Dear friends,

The bishops' Website at http://www.catholic.org.nz has been completely redesigned by Catholic Communications' David Yang. Inevitably with such a major change there will be temporary problems here and there - links that don't work and so on - which may take a while to track down. Please let Catholic Communications know if you come across anything that's not working as it should. The address: cathcomm@xtra.co.nz

It seems that as part of the re-design the 'What's New' page has gone. It carried a note of new features on the bishops' site and other New Zealand Catholic Websites, with links to them. I was also using it to put up daily summaries of the sessions of the synod of bishops and news of the Afghanistan crisis from Catholic news and aid agencies (I have put the latest items in this News & Notes ). I hope to find out next week if the page will be reinstated.

God bless,

Mike Leon 'kiwicath' forum manager

*************************************

AFGHAN CRISIS

Pope John Paul commemorates the victims of the terrorist attacks http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011011/ts/attack_pope_dc_1.html

Prayers and protests one month on in Pakistan http://www.fides.org/bnews/ebn2000/ebnews011011a.html

Catholic, Muslim schoolgirls find a lot to share http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0110110259oct11.story?coll=chi%2Dne\ ws%2Dhed

Pax Christi USA "rejects war and the many-fold manifestations that war inflicts on all parties" http://www.paxchristi.net/PDF/SD39E01.pdf

SYNOD OF BISHOPS

The 10th Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (September 30 to October 27) is taking place in Rome. New Zealand is represented by Bishop Pat Dunn of Auckland diocese (it seems he hasn't had his turn to speak yet. Maybe this week). The Vatican Information Service is publishing daily summaries of each bishop's address to the Assembly, here: http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_20_x-ordin\ aria-2001/bollettino_20_x_ordinaria-2001_index_en.html#Index issues and language editions

CATHOLIC WEB TV

http://www.catholictv.net Interview with Lucienne Hensel, director of the ICPE School of Mission at St Gerard's Monastery, Wellington

EMPLOYMENT

(Vacancies in New Zealand Catholic schools are advertised in the Education Gazette: http://www.edgazette.govt.nz/vacancies )

Church Mental Health Lobby Group, Wellington: Development worker The task is to locate and work with the champions of the mentally ill in each parish, using an 'action/reflection' approach. Flexible hours, good remuneration. Details in 'Wel-com' October 2001 p.19; and from Rev Hugh Bowron tel 382 8486 or June Read tel. 232 5858

FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

'Solid, honest, godly - and he's a bloke ' NZ Herald 11.10.2001 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyI\ D=221592&reportID=53510 (The new leader of the National Party, the second-largest in Parliament) Mr English is a man of the land, but also a man of high education and economic literacy, so we can expect him to understand both the theory and the practicality of matters economic. Probably most important of all, Mr English is a family man and a born and bred and still practising Catholic, which means he must have more than a nodding acquaintance with God and must know that there is much more to life (and to politics) than money, property and prestige.........

'Vaggioli's Return: A Deserter's Adventures' Otago University Press /Scoop 8 October 2001 http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/b6/6b/200110091132.ea61c2c1.html Eighty years after his death, Dom Felice Vaggioli is finally being recognised as an important commentator on and personality in New Zealand's past. Last year saw the first English edition of the controversial "History of New Zealand and Its Inhabitants", more than a hundred years after its original publication in Italian. Now translator John Crockett has brought to light a second book from the Italian missionary priest. Written after the completion of the history, "A Deserter's Adventures" is an autobiography ......

"How long, Lord, am I to cry for help while you will not listen;
to cry 'Oppression!' in your ear and you will not save?"
(Habakkuk 1:2)

Dear friends,

All being well, the Benjamin family should have arrived in Auckland
last
week. If anyone has heard from them, could you let us know please.

God bless,

Mike Leon
*************************************

AFGHAN CRISIS

You will find regularly updated links concerning events in Afghanistan,
including statements by our bishops and Pope John Paul and initiatives
by Catholic peace and aid organisations, on our bishops Website
http://www.catholic.org.nz under 'What's New'.

