Sunday, July 11, 2004

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ORDINATION OF BISHOP CAMPBELL

Church rejoices at ordination (photo) Otago Daily Times 10 July 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/otago/0,2106,2967477a6017,00.html With a simple laying on of hands, the Very Rev Bishop Colin Campbell was ordained as Roman Catholic Bishop of Dunedin last night. The Mass brought together 1500 members of the Otago-Southland Catholic church; 10 bishops of New Zealand, including Cardinal Thomas Williams; the papal diplomatic representative in New Zealand, Archbishop Patrick Coveney; 80 priests; and 450 invited guests, including Dunedin Mayor Sukhi Turner, at the Dunedin Town Hall last night...

New shepherd for Otago flock hailed (photo) Southland Times 10 July 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/southlandtimes/0,2106,2967444a6011,00.html

Cardinal's moral message endorsed Otago Daily Times 9-July 2004 http://tinyurl.com/34po7 Fr Campbell first thought of becoming a priest after reading [The Far East] a missionary magazine to which his mother, Agnes, subscribed...

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FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

The curse among the clergy Sunday Times 11 July 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/0,2106,2968369a6619,00.html It's a a tough time to be a Catholic priest. Falling numbers of clergy, an increasingly secular community and the stigma of being a church leader at a time when sexual abuse revelations seem an almost weekly bad news story, must make this the least attractive time to have "the calling"...

Priest in tune with pop world (photo) Western Leader 08 July 2004 http://tinyurl.com/2ftzv A Catholic priest with connections to west Auckland could be on his way to pop stardom. Critics say a recording by Father Chris Skinner is even better than the original...

High priest of heavenly pop (photo) NZ Herald 10.07.2004 http://tinyurl.com/2qrlj His select group of fans think his voice is divine. And while Catholic priest Chris Skinner has been privately producing recordings of his own songs for 15 years, he could now be on the verge of becoming an international act...

Pioneer Filmmaker Mike Walker Dies Scotsman.com 10th July 2004 http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3163900 New Zealand filmmaker Mike Walker, who pioneered movies that highlighted the struggles of the country’s indigenous Maori people, has died at the age of 72...

Obituary: Mike Walker NZ Herald 10.07.2004 http://tinyurl.com/38e33 New Zealand film-maker, artist and photographer Mike Walker has died in Palmerston North hospital, aged 72...

Sisters set for amalgamation Otago Daily Times 3-July 2004 http://tinyurl.com/2jhur New Zealand's four congregations of the Sisters of Mercy are preparing a formal petition to Rome to become one congregation...

Dominican friars re-elect Prior Provincial http://www.cathnews.com/news/407/54.php Dominican Friars gathered in Canberra for their Province Chapter this week re-elected ethicist Fr Tom Cassidy as Prior Provincial. Born in Melbourne in 1941, Fr Cassidy worked in New Zealand, as a parish priest and National Director of Catholic Communications...

Battle lines drawn on V8 circuit NZ Herald 06.07.2004 http://tinyurl.com/ysrjk The Catholic Church says yes but Transit says no to the proposed V8 supercar race around an inner-city Auckland circuit...

Sophie's miracle could mean Mother Mary's sainthood (photo) Sydney Morning Herald July 5, 2004 http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/04/1088879374560.html?oneclick=true

Priests Risking Their Lives in Search of Peace for Colombians ABC News/The Associated Press http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040622_42.html

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FROM THE CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

The Habit: A History of the Clothing of Catholic Nuns, by Elizabeth Kuhns (book review) National Catholic Reporter July 2, 2004 http://www.natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2004c/070204/070204r.htm

The hidden wonder of new life The Tablet (UK) Saturday, 10 July 2004 http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/archive_db.cgi/tablet-00913 A pioneer of pregnancy scans has published extraordinary pictures of human beings in the womb. Professor Stuart Campbell told Mian Ridge how they have changed his view of early life and of abortion...

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'WEL-COM'

http://www.welcom.org.nz

Monthly newspaper of the Archdiocese of Wellington and the Diocese of Palmerston North

From the July 2004 issue ...

The Cardinal's column: Cardinal Williams describes the spiritual bankrupcy of liberalism

Bishop John Dew's Reflection: Pope's prophetic warning in The Gospel of Life

Suzanne Aubert’s cause now on its way to Rome Mass at Wellington’s Sacred Heart Cathedral last Sunday evening marked the closure of the Archdiocesan Inquiry into the Cause of Suzanne Aubert...

World's worst humanitarian crisis in Darfur As Caritas launches an appeal for the people in Darfur, Anna Sussmilch describes the background to this crisis...

A defining issue for New Zealand An outstanding seminar was held in Wellington last month which explored the Foreshore and Seabed issue...

What led to the Court of appeal decision which sparked the controversy? Dr Maui John Mitchell, a social researcher, is media spokesman for the eight iwi of Nelson and Marlborough whose actions sparked the controversy over the foreshore and seabed issue...

A solution can be found through restoration of mana to Maori Pat Snedden is an Auckland businessman. A Pakeha, he has had more than the 30 years experience working with Maori communities in health and employment related activities and for 25 years has been economic adviser to Auckland’s Ngati Whatua...

Maori customary rights over the foreshore and seabed were never extinguished Grant Powell is the lawyer who represented the Marlborough iwi in their court cases and has been involved in Waitangi Tribunal claims. He has an expert knowledge on these issues and has made a detailed study of the Foreshore and Seabed Bill....

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CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

The national Website of the Catholic Church in New Zealand -http://www.catholic.org.nz - is now in its ninth year, having been launched in June 1996. The pages have just been re-designed, displaying descriptive links to the most common categories of information visitors to the site are likely to seek. The Website is a service of Catholic Communications NZ, the information office of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference. The current Webmaster is Father John Murphy sm of the Society of Mary's Marist Internet Ministry.


