity and offend divine law.
However, Germany's opposition Green (Gruene) party responded with a strong worded criticism.
Green party chief Reinhard Buetikofer was quoted as saying ironically that the head of the Catholic church should be "promptly named the atomic policy advisor of the federal (German) government".
He added that the pope has discovered something that contemporaries with "less metaphysical capabilities have so far searched in vain, namely the alleged peaceful and secure use of atomic power".
SOURCE
Pope condemns kidnapping of innocent people by armed militias (Catholic News, 30/7/07)
Pontiff Wants Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy (Zenit, 29/7/07)
Pope backs nuclear disarmament (Scotsman, 30/7/07)
Greens rap Pope for backing civilian use of nuclear energy (IRNA, 3/7/07)
LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
International Atomic Energy Agency
International Atomic Energy Agency (Wikipedia)
ARCHIVE
Hickey a nuclear convert (CathNews, 2/7/07)
Catholic Earthcare declares position on uranium (CathNews, 18/10/05)
31 Jul 2007