SYNOD OF BISHOPS

The 10th Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (September 30 to
October 27) is taking place in Rome. New Zealand is represented by
Bishop Pat Dunn (Auckland). The Vatican Information Service publishes
daily summaries of each bishop's address to the Assembly, and I am
putting a summary of the summaries on the What's New page beneath the
Afghan news links.

CATHOLIC WEB TV
http://www.catholictv.net/
Further interviews with Wellington-based members of the International
Catholic Programme for Evangelisation (ICPE ) Frank Doherty (New
Zealand) and Charles Hannaford (Malta).

JUSTICE, PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT

Caritas Update, Spring 2001
http://www.caritas.org.nz/Update/27%20spring%202001/index.htm
In This Issue: Letter from the Director: eleven principles of Catholic
social teaching ... Debt through the lens of Social Justice ... Debt
Update & Archbishop Ndungane's visit ... Emerging Democracy in the
Pacific ... East Timor Update ... Tampa Asylum ... ... Seekers &
Caritas
NZ Project Evaluation ... Exploring the Impact of Your Support ...
Caritas Bangladesh staff visit NZ Schools and Parishes

EMPLOYMENT

(Vacancies in New Zealand Catholic schools are advertised in the
Education Gazette: http://www.edgazette.govt.nz/vacancies )

Property Asset Manager, Auckland Diocese
Details from Pompallier Diocesan Centre, tel 09 378 4380;
davidr@cda.org.nz
Applications close on Friday 12 October 2001

FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

"Staff cuts loom for refugee service"
NZ Herald 06.10.2001

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyI\
D=220850
New Zealand's Refugee and Migrant Service is facing staff cuts because
of a cash crisis at a time the world is struggling to cope with
unprecedented refugee numbers. Although the refugee service was founded
by the churches, its annual appeal to churches in July raised less than
$7000....

"Kiwi Muslims under siege" (photo)
NZ Herald 6.10.2001

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyI\
D=220914&reportID=61063
Mt Roskill lawyer Abdul Hafeez Rasheed did not hear a police officer
compare him to the Saudi terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. But when he
was told what had been said, he was angry. As one Muslim New Zealander
puts it: "When the IRA bombs London, you don't ask a Kiwi Catholic what
he thinks of the IRA." ........

"Refugees taste NZ generosity"
TV One News 5 October 2001
http://onenews.nzoom.com/news_detail/0,1227,60818-1-7,00.html
While Australia gave the Afghan asylum-seekers the cold shoulder, the
tide seems to be turning here, as every day more and more donations
flood into the Mangere Refugee Centre ...... (Link to related video in
adjacent column)

"Women's Lives Endangered - SPUC"
IRN
http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,3882-797780,00.html
An unborn children's' lobby group believes women's health is being
disregarded by moves to make emergency contraception more available....