International News, on http://www.cathcom.org.nz ....

'Protestant Pope' to visit Australia World Council of Churches (WCC) General Secretary Rev Dr Sam Kobia arrives in Australia tomorrow to take part in the national forum of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) in Adelaide.

Education official reopening of 1950s class war wounds An official at the Catholic Education Commission NSW has said that by starting a costly battle that could take years, the NSW Teachers Federation is opening wounds from the past, dragging the education system back to the 1950s and reigniting a war that was settled decades ago.

Church in South Africa rolls out AIDS drug program

Vietnam tightening religious freedom

UNESCO puts Cologne Cathedral on danger list

Angolan bishop worried about witchdoctors

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CARITAS AOTEAROA NZ

'Caritas Update', Winter 2004 http://www.caritas.org.nz/update.asp This issue includes articles on third world debt, the strained relationship between Australia and East Timor over disputed oil and gas reserves, work Caritas is doing with Maasai communities in Tanzania, a look ahead to Social Justice week 2004 and the response from school students to the 2004 Lent theme.

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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 July 9, 2004: Who is in charge at the Vatican?; Financing development; The Portland archdiocese files for bankruptcy; Pope John Paul on holiday; More on a papal trip to Ireland; A talk with Archbishop O'Malley; More about life-sustaining medical treatment; What Ratzinger wanted from the American bishops; New Jesuit liturgical association

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EVENTS

Worship and Healing Conference, 27-29 August 2004 St Patrick's College, Silverstream Sponsored by the Archdiocesan Service Group for Catholic Charismatic Renewal Details from Cherylynn Passmore, tel: (04) 526 6914; fax: (04) 526 2189; e-mail: cherylynn.passmore@xtra.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 ]

Chief Executive, Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand http://www.caritas.org.nz Details in 'NZ Catholic' July 11-24 2004 p.27, 'Wel-com' July 2004 p.17, and from Mike Hurdle or Catharina Vossen at MiCah Partners, tel (04) 499 4749; fax: (04) 499 7375; e-mail: contact@micahpartners.co.nz; PO Box 499, Wellington. Applications close 23 July 2004

Supervisor, Catholic Worker House of Hospitality, Palmerston North Details in 'NZ Catholic' July 11-24 2004 p.27, and from M. Eastham, 11 Suffolk Crescent, Feilding; tel: (06) 323 8684; e-mail: m.eastham@xtra.co.nz Applications close 30 July 2004

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Sunday, July 4, 2004

CARDINAL WILLIAMS' ESSAY "THE SPIRITUAL BANKRUPTCY OF LIBERALISM"

Full text of the essay:
http://www.catholic.org.nz/statements/0406moralliberalism.php

Claims of moral decline provoke debate (photo)
Otago Daily Times Tuesday, 29-June 2004
http://tinyurl.com/2pggk

Archbishop's comments 'sad' - Clark
NZPA 28 June 2004
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2955361a11,00.html
Prime Minister Helen Clark today labelled as "sad" comments by Cardinal
Tom Williams that likened modern liberal politicians to barbarians...

Comment: Specious rejection of moral truth deserves only disdain, by
Garth George
NZ Herald 01.07.2004
http://tinyurl.com/23kbb

Editorial: Our liberal society
NZ Herald 30.06.2004
http://tinyurl.com/2wq7c

Editorial: The modern barbarian
ODT Friday, 2-July 2004
http://tinyurl.com/3eclt

Editorial: A Cardinal's view
The Press (Chch) 29 June 2004
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0,2106,2955500a6528,00.html

Comment: There's nothing wrong with a bit of social tinkering, by Tapu Misa
NZ Herald 30.06.2004
http://tinyurl.com/yrgel

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FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Does the Civil Union Bill Legalise Marriage?
Press Release: Society For Promotion Of Community Standards Inc. 30 June
2004
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0406/S00298.htm

Catholic schools fear being sued over abortion advice
NZPA 29 June 2004
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2955603a11,00.html

Church accused of hidden agenda on Care of Children Bill
NZ Herald 01.07.2004
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyI\
D=3575782

Bigots will not stop Bill: Benson-Pope MP accuses critics of `rank
homophobia'
ODT Monday, 28-June 2004
http://tinyurl.com/2yq5d

Dunne is having a bob each way say critics
NZ Herald 28.06.2004
http://tinyurl.com/2gcju

Work with orphans rewarding, says nun
ODT 26-June 2004
http://tinyurl.com/2ramz
Realising she could not save all the orphaned boys in her charge was one
of the hardest things former Dunedin nun Sr Maria Goretti Howley has had
to accept. She has run a boys' orphanage and school in Kingston,
Jamaica, for 18 years and is in Dunedin for a Sisters of Mercy four-day
conference at the Glenroy this weekend...

Unrepentant Euthanasia Campaigner Told to Stay in Jail
http://www.townhall.com/news/politics/200407/FOR20040701a.shtml

Family court to be more open
NZPA 30 June 2004
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2956679a11,00.html

Saint preserve us from evil (photo)
Auckland City Harbour News 02 July 2004
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2960097a11,00.html
Theft and destruction has plagued St Benedict's Church in Newton lately,
and no one yet has confessed to the crimes ...

Anglican Church Hopes Virtual Worship Will Boost Membership
Voice of America 01 Jul 2004
http://tinyurl.com/ypckl
The Church of England is operating its first virtual parish, which is
designed to serve a community of online worshippers from all over the
world. The Anglican Internet church, or i-church (
http://www.i-church.org ), went online three months ago, and has already
attracted far more members than its organizers ever expected, even
though the official launch is still a month away...

