Sunday, May 26, 2002

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PAPAL VISIT TO AZERBAIJAN AND BULGARIA

"Enough of wars in the name of God! No more profanation in His holy name..." (Pope John Paul in Baku, Azerbaijan, 22 May 2002)

On Thursday Pope John Paul resumed the series of bridge-building visits to countries with Orthodox and Moslem majorities. He briefly visited the Moslem nation of Azerbaijan, where he met representatives of Islam, the Orthodox Church, and Judaism to affirm his conviction that religion must not serve to increase rivalry and hatred, but to promote the love of one's neighbour.

He is now in the mainly Orthodox nation of Bulgaria. He will confer with the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church, visit the historic monastery of Rila, and canonise three Catholic martyrs of the Communist era.

The official Website of the Papal visit to Bulgaria is here: http://www.popeinbulgaria.com The site includes daily reports of the papal visit, comprehensive information on the panorama of Christianity and other faiths in Bulgaria - including a link to the English-language Website of the Bulgarian Orthodox church - and plenty of information about the country in general. It includes the remarkable story of how the Jewish community of Bulgaria was saved from deportation and extermination during World War II.

Daily reports from the secular press on the Pope's journey - in print, audio and video - are here: http://fullcoverage.yahoo.com/fc/World/Pope_John_Paul_II/

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OCEANIA BISHOPS' ASSEMBLY

Nearly 80 bishops will gather in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, this week for the Federation of Bishops' Conferences of Oceania assembly, which is held every four years. The meeting will mainly focus on the document "Ecclesia in Oceania", Pope John Paul's response to the Oceania Synod (1998), setting out an agenda for the mission of the Church in our region in the coming decades.

The full text of "Ecclesia in Oceania": http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_j\ p-ii_exh_20011122_ecclesia-in-oceania_en.html

The "Instrumentum Laboris" (working document) of the Special Assembly for Oceania (1998) is a mine of information and food for thought for anyone interested in a regional view of the Church in Oceania: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_24081998_oceania-\ instrlabor_en.html

The Website of the Catholic Church in PNG and the Solomon Islands includes a News page and comprehensive descriptions of the Church in Papua New Guinea: http://www.catholicpng.org.pg

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

'NZ Catholic' No 137, May 19, 2002 http://www.catholic.org.nz/cathcom/press/nzc/front.html

"$200,000 legacy left by priest " Palmerston North -A legacy of more than $200,000 has been left by the late Msgr Brian McAloon, formerly of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Palmerston North. In accord with his will, it is to be used to build a house for the homeless similar to the houses established by Catholic Worker founder Dorothy Day ... [Related Link: Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement ]

"Work under way for new Bay of Plenty college " Tauranga - On-site work has begun in Tauranga to establish the country's newest Catholic secondary school, Aquinas College, a state integrated co-ed Catholic college, catering for year 7 (form 1) to year 13 (form 7) students from the wider Western Bay of Plenty.... [Related Link: Catholic Diocese of Hamilton: "Aquinas College to go ahead" ]

"Record number seeking faith " Wellington -- The Catholic Enquiry Centre has reported a record year in 2001, with 1830 people enrolling for its course of booklets on "What Catholics Believe".... [Related link: The Catholic Enquiry Centre ]

From the "Think" page for young Catholic adults: Interview with Sheena Lau, head girl at Baradene College, Auckland: "I have found that attending a Catholic school has helped me gain a better understanding of myself through participation in various prayer experiences such as retreats. A Catholic school supports the students in helping them question their religion, which then in turn leads to a better understanding of themselves...."

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FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

"Adventure abroad more rewarding aiding orphans" Otago Daily Times, Saturday, 25-May 2002 http://www.odt.co.nz/cgi-bin/search-display-story-online-new?date=25May2002&obje\ ct=HHC5893666EC&type=html&WORDS=catholic&DB=Editorial Combining the adventure of overseas travel with a chance of being useful and helping others made a Dunedin occupational therapy student, Annie Kieser, keen to do volunteer work. Many agencies, though, only want people with a few years of experience in their chosen field and who are able to commit themselves to one or more years of work. So, the 22-year-old, in her final year of study at the Otago Polytechnic, surfed the Internet and learned about India's Missionaries of Charity, run by the Roman Catholic Sisters of Mercy. "I wrote to them to find out if it was possible to come for only two months and whether or not it mattered if I was religious or not - as I am not a religious person ..."

"Eftpos in churches boosting donations " NZ Herald 20.05.2002 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/./storydisplay.cfm?storyID=1992891&thesection=news&the\ subsection=general First it was cheques, then automatic payments - now Eftpos and credit cards are the latest alternatives to slipping cash into the church plate on Sunday. And the modern technology is filling some church coffers...

