Sunday, February 22, 2004

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'NZ CATHOLIC'

No 181, February 22- March 6, 2004

http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz

Catholic character of schools is under review Wellington - New Zealand's Catholic dioceses are starting a national programme of reviewing the Catholic character of their schools...

Church provided safe haven for deported girl Auckland - The 16-year-old Sri Lankan girl deported from New Zealand on February 12 received a safe haven in her homeland only through efforts of the Catholic Church...

Pompallier's burial site popular with visitors Motuti - Bishop Jean Baptiste Pompallier's New Zealand burial site is proving to be a drawcard.....

Also in the print edition ...

Mercy Sisters consider unity; Survey on working children gets Government response; Ryan Teahan hobnobbing with the elite in Rome; Schismatic group hits at Pope; Treating abusers can work; Mosh-able music with challenging speakers; Michael Joseph Savage: A rationalist politician who discovered Christ.

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CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

MEDIA RELEASES Catholic assistance for Sri Lankan girl expelled from New Zealand (16 Feb 2004)

INTERNATIONAL NEWS Brothers seek 'spiritual accountability' in youth programs The Christian Brothers have acted on survey findings that spiritual hunger evident in young people is not being met by the order's youth formation initiatives.

Vatican report urges work with experts on sex abuse Meanwhile a 220 page Vatican report has recommended that the Catholic Church should work more closely with scientific experts to identify potential perpetrators.

Pope to canonise mother who said no to abortion The Vatican has announced the May canonisation of an Italian woman who chose to give birth to her fourth child rather than have an abortion that might have saved her life.

Indian Church leaders welcome court support for tribal converts Church leaders in India have commended the Supreme Court for upholding the constitutional privileges of tribals who change their religion, although a lawyer cautions the welcome may be premature.

NZ Minister responds to Caritas child labour survey shock NZ Labour Minister Margaret Wilson says moves are underway to ensure children and young people are aware of their rights and legal protections at work following a Caritas survey that revealed child exploitation in the country.

UK Catholic educators reject teaching atheism in RE class The Catholic Education Service in England and Wales has criticised plans for students to be taught atheism, humanism and other non-religious beliefs in religious education classes in state schools.

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FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Case against church next month Otago Daily Times (full text) Christchurch: The case of a Christchurch woman suing the Catholic Church over its handling of a complaint against a priest will go to the High Court next month. Bonnie Quilter, a Shirley invalid beneficiary, is seeking exemplary damages and an inquiry into the church's abuse complaints procedures. She is one of four women who laid complaints of sexual misconduct against former Lyttelton priest Fr Jim Consedine. She claims the church failed in its duty of care towards her and did not keep proper records of the complaints process. It is believed to be the first time one of the church's own investigative bodies has been sued over its performance in New Zealand. The church and its various representatives named as defendants have applied to have the claim struck out through their counsel, Judith Ablett-Kerr QC and Mark Callaghan. - NZPA

Norman LaRocque: More red tape threatens diversity of education NZ Herald 16.02.2004 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyI\ D=3549356&reportID=1162608 Catholic schools attracting non-Catholics, Anglican schools turning away potential pupils, increasing popularity for schools associated with the Presbyterians and Seventh Day Adventists - it's all part of the rise and rise of integrated schools around New Zealand. Despite their apparent success in meeting the needs of thousands of families, the future shape of the integrated school sector is far from certain. A Ministry of Education discussion paper released last September raised the spectre of much greater control of integrated schools from education central command in Wellington....

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CATHOLICTV.NET

Wellington Archdiocesan Media Centre http://www.catholictv.net

** Celebration by 200 married couples attending the St Valentine's Day Mass to reaffirm their marriage vows

** Requiem mass for Fr Paul Bergin sm who died in early February.

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FROM THE CATHOLIC PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

Rome and Moscow: advances and disappointments in building relations AsiaNews.it 19 February, 2004 http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=387 Moscow (AsiaNews) – Cardinal Kasper’s visit to Moscow this week signifies a decisive turn in relations between the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches. Such relations over the last 15 years have changed from once being naïvely optimistic to now being bitterly disappointing....