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'NZ CATHOLIC'

http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz

From the June 27-July 10, 2004 issue:

NZ's process for handling abuse cases compares well
PALMERSTON NORTH - Nationally accepted protocol procedures established
by the Church in New Zealand to deal with complaints of sexual abuse set
it apart from other English-speaking countries, says Bishop Owen Dolan....

East Timor wants fair deal, not ongoing handouts
AUCKLAND - The people of East Timor want a fair deal and sovereignity,
not continuing handouts, says New Zealand Pax Christi member Kevin
McBride...

Interest still growing in Thomas Merton
CHRISTCHURCH - Interest in the life and work of Trappist monk Thomas
Merton is expanding around the world, says Dr Paul Pearson, director and
archivist of the major Thomas Merton centre at Bellarmine University in
Kentucky, who was recently in Christchurch for a seminar and talks....

Also in the print edition of the current issue:
Director sought for new office; Four recipients of new Delargey Awards;
New name for SPUC?; Anne Dickinson to be bishops¹ executive officer;
Abortion rise includes girls aged 11; Bishop¹s pledge of help brings
babies to birth

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CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

MEDIA RELEASES

Refugee Crisis in Darfur, Sudan (28 Jun 2004)
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand, the Catholic agency for justice, peace and
development has released $NZD 15,000 to kick-start an appeal to assist
the people of Darfur, Western Sudan and refugees across the border in
Chad. The humanitarian crisis which has affected over 1 million people
has been described by the United Nations as the worst humanitarian
crisis in the world...

"The Spiritual Bankruptcy of Liberalism", an essay by Cardinal Tom
Williams (28 Jun 2004)
June 2004
Cardinal Williams' observes that the country is becoming a "moral
wasteland" a place where traditional values and beliefs are being
systematically subverted as society elects to live on a diet of "junk
food provided by bankrupt liberalism". He encourages people to challenge
the culture of exaggerated individualism, and to serve society by they
way they live their lives as individuals and families.


INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Hobart Archbishop says Harradine a 'tough act to follow'
Adelaide Centacare director 'devastated' by Govt demands
Pope sorrow over Constantinople
Division among US bishops on sanctions for politicians
Church condemns celibacy TV documentary
Cautious welcome for renewed relations with Israel Govt

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MARIST MESSENGER (Society of Mary in NZ)

http://www.maristmessenger.co.nz

Full text from the July edition :

Focus by Fr Carl Telford sm:
Migrants are a world-wide phenomenon

My problem with the Sacrament of Reconciliation by Kilian de Lacy
"Going to confession" has changed- and for the better

The Rosary helps to meditate
The Rosary is a great prayer but we need help to pray it

Alone by Fr Paddy Cahill
People are made for people and we all long to feel in our heart the
warmth of family or friends.

Also in the July Marist Messenger
Mystic - you mean me? ... The significance of singleness .... Does
business have a spirituality? .... Idealisation - shattered illusions?
.... The suffering Church in the Sudan ... The love of God - part 8 ...
The theology of the body - making sense of desire.

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FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

Pope John Paul II receives in audience His Holiness Bartholomew I,
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople: may the memory of the history
making encounter between Patriarch Athenagoras I and Pope Paul VI in
1964 “prompt a leap forward in dialogue and restoration mutual brotherly
relations”
http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0406/30_2720.html

Patriarch of Constantinople Evaluates His Visit to Rome. Interview With
Bartholomew I
http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=56271

A matter of life and death, by Austen Ivereigh
The Tablet (U.K.) 3 July 2004
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/archive_db.cgi/tablet-00910
The BBC’s Panorama programme has criticised the Church’s case against
using condoms to combat Aids. Who is right? And what do the experts
think? ...

Why New Age Is a Challenge for Christianity
Father Alessandro Olivieri Pennesi Responds
http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=56135

The Da Vinci Code, Corrected
Why the "lost gospels" were really lost, by Craig Keener
Christian History, Spring 2004
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/2004/002/8.15.html

Monsignor Zen: We Christians, Democrats, and Lovers of China
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=1082
Hong Kong (AsiaNews) – About 10,000 Catholics and Protestants gathered
together in Victoria Park for a shared moment of prayer and meditation
ahead of the July 1 pro-Democracy march. Monsignor Joseph Zen Ze-kiun,
Bishop of Hong Kong, the Reverend Ralph Lee Ting-sun of the Methodist
Church, and the Reverend Eric So Shing-yit of the Christian Council of
Hong Kong led the meeting. Here is the full text of Monsignor Zen’s
speech ...

Pope Tells Iraqi President of Church's Support. Appeals for Respect of
Religious Freedom
http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=56125

Chaldean Patriarch of Baghdad: “We thank Everyone, But Above All We
Thank The Pope”
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=1053

Solomon Islands' Prime Minister praises Christians for contribution past
and present to growth of the nation: celebrations mark 100 anniversary
of arrival of first Catholic missionaries
http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0406/26_2711.html

Pope John Paul: “The family is the future of Europe. We can say that the
family is the mirror of society and therefore also of the new Europe
which is being built ”
http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0406/26_2707.html

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

"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 July 2, 2004:
Common Ground lecture: Why are U.S. Catholics even more divided?; Tough
document on Anglican crisis; Patriarch of Constantinople in Rome; About
the archbishops' pallium; Jews press for campaign against anti-Semitism
in Latin America; Papal visit to Lourdes and the doctrine of the
Immaculate Conception; Once more on human trafficking

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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 ]

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Sunday, June 27, 2004

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CIVIL UNIONS BILL

Civil union not necessary says Dunne NZ Herald 21.06.2004 http://tinyurl.com/323d2 Peter Dunne will campaign against the Government's plans to legalise same-sex unions knowing his United Future Party is likely to be attacked as strict, conservative Christians...