It is the Lord who keeps faith for ever, who is just to those who are oppressed. It is he who gives bread to the hungry, the Lord who sets prisoners free. (Psalm 146 v.7) Dear friends, It seems likely that the United States and Britain will attack their enemy in Afghanistan later this week, with unpredictable consequences. Please pray daily - and ask others to do so - that the oppressed people of Afghanistan may at last receive justice, that the hungry may receive bread, and prisoners freedom; and please also take any opportunities that arise to contribute to these good causes. On the What's New page of our bishops' Website - http://www.catholic.org.nz - I will be regularly putting up links related to events in Central Asia, such as statements by our bishops and by Pope John Paul, and also reports of initiatives for mediation and assistance to war refugees by the Catholic peace and aid organisations. There will also be links to reports on 10th Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (September 30 to October 27). 'kiwicath' members Stan and Sheela Benjamin and their two young children are due to fly from the Gulf region to their new home in Auckland in just two days' time. If war should break out before then in Central Asia, flights in the region will probably be cancelled and the Benjamin family will be unable to leave. So please keep them in your prayers this weekend also. God bless, Mike Leon ************************************* MEET THE AFGHANS Last week some of the asylum seekers rescued by the container ship 'Tampa' arrived in Auckland. They are staying at the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre while their applications for asylum or refugee status are processed. Many of the new arrivals are of the Hazara ethnic group, a religious and ethnic minority in Afghanistan, from the vicinity of Mazar-i-Sharif, a town near the northern border of Afghanistan captured by the Taliban in 1998. New Zealand Herald reporters interviewed one of the group coming to New Zealand before they left Nauru: 17-year-old Sayeed Taheer. His experiences would be typical of the others: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=218867&thesection=news&thesub\ section=general The U.S. State Department's human rights report on Afghanistan details the treatment of the Hazaras by the Taliban and describes what happened when the Taliban occupied Mazar-i-Sharif: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/sa/index.cfm?docid=721 If you would like to learn a bit about Afghan history and culture, there's lots of information at Afghanistan Online: http://www.afghan-web.com FROM THE SECULAR PRESS 'Northlander ministers to New Yorkers struck by tragedy' NZ Herald 24 sept 2001 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/latestnewsstory.cfm?storyID=218606&thesection=news&the\ subsection=general&thesecondsubsection=latest A former Northlander working amid the nightmarish aftermath of New York's World Trade Center devastation lives in anguish. In an e-mail home to Whangarei, Father Emile Frische, a Roman Catholic priest who works in Manhattan, writes of almost unimaginable tragedy, but also the triumph of the human spirit, in the wake of the terrorist attacks that killed thousands....... Holmes Show Sept 25: "A New Zealand priest in New York" (video interview with Fr Frische) http://tvone.nzoom.com/programmes/holmes/story.html?story_2001_archive.inc 'Bishop leaves for Rome assembly ' The Evening Post 24 September 2001 Summary: A forum at which diocesan bishops from around the world could discuss key pastoral issues is to be proposed by New Zealand's Catholic bishops at a month-long assembly in Rome. Bishop Patrick Dunn of Auckland, representing New Zealand, leaves this week for the assembly of 300 bishops who will examine the ministry and role of bishops in the modern era. 'Election candidates dine on the bread line' (photo) Otago Daily Times 22 Sept 2001 http://www.odt.co.nz/cgi-bin/search-display-story-online-new?date=22Sep2001&obje\ ct=KLE12B9641RJ&type=html&WORDS=catholic&DB=Editorial A taste of life on the poverty line was on the menu for Dunedin local body candidates yesterday. About 25 candidates took part in a lunch organised by helping agencies to raise awareness of the plight of some citizens........ 'Arrivals keep support group busy ' (photo) Otago Daily Times 8 September 2001 http://www.odt.co.nz/cgi-bin/search-display-story-online-new?date=08Sep2001&obje\ ct=K3H00C1323NC&type=html&WORDS=catholic&DB=Editorial The rooms of Catholic Social Services Dunedin were quiet, which was not surprising unless you knew there were 13 babies aged between one month and five months present. The babies were visiting with their mothers, the most recent class through the service's Birth Support Group.......

"My advice is that, first of all, there should be prayers offered for
everyone - petitions, intercessions and thanksgiving - and especially
for kings and others in authority, so that we may be able to live
religious and reverent lives in peace and quiet."
St Paul's First Letter to Timothy 2:1-3

Dear friends,

On the New Zealand Catholic bishops' "What's New" page, at
http://www.catholic.org.nz/cathcom/frwhatsnew.html you will find links
to the following items:

PAPAL VISIT TO KAZAKHSTAN 22-25 September

This visit was planned long ago, and in the normal course of events
would have passed almost unnoticed by both East and West. However as
things have turned out, the whole world's attention is focused on
Central Asia, and the Pope's visit and his messages to the people of the
region will receive unprecedented attention. If you see the hand of God
in the timing of this visit, you are not alone.