Death of South Africa's Archbishop Denis Hurley http://www.cathnews.com/news/402/94.php South African human rights champion Archbishop Denis Hurley died on Friday at the age of 88, ending a life marked by an outstanding contribution to the struggle against apartheid, for his concern for the poor. Archbishop Hurley, emeritus Archbishop of Durban, was the Catholic hierarchy's most outspoken opponent of the apartheid....

Cardinal Cormac tells summit: 'poverty is as big a scourge as terrorism' http://www.indcatholicnews.com/corpvsc.html Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, today told a Treasury summit on globalization, that poverty is as big a scourge as terrorism. Cardinal Cormac told the key meeting, which was also addressed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, World Bank President James Wolfensohn, Brazil's President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva and CAFOD's director Chris Bain, that: "we may be at risk of getting our definitions and our priorities wrong"....


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'THE PASSION'

'A Passion of Violence and Love, by Vittorio Messori ' http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=49259 After two hours and six minutes, the lights flick on again in the little soundproof room. There are only about a dozen of us (I the sole journalist), and we are aware of a privilege. By invitation of Mel Gibson and producer Steve McEveety, we are the first in Europe to see the final copy of this film which just arrived from Los Angeles.... Silence continues in the little room. Two women weep quietly, without sobbing; the monsignor next to me is very pale, his eyes closed; the young ecclesiastical secretary nervously fingers a rosary; a tentative, solitary applause quickly dies out in embarrassment. For many long minutes, no one stands up, no one moves, no one speaks. So, what we were being told was true: "The Passion of The Christ" has struck us, it has worked in us, the first guinea pigs, the effect that Gibson wanted....

"The Passion" Study Guide National Catholic Reporter February 20, 2004 http://ncronline.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2004a/022004/022004a.php [This brief guide is intended to help teachers, youth group leaders, Bible study leaders and parents organize discussions of “The Passion.” It also contains a brief list of supplementary materials.]

'Passion of the Christ' rated R16 NZ Herald 21.02.2004 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3550443&thesection=news&thesu\ bsection=general Mel Gibson's controversial biblical epic film, The Passion of the Christ, has been classified by New Zealand's chief censor as R16 because its graphic violence could traumatise children...

(later report) New Zealand church leaders are appealing to have the censor's classification of Mel Gibson's controversialm film "The Passion of the Christ" reduced. The Chief Censor Bill Hastings has classified the film as R16 due to its violent scenes which means those under 16 years of age can't see the film in cinemas. But the Society for the Promotion of Community standards has written to the Secretary for Internal Affairs asking for the rating to be changed so more young people can see it. It says it has the backing of Vision New Zealand, an umbrella group which represents over 350 different Christian groups. The movie about the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus has already sparked heated debate and some Jewish leaders say they fear it will generate anti-Semitism.

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'THE FAR EAST' January-February 2004

Magazine of St Columban's Missionary Society in Australia and New Zealand http://www.columban.org.au/tfe/tfe_current.htm

Full text:

** Editorial: Older People are... (The world doesn’t belong to the young, nor to the old, despite what the media says, but to those with a young spirit) ** From the Director: Where do we find grounds for hope? ** A scrapbook memory: A shoe repairman travels to Shanghai to visit Fr Warren Kinne. ** The human person is key: Kathryn Boyle writes about Pope John Paul II and his contributions to Catholic social thought. ** Another year of challenges: Columban Fr Jim Mulroney speaks of the challenges facing Bishop Joseph Zen and the Church of Hong Kong.

Also in the print edition ...