Church blessing for civil unions The Dominion Post 22 June 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2948181a10,00.html The gay marriage debate is heating up as some churches confirm plans to let same-sex couples trip down the aisle for civil union ceremonies...

Society for the Promotion of Community Standards Response to NZ Young Labour re Civil Unions Scoop.co.nz (press release) http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0406/S00261.htm

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ALAN WOODCOCK CASE

Paedophile former priest gets 7-year jail sentence NZPA 25 June 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2952826a10,00.html Alan Woodcock, 56, formerly of Upper Hutt, was extradited from Britain and last month pleaded guilty in Wellington District Court to 21 charges relating to the abuse of 11 boys between 1978 and 1987 when he was teaching at St John's College, Hastings; St Patrick's College Silverstream; Highden, a school for young priests in Palmerston North; and Futuna, a Catholic retreat in Wellington...

Priest's victim gets apologies The Dominion Post 26 June 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/0,2106,2952931a6479,00.html Senior Catholic Church officials who allowed paedophile priest Alan John Woodcock to become a teacher despite a conviction for sexual offending have apologised to one of his victims – 22 years after he was first abused...

Paedophile priest victim rejects apology The Press (Christchurch) 26 June 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2953139a11,00.html An apology from jailed paedophile former Marist priest Alan Woodcock has been rejected by one of his early Christchurch victims...

Church doesn't condone sexual abuse NZ City 26 June 2004 http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.asp?id=40711 Church spokeswoman Lyndsay Freer concedes the Church should have acted more strongly over the Woodcock case and, if it had known in the past what it does today, it would definitely have acted differently...

Police may go after the clergymen who hid abuse NZ Herald 26.06.2004 http://tinyurl.com/3dyfn Police are considering charges against Catholic priests involved in hiding Alan Woodcock's nine years of sexual abuse against schoolboys and young men...

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CATHOLIC WEB TV

Wellington Archdiocesan Media Centre

http://www.catholictv.net

New videos:

** The Life Of Mother Mary Aubert “From France To Island Bay” A two part 32 minute video (part one 14.42 mins) about the nun who founded the Soup Kitchen in Wellington, and is now being considered for canonization as New Zealand’s first ‘saint’. New archive photo material included

** Can we trust Maori over the seabed and forshore issue? Excerpts from an address by Pat Snedden

** "Art compass Exhibition" (illustrated interview). Art by disabled students at the studio upstairs from the Compassion Soup Kitchen, Wellington.

** "Aotearoa New Zealand" by Fr. Chris Skinner SM. Music video filmed at a recent Justice, Peace and Development seminar on the foreshore and seabed issue.

** "Green Time": The Gifts of Baptism, by Fr John Greally

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FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Cardinal laments descent to 'moral wasteland' NZ Herald 26.06.2004 http://tinyurl.com/35oov The head of the Catholic Church has rounded on the liberal policies of recent Governments, saying the country is becoming a "moral wasteland". In a strongly worded essay entitled "The Spiritual Bankruptcy of Liberalism", Cardinal Tom Williams yesterday attacked a string of policy changes - from the Civil Union Bill to prostitution law reform - and likened modern politicians to barbarians...

Glowing references for 'reformed' Olympics-bound boxer New Zealand Herald 23.06.2004 http://tinyurl.com/3esll Soulan Pownceby took up boxing after early release from his four-year jail term following the death of his 5-month-old daughter. Salvation Army boxing academy coach Paul Fitzsimons vouched for him before a Parole Board hearing and agreed to house him on release, assisting his exit from Paparoa Prison. Pownceby had turned Christian a few months ago, accepting the Catholic faith, Fitzsimons said. "I don't know why people want to crucify him ...."

Far-away fears led to murder charges The Age (Melbourne) June 27, 2004 http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/26/1088145022810.html?oneclick=true A worried mother, a Catholic priest and an inquisitive New Zealand constable have helped uncover what police now believe was a double murder more than 2000 kilometres away in Australia. The trio's teamwork was vital in setting off a chain of events that led to the arrest on Tuesday of John Myles Sharpe, accused of murdering his wife, Anna Kemp, 41, and their daughter, Gracie, 2, at their Mornington home.

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CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

INTERNATIONAL NEWS Pope urges increasing attention on Adult Faith Formation Pope addresses why we pray? Fr Klep being deported from Samoa Victorian Catholic teachers get bigger pay rise China denies detention of Bishops Archbishop Doyle cites 'The Byrds' in moving tribute to Jim Bacon

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FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

The hunger of man and the world for the Eucharist http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=1037 Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The "silent apostasy" of Western Europe and the West in general is born of man's weak conviction, in today's technological era, of needing God, of needing the true Jesus that each day offers himself to us in the Eucharist, "faith's testing ground". As Cardinal Jozef Tomko, president of the International Eucharistic Congress, explains to AsiaNews, "faith in the person of Jesus Christ and in his divinity must be reinforced. As soon as you yield on one, you yield on the other. A new evangelization is needed, to reinforce faith in the Eucharist and in the divinity of Christ...."

Religious freedom, the more repressive governments are in Asia Asia News 25 June, 2004 http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=1042 Roma (AsiaNews) – Here is some advance information about the 2004 Report on Religious Freedom in the World, edited by Aid to the Church in Need. We focus on the situation in some Asian countries where there is no religious freedom or where it is seriously restricted ...

Religious freedom, "touchstone" for human rights Asia News 25 June, 2004 http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=1041 Rome (AsiaNews) -- "The uncovering of religious freedom violations should lead to political action. From the Catholic world as well." This is how Attilio Tamburrini, director of Aid to the Church in Need* (ACN), introduces the 2004 Report on Religious Freedom in the World which was presented this morning in Rome...

