During his recent visit to Washington, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun told reporters that mistakes and misunderstandings on the part of key Vatican officials, and a desire for “compromise at any cost,” have undermined Pope Benedict's intentions
Educational themes led the coverage around the nation this week. In Adelaide, male teachers are shifting to independent schools, in Victoria ipods and ipads are being trialled in Year 7, and in Qld an investigation into a gay talk in a school hall has been
An eclectic news menu this week, led by the TV documentary that claims to have found nails used in the crucifixion of Jesus (pictured), plus reports of an auction of Papal jewellery and a spritual program for weight loss. On a sombre note, a bible
Constable Ronan Kerr loved life, he loved others, and that is the legacy he has left us. Not to hate but to love, writes Fr John Skinnader in the Independent Catholic News. I saw Ronan only two weeks before he was killed by a car bomb on April 9 in
In praise of the priestly instinct
16-Apr-2011
Many are Called: Rediscovering the Glory of the Priesthood by Scott Hahn Doubleday Religion, 2010, 160 pages, $A29.95 The Year for Priests may be over, but the momentum from that 12-month celebration continues to be strong. Adding to that effort is
Which wedding vows will Kate and Will use?
16-Apr-2011
Every time there is a royal wedding, the one story newspapers all love is the one in which they announce that the bride will vow to obey her husband - or not. What Anglican form of wedding vow one uses is hardly of interest to Catholics who never get a
Tim's WYD pilgrimage dedicated to Bishop Joe
09-Apr-2011
Tim Lougoon has one of the most interesting and challenging youth ministry jobs in Australia. On December 10 last year, he was appointed by Bishop Joe Grech of Sandhurst to lead the diocesan pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Madrid, writes Beth Doherty on
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany
09-Apr-2011
John 11:1-45 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent a message to
Scriptures a treasure of our faith
09-Apr-2011
The scriptures that are presented for our prayerful reflection on Passion Sunday are a veritable treasure of our faith. They are so extensive and dense that one feels like a little kid (or indeed a big kid) in a chocolate factory, writes Bishop Eugene Hurley,
Libera boys choir sings Sanctus
09-Apr-2011
The distinctive sound of Libera has travelled the world in the last few years. The group's albums have topped both mainstream and classical charts in many countries, and their recordings hold their place in top-tens alongside major artists like Bocelli. The
Tide of sainthood for John Paul II
09-Apr-2011
More than one million pilgrims will descend on Rome next month to celebrate the beatification of Pope John Paul II, just six years after his death. But they – and millions of other devotees around the world – know it will still take a miracle for
Diamond anniversary and a Papal honour
09-Apr-2011
A special anniversary leads this week's list. Bendigo's Sister Sarah Duggan (pictured) has celebrated 60 years as a Franciscan missionary. In Forbes, central NSW, a volunteer has received a special honour from the Pope for community work. Aged care and
It was a week where good news balanced the usual diet of violence and conflict. A pro-life news service was launched, the Pope's book hit Number 5 on the New York Times bestseller list, the Church in Britain released a special prayer for the upcoming
Renowned theologian and advocate of the poor, Joseph Comblin, died on March 27 in Salvador, Brazil, of natural causes. He was 88.Comblin, a leading exponent of liberation theology, was once a follower and an adviser to the Brazilian bishop, Dom Hélder
Jerusalem: The Biography, by Simon Sebag Montefiore, Weidenfeld And Nicolson, RRP $50"Jerusalem is the holy city," writes Simon Sebag Montefiore, "yet it has always been a den of superstition, charlatanism and bigotry . . . the cosmopolitan home of many
In a blunt lecture this week, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin (pictured) made what to my mind is a stunning admission about the sexual abuse crisis in the church. With perhaps "two exceptions", he has "not encountered a real and unconditional
In his recently-released book, Australian Jesuit priest Richard Leonard looks at how we understand the presence of God in our lives when we are faced with suffering, reports Thinking Faith. Using his own experience of a family tragedy, Fr Richard
John 9:1-41 As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ 3 Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was
I'm sorry... “Who sinned? Who’s to blame for this man’s disability?” people ask today (Jn 9:1-41). It’s about as silly as asking whose sin caused the Queensland floods or the earthquakes in Christchurch and Japan, writes
A Hand of Peace: Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust
02-Apr-2011
A Hand of Peace: Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust explores the debate over the wartime Pope and his alleged silence during the Nazi Holocaust. Featuring interviews with leading historical scholars, leaders in the Jewish community and those who personally knew
From Parish of Our Lady of The Way, North Sydney & Lavender Bay. The first Mass of the day on YouTube. 
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