** Laughter amid adversity : Sr Jackie Ford speaks of the factors that create hardship for Peru’s elderly women. ** Guardian angels of the Chinese Church : Elderly Chinese women patrol church aisles keeping the faithful in line. ** Thank you very much : Fr Tom Curran believes it is more blessed to give than receive. ** Catholic missiology returns to Sydney : Columbans lecture at university again. ** A home next to heaven : Two Columban Sisters share the joy of the gifts they receive caring for the elderly poor in South Korea. ** Reflection - Where are you now? Where are you on life’s journey? ** Sunday night parcel : A story of gratitude for help at a critical time. ** Finding God in a trash pile : A scavenger family teaches a priest in the Philippines. ** Stepping stones for care : Care begins with oneself and extends to others, priests and laity alike.

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WORLD YOUTH DAY

After the Olympic Games, World Youth Day: the Church in Australia is a candidate for World Youth Day 2007 (full text) Sydney (Fides Service) - The Catholic Bishops of Australia would like to host the World Youth Day 2007. As preparations for WYD in Germany 2005 go ahead, in a statement issued at the end of a plenary assembly in Sydney the Bishops’ Conference of Australia announced it would make an official request to the Pontifical Council for the Laity which in turn will present the request to the Pope. Besides Australia, South Africa and Bolivia, have asked to host this increasingly popular major youth event we see from the Web site http://www.korazym.org . The Bishops of Australia are preparing a book to present Sydney as an ideal site for World Youth Day 2007.

The Bishops refer to two major events hosted by Sydney: Olympic Games in 2000 and Rugby World Championship in 2003, which demonstrated that the city is able to organise world events. They underline that the WYD in Australia would boost the spiritual life in the country and rekindle interest for the faith among Australian youth.

The political parties on the new continent have said they are ready to help the Church organise the event. The Sydney Catholic Weekly, said WYD 2007 could unite Australia’s government and Opposition and that “Sydney would be a fantastic city for World Youth Day, an event which would bring young pilgrims to Australia from all over the world”.

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"THE WORD FROM ROME"

http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/

A weekly column in the National Catholic Reporter by the paper's full-time Vatican correspondent John L. Allen

Summary of the column for Feb. 20, 2004

International religious communities in a multicultural world; In appreciation of Denis Hurley; Vatican diplomacy; Interview with Jewish critic of 'The Passion'; Anglican-Roman Catholic commission wraps up Mary document; History of the Focolare Movement published; preview of Vatican report on the crisis of clerical sexual abuse; Pro-choice Catholic politicians

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EVENTS

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Courses sponsored by the Outreach and Evangelisation Commission, Hamilton Catholic Diocese Presented by Adrian & Anne Commadeur and Nan Deakin from the Melbourne Schools of Evangelisation

"New Life" : Saturday 28 February and Sunday 29 February 2004 Meet Jesus afresh and renew your commitment to Him

"Emmaus" : Saturday 6 March and Sunday 7 March 2004 Listen as Jesus walks with the disciples to Emmaus and unfolds the meaning of Scripture to you

Venue: Catholic Hall, St Joseph's, Te Aroha. Register by 16 February -see your Parish for brochures. Each course costs $40, or whatever the participants can afford. Some billets available with parishioners.

For further information contact Julia (07) 863 7575 Waihi Liz (07) 858 2954 Hamilton John (07) 846 2691 Hamilton jlewis@wave.co.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 ]

[Vacancies in Catholic Youth Ministry are advertised on the Job Bank page of the National Council for Young Catholics: http://ncyc.org.nz ]

Office Secretary, National Centre for Religious Studies, Wellington Details in 'Wel-com' February 2004 p.17, or from: The Director, NCRS, PO Box 1937, Wellington 6015; tel. 04 496 1761; e-mail: ncrsnz@clerar.net.nz. Applications close 27 February 2004.

Prison Chaplain, Mt Eden Prison Women's Division Details in 'NZ Catholic' Feb.22 p.22 and from Eric Allan, Director, Catholic and Family Community Services, tel. (09) 378 9650