Standing up to be counted. The Tablet interviews George Weigel The Tablet (UK) 26 June 2004 http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/archive_db.cgi/tablet-00909 Few Catholics are as loyal as George Weigel – or as combative. The Pope’s biographer talks to Austen Ivereigh about faith, war and the death penalty

Bonds Among Believers Will Shape the Millennium, Says Chiara Lubich http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=55674 London, June 21, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The third millennium will be forged thanks to fraternal relations among believers of diverse religions, Focolare Movement founder Chiara Lubich told an audience of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and Sikhs...

Catholic Army chaplain from Minnesota critically wounded in Iraq http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/20040609b.htm St. Paul, Minn. (Catholic News Service) - Family and friends of Father H. Timothy Vakoc continued to pray in early June for the U.S. Army chaplain from Minnesota who was seriously injured when a bomb exploded near his Humvee in Iraq May 29...

(related article) Military chaplains brave danger for troops (photos) Stars and Stripes (US Armed Forces newspaper) June 20, 2004 http://ww2.pstripes.osd.mil/article.asp?section=104&article=22882

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

"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 June 25, 2004: Pope displeased by Europe's rejection of Christian roots; Roots in Spain are robust; Conference on the New Age movement; Bush's appeal to the Vatican; "campaigning" for the papacy; Possible papal travels

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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 ]

National Director, Office for Professional Standards A National Office for Professional Standards is to be established by the Catholic Church in New Zealand, charged with assisting dioceses, religious orders and complainants by offering an independent assessment of abuse complaints that have not had a satisfactory outcome, and by arranging, where necessary, an alternative procedure for dealing with such complaints. Further details in 'NZ Catholic' June 27 p.23, on http://www.cathcom.org.nz/media.php and from Mike Hurdle or Catharina Vossen at MICAH Partners, tel. 04 499 4749, mobile: 021-552929, fax: 0-4-4997375 or e-mail: contact@micahpartners.co.nz Applications close 2 July 2004

Researcher, Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand http://www.caritas.org.nz 20 hours per week for a 6-month fixed term project to assist with NZ social justice issues. Further details in 'Wel-com' June 2004 p.17, and from: claire@caritas.org.nz ; tel: (04) 496 1742. Applications close 1 July 2004

Accountant, Clergy Trust Fund Board, Archdiocese of Wellington http://www.wn.catholic.org.nz/wellington/clergy/Further details in 'Wel-com' June 2004 p.17, and from: The Secretary, Clergy Trust Fund Board, PO Box 15-256. Wellington 6030; e-mail: holyx@xtra.co.nz

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Sunday, June 20, 2004

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'WEL-COM'

Wellington & Palmerston North diocesan newspaper http://www.welcom.org.nz

From the June 2004 issue ...

Cardinal William's letter: Nuntio vobis gaudium magnum ("I bring you news of great joy" (Luke 2:10))

Bishop John Dew's reflection: Knowing the people I’m called to serve

We have a new Bishop and Archbishop Last month Rome announced that John Dew was to be Coadjutor Archbishop of Wellington and Colin Campbell would be Dunedin's new bishop. Here we provide a background on these two men...

Filmmaker’s passionate commitment to justice As a war correspondent, Max Stahl has filmed crises in Latin America, the Balkans, Chechnya and the Soviet Union. But the country where his work has had the greatest impact has been East Timor...

Offending by Alan Woodcock casts a black shadow over the Church Revelations that came to light last month over a former Marist priest have cast a black shadow over our local Church. On 17 May Alan Woodcock pleaded guilty to 21 charges relating to the sexual abuse of 11 teenage boys and young men between 1978 and 1987...

Hikoi proves to be one of Wellington‘s biggest ever marches It was on 22 April that the great Hikoi of 2004 set out from Cape Reinga in protest at the foreshore and seabed legislation. Many saw this as confiscation of Maori property. As the hikoi headed south it was joined by groups from all around the North Island and by 5 May had assembled in Wellington for an historic march to Parliament...

Saint Gianna Molla sacrificed her life to save her unborn daughter Among the six people who were canonized on 16 May was Gianna Beretta Molla, who accepted the risk of dying rather than undergo a medical treatment that would have caused the death of her unborn child...

Catholic Prison Chaplains Not far from the centre of Invercargill is the city’s prison which houses 172 inmates. Razor wire is visible from all points of this grey concrete building opened in 1910. Despite this Br Osmund McNamara who works there as a prison chaplain says he has a deep down conviction that this is the place Jesus would be found if he was in Invercargill today...

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FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Civil union - a question of choice NZPA 18 June 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2945593a1861,00.html The Civil Union and omnibus Recognition of Relationships bills will be tabled in Parliament on Monday. Associate Justice Minister David Benson-Pope is fronting the bills. He talks to Maggie Tait about the proposed legislation and what it means for society...

Civil Union Bill and Human Rights Demands Press Release: Society For Promotion Of Community Standards Inc. http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0406/S00197.htm Maxim Institute Director Bruce Logan presented the following lecture at the Society's AGM on Monday night 14 June entitled "Human Rights Demands, are they in the Public Good?" He made special reference to the Labour-led Government's anti-marriage and anti-family Civil Union and Omnibus Bills....

Right-to-Life campaigners slam latest abortion statistics NZPA 16 June 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2942284a11,00.html Anti-abortion campaigners have condemned the latest abortion figures, calling them "a major crisis". There were 18,510 abortions performed in 2003, a 6.5 per cent increase on the 17,380 in 2002, according to figures released yesterday by Statistics New Zealand...

Schools urged to teach religion The Dominion Post 19 June 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2945670a7694,00.html Young New Zealanders are not being taught to think critically about issues such as sexuality and genetic engineering, Peter Vardy, a visiting British lecturer says. He spoke to about 550 secondary students at a seminar hosted by Samuel Marsden Collegiate in Wellington this week. He said many teachers in this country are reluctant to tackle religion, but in Britain, religion and values education is a mandatory part of the school curriculum...