Radio New Zealand: Nine to Noon Geoff Robinson interviews Windsor Park Baptist Pastor Brian Winslade on Eftpos in churches (audio file) http://xtramsn.co.nz/musicandvideo/0,,6151,00.html

"Ann Widdecombe meets Time4God" Independent Catholic News, London - 20 May 2002 -http://www.indcatholicnews.com/widdecom.html Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe was guest speaker at last night's Time4God session in Pimlico. Around 60 young people came to hear her speak about her life as a Catholic in politics.... [The UK Member of Parliament Anne Widdicombe converted to Catholicism nine years ago. Many readers of our forum will disagree with her views on the death penalty and other issues, but I have included the link here because she makes some interesting points about harmonising one's Christian faith and the daily compromises of national politics. This is especially topical because the forthcoming New Zealand General Election will be contested by two small Christian parties and the the National Party (the principal opposition party) lead by Bill English, an active Catholic. ML]

Tube Talk, with John T. Forde: "Is The West Wing Losing Its Sheen?" Scoop 16 May 2002 http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0205/S00079.htm Praise the Lord and pass the broccoli, "The West Wing" has returned! Grandiose, witty and slightly pretentious, "West Wing" follows the workings of the staff of the Oval Office, home of President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen). In a leap of faith possible only on American TV, this Prez is dwarf height, a Democrat, Catholic, a Nobel Prize-winning economist AND he's got multiple sclerosis....


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SEXUAL ABUSE SCANDAL

"Catholic sex cover-up alleged " Evening Post 20 May 2002 http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/index/0,1008,1207751a11,FF.html The Catholic Church has failed to confront the legacy of sexual abuse in its ranks and is still covering it up, says a counsellor who has helped victims of clerical sexual abuse....

"Catholic Church and the sex abuse virus " (Editorial) The Evening Post 21 May 2002 http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/index/0,1008,1209333a1939,FF.html Allegations of a coverup in the Roman Catholic Church's dealings over sex abuse in its New Zealand ranks will give no comfort to the Church hierarchy. Or to the faithful who will be wondering how trusted priests behave when mums and dads are not looking....

Two related documents:

Part One of the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference document "A Path to Healing - Te Houhanga Rongo": Principles for dealing with complaints of sexual abuse by Clergy and Religious of the Catholic Church in New Zealand: http://www.catholic.org.nz/healingF.htm

"Submission to the Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops", by Germain Grisez, Ph.D., Professor of Christian Ethics at Mount Saint Mary's College and Seminary, Maryland, contains a brutally frank analysis of the causes of the present scandals and proposes solutions to them in the light of the Gospel. The full text is at: http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=20750

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CATHOLIC WEB TV

http://www.catholictv.net (Wellington Archdiocesan Media Office)

Topic of the month: Social Justice This week's interviewee: Wellington lawyer Amanda Calder, a voluntary legal adviser to refugees on immigration matters and the founder of the Refugee Family Reunification Trust.

[Thank you again, 'kiwicath' forum members, for your technical feedback on this service. It has been a considerable help to the Catholictv.net team in de-bugging the service, the benefits of which will soon be apparent. ML]

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EVENTS

"Missing in Action": a forum on young people and the Church. Connolly Hall, Guilford Terrace, Wellington, 17 June 2002, 7pm to 10 pm Presenters/Facilitators: Robert & Maggie McCarty, U.S. National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry ( http://www.nfcym.org ). Entrance fee: $10 (includes a catered supper). Further information from the National Council for Young Catholics: ncyc@clear.net.nz

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EMPLOYMENT

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

Religious Education Adviser, Catholic Diocese of Hamilton To provide support to the Directors of Religious Studies in Hamilton Diocese's 28 Catholic primary schools. Details in 'NZ Catholic' May 19 2002, p. 21 and from Naomi McGowan, tel 07 838 2079; fax: 07 839 4652; e-mail: naomi@mlc.co.nz; PO Box 19-221, Hamilton. Applications close 5 June 2002

Housekeeping and groundkeeping staff, Orama Retreat and Conference Centre, Great Barrier Island. Full board and accommodation for 20 hours work a week. Details in 'NZ Catholic' May 19 2002, p. 21 and from Louise Stevens, tel. 09 429 0063 ; e-mail: community@orama.org.nz ; Website: http://www.orama.org.nz

Presenters, 'NZ Catholic newspaper 'NZ Catholic is recruiting paid communicators to present the paper at weekend parish Masses with the aim of gaining new subscribers. Details from Dennis Augustine, Promotions and Advertising Manager, 'NZ Catholic', PO Box 147-000, Ponsonby, Auckland 1034; e-mail: catholic@iconz.co.nz