On the What's New page you will find a link to a dossier complied by the
Fides missionary news service describing the people and culture of
Kazakhstan and the position of the Catholic Church in that country where
over half the population are Moslems and the majority of the Christians
are Russian Orthodox. There's also a link to the Website of the Catholic
church in Kazakhstan.

WORLD NEWS OF THE CHURCH

This is a link to the bishops' main News page which in turn has links to
recent media releases on behalf of our bishops from Catholic
Communications New Zealand, and to ten Catholic or secular news services
providing hourly, daily or weekly news of the Church; including
statements on current events by Pope John Paul and other church leaders
around the world.

WAR AND CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING

Faith Central, the New Zealand resource site for Catholic secondary
schools, has a new section called "America at War: Catholic social
teaching on war and peace"

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand, our bishops agency for justice, peace and
development, has a new feature on "Terrorism and retribution: the
Church's response".

God bless us and keep us,

Mike Leon
'kiwicath' forum manager

"So the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he
had threatened."
Exodus 32:14

Dear friends,

All's well with our New Zealand-registered addresses, catholic.org.nz
and www.catholic.org.nz, thanks in large part to your helpful feedback.

There's more good news. Stanley and Sheela Benjamin are two of our
overseas 'kiwicath' members who have successfully applied to emigrate to
New Zealand with their two small children. They are from Kerala in
south-west India and have been working in Oman in the Persian Gulf. They
are due to leave the Gulf for Auckland in early October. I ask every
'kiwicath' member to offer a special prayer for Stan and Sheela and
their family, that their departure won't be affected by war in Central
Asia, and that they will arrive in Auckland safe and sound.

And speaking of war, you may have noticed that it's already broken out
in 'kiwicath'! Please read my post on this subject, posted a few hours
ago, and take its message to heart for the love of God and the
well-being of our electronic community.

Every best wish and all God's blessings,
Mike Leon
'kiwicath' forum manager
************************

FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

'Day the world changed'
NZ Herald 13.09.2001
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyI\
D=216707&reportID=61063
All parties in Parliament agreed yesterday that the world will never be
the same. After observing a minute's silence for the victims of the
attacks on New York and Washington, speakers from each party in turn
expressed shock and outrage....

'Toying with the judges '
The Press 11 September 2001
http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/index/0,1008,934695a1936,FF.html
Catholic Cathedral College's young entrepreneurs have a hit on their
hands. A child's toy that doubles as a back massager and also moonlights
as a pen holder? Environmentally friendly, too? Could this be the
perfect gadget? Just ask the many satisfied buyers of the Eco Toy, a
nifty invention by Catholic Cathedral College's Young Enterprise Scheme
(YES) group........

****************************************
CATHOLIC WEB TV
http://www.catholictv.net/

International Catholic Programme for Evangelisation (ICPE):
Rainer Hensel loves questions like "Are you Catholic?". He hails from
Germany and in an unmistakable German accent will reply straight back
"You bet!". (In New Zealand, ICPE's headquarters is in St Gerard's
Monastery overlooking Wellington harbour. For more info. please visit
its New Zealand home page at http://www.icpe.org/newzealand )

***************************************
EDUCATION

Marist Brothers' New Zealand Province:
'Champagnat' : A newsletter for Boards of Trustees and Staff of Marist
Schools and Schools with Marist traditions in New Zealand.
Volume 5 Number 2 June 2001 http://catholic.org.nz/fms/page8.html
In this issue: articles commemorating the 125th anniversary of the
arrival of the Marist Brothers in Wellington.

NZ Catholic Education Office: 'Lighting New Fires' no.4 August 2001
http://catholic.org.nz/nzceo/lnf4.htm
In the current issue:
Education amendment bill no. 2
High risk glass filming project
Food for thought in school design
National Administrative Guidelines (Nags)
Education Review Office report: "Students in years 7 and 8."
New Zealand Principals' Federation's "Primary Product" day
Achievements of NZ Catholic schools in all regions
Aim-Hi schools resource
First time principals professional development
School transport
Ministry of Education review of school transport
Restorative justice systems for troublesome pupils
Educational achievement: asking the right questions
Prospective employees and school values

"Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me, cannot be my
disciple"
St Luke's Gospel 14:27

Dear friends,

It's now more than a week since the New Zealand-registered Internet
addresses of ' catholic.org.nz ' and ' www.catholic.org.nz ' became
inactive. At present they only open the home page of our host Catholic
Online in California. There has been no word from COL about when the
problem will be fixed but I suspect that ours is not the only site that
was affected, and putting matters right is going to take some time.