Catholics urged to fight off New Age religions NZ Herald 19.06.2004 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3573500&thesection=news&thesu\ bsection=world&thesecondsubsection=

Catholics from more than 25 countries have been in Rome this week to hammer out a strategy for combating the threat posed to Christianity by "New Age" religions and fads...

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FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

New Zealand Catholic schools, appreciated for high quality education, teaching corps and structures, grow steadily in number and number of pupils http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0406/15_2616.html Wellington (Fides Service) - Confidence in Catholics school education is growing among the people of New Zealand. According to a report by the NZ Catholic Education Office, the 2004 school year is starting out with new enthusiasm...

Solomon Islands consolidates social peace and restarts engines of economy and tourism - local Church works to promote social reconciliation and offer psychological assistance to heal traumas caused by violence http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0406/16_2624.html

“The Church wished to ask forgiveness not in a disordered manner but with effective knowledge of that happened because from the truth there is nothing to fear ” Card. Georges Cottier said at the presentation of the Acts of a 1998 International Symposium on the Inquisition http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0406/15_2617.html

Balanced History of the Inquisition Is Possible, Says Expert http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=55411

Pope Explains Why He Convoked "Year of the Eucharist" Church's Program Is to Start Afresh From Christ, He Says http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=55218

Papal Message to 95th Katholikentag in Germany: “Let us take the opportunities offered by united Europe to spread further the Gospel of Christ so that no one is denied God’s gift of salvation!” http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0406/17_2627.html

The Pagan-Buster. How a brilliant monk laid the groundwork for Christian Europe. Christianity Today June 2004 http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/newsletter/2004/jun10.html

“Carry Christ to every environment of daily life” is the mission of Cursillos of Christianity Mons. Ubaldo Speranza of the Italian branch of the movement told Fides the day after the consignment of the Decree of Canonical Recognition. http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0406/12_2599.html

The Wall cuts in two parts some Jerusalem parishes http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=989 Jerusalem – (AsiaNews) – Sobhy Makhoul, a deacon of the Maronite church in a suburb of Jerusalem, comments on the consequences that will follow the construction of the Wall.

A reflection on the occasion of the Church’s World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests: Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 18 June 2004 http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0406/17_2626.html

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CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

INTERNATIONAL NEWS Good Friday football match unlikely but... Lost Catholic community found in China after 50 years Communion: What does Ratzinger really say? Suicide not only big problem in Western world CEO head praises Catholic teachers

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CARITAS AOTEAROA NZ: REFUGEE CRISIS IN SUDAN

The Darfur region in Western Sudan is facing what is currently the world's worst humanitarian disaster.

The forced depopulation of nearly a million people by Janjaweed militias has seen a flood of people cross the border into neighbouring Chad. The refugees tell of the burning of villages, execution of civilians and robbing of food supplies by the militias who are supported by the Sudanese government.

The situation for the refugees now living camps close to the border is extremely difficult. The climate is especially harsh with frequent sand and dust storms and temperatures ranging from 4 C at night to 45 C during the day. Food and water is scarce and many refugees are showing signs of malnourishment. There is also a lack of adequate sanitation and health care facilities. The conflict has destroyed the fabric of family and community life with husbands and sons killed or captured by the militias; leaving women, children and the elderly to find sanctuary across the border.

Caritas Chad has been in the region since 1981 and is working with the Chad government, other NGOs and UNHCR to alleviate the plight of the refugees. Due to their long involvement in the area Caritas Chad is the main partner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and has been responsible for the food distribution, water, sanitation and the maintenance of infrastructure in three camps, each in excess of 10,000 people.

In Sudan, Caritas is continues to work with its partners, SudanAid, the Sudan Council of Churches and the Action by Churches Together network to provide shelter, food, water and sanitation to thousands of people.

Caritas is now accepting donations to help assist the people of Darfur. Your donation will go directly towards helping those in greatest need. You can donate directly on-line via the link on: http://www.caritas.org.nz/world/appeal_sudan.asp or phone us on 0800 22 10 22, or post your donation to: Sudan Refugee Crisis Caritas Aoteoroa New Zealand Freepost 689 PO Box 12-193 Wellington NEW ZEALAND

Thank you for supporting the work of Caritas.

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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 June 18, 2004: Conservative critiques of the Vatican, the U.N. and international law; Episcopal appointments in Spain; Mea Culpa for the Inquisition; Debating Stem Cells; Not the Dean of Vatican Journalists

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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 ]

National Director, Office for Professional Standards A National Office for Professional Standards is to be established by the Catholic Church in New Zealand, charged with assisting dioceses, religious orders and complainants by offering an independent assessment of abuse complaints that have not had a satisfactory outcome, and by arranging, where necessary, an alternative procedure for dealing with such complaints. Further details: http://www.cathcom.org.nz/media.php and from Mike Hurdle or Catharina Vossen at MICAH Partners, tel. 04 499 4749, mobile: 021-552929, fax: 0-4-4997375 or e-mail: contact@micahpartners.co.nz Applications close 2 July 2004


Researcher, Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand http://www.caritas.org.nz 20 hours per week for a 6-month fixed term project to assist with NZ social justuice issues. Further details in 'Wel-com' June 2004 p.17, and from: claire@caritas.org.nz ; tel: (04) 496 1742. Applications close 1 July 2004


PA / Communications Assistant, Catholic Communications NZ The national office of Catholic Communications is the Media Office of the NZ Catholic Bishops' Conference. We are seeking the services of a personal assistant to the National Director. This position, based at Pompallier Centre, Ponsonby, Auckland, involves assisting the National Director in a variety of duties. Good organisational, secretarial and computer skills are required, as well as the ability to write and communicate effectively. A good knowledge of, and commitment to contemporary Catholic teaching and practice is essential, as well as an ability to work collaboratively and in a small team environment. Minimum of 30 hours per week required. For job description and application form, contact Catholic Communications, Pompallier Diocesan Centre, Private Bag 47 904, Ponsonby, Auckland. Telephone (09) 378 8017, Fax: (09) 360 3061 Email: communications@catholic.org.nz


Accountant, Clergy Trust Fund Board, Archdiocese of Wellington http://www.wn.catholic.org.nz/wellington/clergy/Further details in 'Wel-com' June 2004 p.17, and from: The Secretaty, Clergy Trust Fund Board, PO Box 15-256. Wellington 6030; e-mail: holyx@xtra.co.nz

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Sunday, June 13, 2004

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FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

The Zaoui test - will we pass? ODT Saturday, 5-June 2004 http://tinyurl.com/33hme Ahmed Zaoui's lawyer Deborah Manning knows she is working on a landmark human-rights case and hopes her country can pass the test. Mr Zaoui is awaiting a hearing in the Auckland High Court at the end of this month on his application for bail, to allow him to be released into a community of Catholic Dominican Friars in Auckland, or transferred to the Mangere Refugee Detention Centre....

Churches want faith-healer's claims tested (photo) The Courier Mail (Brisbane) http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,9784692%5E3102,00\.html Faith-healer or spiritual charlatan, American evangelist Benny Hinn still manages to pack in the crowds....

New priests prepare for challenges of a changed Catholic church http://cbs4boston.com/menews/ME--SeminariansHope-en/resources_news_html Boston (AP) The latest crop of ordained priests will serve in a Roman Catholic church still reeling from a widespread clergy sex-abuse scandal and burdened by financial obligations. But this group is determined to help the church move beyond the crisis....

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FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

Pope declares a Special Year of the Eucharist (full text) http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=955

Three Streams, One Love: The Story of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, by Ann Bottenhorn http://www.wau.org/current/article.asp?id=2455 [The originator of the Sacred Heart Devotion] Margaret Mary Alacoque was born in France in 1647, when the monarchy, under Louis XIV, was on the verge of absolute power. She grew up during the age of Richelieu and Cromwell, of Newton and Galileo. It was an age of exploration and discovery. However, in this bold, exciting age, love for God - and knowledge of his love - had grown cold ....

Always rely on the kindness of strangers, by Michael McMahon The Tablet (UK) http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/register.cgi/tablet-00903 For 1,000 years, pilgrims have walked the camino de Santiago to the tomb of St James the Apostle in northwestern Spain. One who completed his 500 mile journey last week discovered on the way that Providence, in the guise of people he met, eased his passage ...

Persecutions, prison and tortures for Christians http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=940 There is no religious freedom at all in Saudi Arabia. Any kind of public activity, such as possessing a Bible, wearing a crucifix or pray, is strictly forbidden...

Swiss Marvel at John Paul II's "Magic" With Youth Press, Critics and Episcopal Conference Praise the Trip http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=54917 Vatican City, June 7, 2004 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II returned to Rome elated by his meeting with young people in Bern and pleased with his third trip to Switzerland ...

The Pope in Switzerland: “The Church is mission! http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0406/07_2553.html "The time has come to prepare young generations of apostles who are not afraid to proclaim the Gospel. For every baptised person it is essential to grow from a faith of habit to a mature faith expressed through clear, convinced and courageous decisions ..."

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CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

International News: Bishop says Play School no place for 'two Mums' ... Tasmanian priest on sex charges ... Vatican observer on job creation's human and national development role ... Vatican set to publish documents from World War II archives ... Sydney Catholic Education Office recognised with leadership award ... Indian priest highlights destructive role of call centres

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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 June 11, 2004: Swiss Catholics and Identity Politics; The Vatican and America; Personnel Changes in the Holy See; Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul; Bonhoeffer and Ratzinger

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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 ]

PA / Communications Assistant, Catholic Communications NZ The national office of Catholic Communications is the Media Office of the NZ Catholic Bishops' Conference. We are seeking the services of a personal assistant to the National Director. This position, based at Pompallier Centre, Ponsonby, Auckland, involves assisting the National Director in a variety of duties. Good organisational, secretarial and computer skills are required, as well as the ability to write and communicate effectively. A good knowledge of, and commitment to contemporary Catholic teaching and practice is essential, as well as an ability to work collaboratively and in a small team environment. Minimum of 30 hours per week required. For job description and application form, contact Catholic Communications, Pompallier Diocesan Centre, Private Bag 47 904, Ponsonby, Auckland. Telephone (09) 378 8017, Fax (09) 360 3061 Email communications@catholic.org.nz

Religious Education Adviser, Diocese of Palmerston North http://www.pn.catholic.org.nz Details in 'NZ Catholic' May 30 - June 12 p.26 and fromMuriell Kivell RNDM, Episcopal vicar for Schools, Catholic EducAtion Office, Private Bag, 11 012, Palmerston North. Tel. (06) 358 8079; fax: (06) 357 3624; e-mail: mkivell@pndiocese.org.nz Applications close 18 June 2004

National Director, Office for Professional Standards A National Office for Professional Standards is to be establisehd by the Catholic church in New Zealand, charged with assisting dioceses, religious orders and complainants by offering an independent assessment of abuse complaints that have not had a satisfactory outcome and arranging, where necessary, an alternative procedure for dealing with such complaints. Further details at: http://www.cathcom.org.nz/media.php and from Mike Hurdle or Catharina Vossen at MICAH Partners, tel. 04 499 4749, mobile: 021-552929, fax: 0-4-4997375 or e-mail: contact@micahpartners.co.nz Applications close 2 July 2004

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Sunday, June 6, 2004

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PAPAL VISIT TO SWITZERLAND

Swiss Catholic Youths Welcome Pope The Guardian June 5, 2004 http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4172002,00.html Bern, Switzerland (AP) - Pope John Paul, who arrived Saturday for a 1 day stay in Bern, received a rapturous welcome from 10,000 Swiss Catholic youths Saturday evening in a hockey arena...