Meanwhile, please remember - and tell anyone else who's having problems
- that all our pages can still be opened by using our Catholic Online
address. Instead of ' www.catholic.org.nz ' you type '
www.catholic.org/newzealand ' to open the bishops' home page. For the
NZCEO website at ' www.catholic.org.nz/nzceo ' you enter '
www.catholic.org/newzealand/nzceo ' and so on.

I'm very sorry about the disruption, but there's nothing we can do
about it down here, apart from reminding COL from time to time that
we're still waiting. The company has been amazingly generous in inviting
any organisation recognised by our bishops to put as many Web pages as
they like on the COL server completely free of charge. There is a cost
to the company for carrying our pages and serving them up but as far as
I know they have never asked us for a cent in the more than five years
they have been providing this service. The New Zealand Church owes the
company a debt of gratitude, but on the other hand we can't claim
priority over Catholic Online's paying clients in the present situation.

As soon as the problem is put right, you will be the first to know :-)

God bless,
Mike Leon
'kiwicath' forum manager
************************

THE 'TAMPA' ASYLUM-SEEKERS

Our bishops, and Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand have each issued media
statements welcoming the NZ Government's decision to accept some of the
people on the 'Tampa' while their requests for refugee status are
assessed. The Caritas statement can be opened from its home page at
http://www.caritas.org.nz . The bishops' statement follows:

"The Chairman of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference, Bishop
Peter Cullinane, today applauded the New Zealand Government's indication
that it will accept some of the refugees who are aboard the Norwegian
vessel, Tampa.

"We understand the New Zealand Government has indicated that it will
offer asylum to a number of these people. The compassion and respect for
human dignity that underpins this response is to be warmly commended"
Bishop Cullinane said."

Articles from the secular press:

'Voice of calm in a strange land ' (photo)
NZ Herald 08.09.2001
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyI\
D=215483
Amid a week of angry tailback and television polls condemning our
invitation to the Afghani asylum seekers, [the president of Auckland's
Refugee Council] Dr Nagalingam Rasalingam is a calm voice of reason -
supported by a wealth of knowledge of what it means to be a refugee in
an alien land.......

'Dialogue: Afghans have proved to be diligent citizens ' by Fr Terry
Dibble (photo)
NZ Herald 06.09.2001
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyI\
D=215013&reportID=53510
The Afghan asylum seekers from the Tampa will make better citizens than
some recent immigrants of dubious background.......

************************
NZ CATHOLIC BISHOPS' WEBSITE: NEW LINKS

Daily Australian & world Catholic news from Catholic Telecommunications, Australia http://www.catholic.org/newzealand/cathcom/news/frnews.html

'Dioceses and Websites of Oceania'. 'Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference'. http://www.catholic.org/newzealand/cathcom/fruniversal.html

***********************
NZ CATHOLIC WEB TV

'Wel-com Living' http://www.catholictv.net Interview with Mrs Ally Gibbons, principal of St Catherine's College, Wellingon ("the Capital's best kept secret"). What does it mean to be "a Mercy College"?

*********************
FROM THE CATHOLIC PRESS

From 'NZ Catholic' No. 120, August 26, 2001 http://www.catholic.org/newzealand/cathcom/press/nzc/front.html

"Cloning offends against person's unique identity" Reproductive cloning, as proposed by Italian fertility specialist Dr Severino Antinori, would fundamentally change the manner in which human beings come into existence, according to Catholic bioethicist Fr Michael McCabe. "It raises profound moral and ethical issues," said Fr McCabe, the director of the Nathaniel Centre, the New Zealand Catholic bioethics centre...... Related Links: The Nathaniel Centre NZ Catholic Bishops Conference. Statement on Assisted Human Reproductive Technologies April 1998 European Parliament. Resolution on cloning 1997

"'Sr Rugby from Rugby City' becomes media attraction " Sr Mary-Pat McEvoy, RSM, of Dunedin could be dubbed "Sr Rugby from Rugby City". Shortly before the All Blacks-Wallabies game earlier this month someone tipped off the Otago Daily Times that she had a ticket. As a result Sr Pat spent a good part of Friday afternoon at the convent and Carisbrook with the Holmes programme crew....... Related Link: The Holmes Show Report, August 10 2001: "Sister Mary prays for the All Blacks" (Video)

"Sentencing bill called punitive " A criminal-sentencing bill introduced to Parliament this month reflects a punitive response to the media-driven push for longer sentences, says Lyttleton parish priest Fr Jim Consedine...... Related Links: International Commission of Catholic Prison Pastoral Care Hon Phil Goff. Speech introducing the First Reading of the Sentencing And Parole Bill

*****************************
FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Dialogue: What Coasters can teach the rest of us, by Christine Rankin NZ Herald 1 September 2001 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyI\ D=212977 As a child I remember my father attending his favourite event of the year, the Orangemen's Parade. We didn't live in Belfast, it was Blackball near Greymouth. As a sometime Catholic, my father loved the excitement, along with the rest of the Catholic mining fraternity, of sabotaging the celebrations of the Protestants........

Bells toll for albatross Otago Daily Times 01 September 2001 http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/index/0,1008,923930a3845,FF.html Church bells rang in the greater Dunedin area yesterday to celebrate the arrival of the first royal albatross of the season. Going by the rather uninspiring monicker of Yellow-Black-Yellow, named after the colours on its band, the male bird arrived at Taiaroa Head yesterday afternoon......

"No Power For The Poor?" Press Release: NZ Council of Christian Social Services http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/06/92/200108310945.5b56389d.html Most families using foodbanks are extremely vulnerable to rising power prices and the threat of disconnection, research released today reveals. The Poverty Indicator Project, run by the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services, shows an increase in the proportion of foodbank users behind on their electricity bills over the past three months.........

"How gr8 thou art " TV One News 31 August 2001 http://onenews.nzoom.com/news_detail/0,1227,55145,00.html Getting a truly divine message is taking on new meaning for Christian cell phone users. Vodafone has launched a new text message service that is taking the church to those on the run. The service sends edited highlights of Reverend Ian Lawton's Sunday sermon at Auckland's St Matthew In the City. "We consider this is part of the way that the church needs to move forward, " Reverend Lawton says. [Page links to the related Video Report - 'God on line one' (01:48) ]

****************************************
EVENTS

2-9 September Centennial Festival of Arts and Music, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Wellington A weeklong festival celebrating the Cathedral's centennial year and the completion of its restoration, featuring a daily cycles of recitals, concerts and poetry readings and Masses. Full programme at: http://www.shcathedral.wellington.net.nz/centennial/index.htm

Visit of Diarmuid O'Murchu, author of 'Reclaiming Spirituality: A New Spiritual Framework for Today's World' 6 September: "The Prophetic Call to Justice". 5:30pm to 7:00pm at Loaves and Fishes, Anglican Cathedral of Wellington, cnr of Hill and Molesworth Streets, Wellington. Cost: $5 a person. For more Information contact Kay Smith: catholicjpd@globe.net.nz 7 September: 'Spirituality for the New Millennium' $10 per 9.00am-12.30 Stella Maris Conference Centre, Seatoun. 7 September: 'The New Reign of God' $5 per person :7.30 -9.00pm Mercy Centre, Guilford Terrace, Thorndon. 8 September 'Transformation and Prophetic Leadership - living the vows today' $10 per person Mercy Centre, Guilford Terrace Thorndon.