Further Reports of the visit ...

from SwissInfo: http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=110

from Google: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&edition=us&ie=UTF-8&q=pope+swiss&scoring=d

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FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

http://www.stuff.co.nz/otago/0,2106,2928763a3845,00.html Otago Daily Times Campbell's ordination at town hall 03 June 2004 The first Roman Catholic ordination of a bishop in Dunedin in more than 20 years will take place on July 9. Pope John Paul II announced Fr Campbell's appointment last week to replace Bishop Boyle, who announced his retirement two years ago after nearly 20 years in the job. Catholic communications spokeswoman Lindsay Freer said the ordination mass would be held in the Dunedin Town Hall to accommodate the many hundreds of people expected to attend...

Former priest admits sexual abuse of teen Sunday Star Times 06 June 2004 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/0,2106,2932131a6442,00.html A new sex scandal has surfaced in the Catholic Church, with a former priest acknowledging he sexually abused a teenager in the '70s. Wairarapa woman Sam (formerly Ann-Marie) Shelley, 48, was paid $25,000 compensation by the church last July after she spoke about the abuse she suffered at the hands of former Sacred Heart Lower Hutt school chaplain Peter Hercock in the '70s...

Strong sermon from the pulpit (photo) NZ Herald 05.06.2004 http://tinyurl.com/2lhr8 In issues of sex Bishop Whakahuihui Vercoe, the new leader of New Zealand's Anglicans, is conservative. In Maori matters he is radical. Catherine Masters investigates the basis of his beliefs...

Pope chides Bush over Iraq Newsday.com June 5, 2004 http://tinyurl.com/2sr6c Rome -- A frail Pope John Paul II on Friday chided President George W. Bush about the conflict in Iraq, reminding the president of his opposition to the war and indirectly criticizing the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison...

Furore over rash of `miracles' Otago Daily Times Thursday, 3-June 2004 http://tinyurl.com/3adkt Brisbane: True believers think God has granted a miracle in troubled times. But the experts remain unconvinced. Nine separate religious icons, including four crucifixes and a statue of the Virgin Mary, have apparently either bled or leaked rose oil at a Brisbane church in the past fortnight...

At the altar of the silver screen Sydney Morning Herald June 4, 2004 http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/03/1086203560762.html Where we worship, how we tell our stories and the search for meaning are questions that have long caught the imagination of Father Richard Leonard, head of the Catholic Film Commission. Maybe we once found the answers at church, muses the Jesuit priest. But in secular society, he believes, the church has been replaced by the cinema...

Principals who play pastor The Australian May 31, 2004 http://tinyurl.com/2srzx Increasing demands imposed by a changing society have forced teachers to go beyond the traditional role to deal with a growing number of welfare issues both in and out of the classroom. The situation is particularly difficult for teachers in the Catholic school sector, who are bound by the church's pre-eminent doctrine of pastoral care ...

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FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

Catholic leader asks Saudi King to release a Christian prisoner http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=903 New Delhi (AsiaNews) – “We request His Majesty to take appropriate steps to see that the religious police stop the torture, and that Brian O'Connor is given a fair trial and released”. John Dayal, a Catholic activist, asks King Fahad bin Abdulaziz al Said to release the Indian citizen in a letter to the king through the Saudi ambassador in India...

Benedictine Bible Blends the Past and Present http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=54721 Rome, June 3, 2004 (Zenit.org).- At the Wednesday audience of May 26, the St. John Bible Society Of Minnesota presented John Paul II a full-size reproduction of the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles from the first handwritten illustrated Bible to be produced in 500 years. This presentation marked the second stage of a project that has been under way since 1998...

Rome and Moscow: a willing separation? http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=902 Moscow (AsiaNews) – Cardinal Walter Kasper’s recent visit to Russia is beginning to be show its first fruits. Probably, the most important result of the trip is the organisation of the Joint (Orthodox-Catholic) Working Group. The Joint Group, which started its activity in May, is established to analyse the various existing controversies between the two Churches, and to suggest possible solutions...

Questions the Holy See is asking about the Eucharist in preparation for 2005 Synod http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=54595 Vatican City, June 1, 2004 (Zenit.org).- A questionnaire sent out by the Holy See to prepare for next year's Synod of Bishops will serve to evaluate how the baptized celebrate and live the Blessed Sacrament...

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'THE PASSION'

Pope to beatify nun whose images inspired Gibson's film Ha'Aretz (Tel-Aviv) 30 May 2004 http://tinyurl.com/2htfc Paris - The 19th century German nun whose blood-soaked visions of Jesus's death inspired Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of The Christ" will soon be put on the path to sainthood, Catholic Church officials have said. Anne Catherine Emmerich, a sickly mystic who lived from 1774 to 1824, has already reached near cult status among traditionalist Roman Catholics for her book that gave Gibson the grisly details the Gospels did not provide...

'Passion' star turns down $75 M for his Catholic beliefs http://www.staugustine.com/stories/053004/nat_kr005505.shtml "The Passion of The Christ" star Jim Caviezel has turned down the chance to become a multimillionaire by doing a series of TV commercials --because he wants to stay true to his strict Catholic beliefs, reports IMDB.com. ...

Gibson’s film inspires passionate interest in Aramaic http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=909 Kochi (AsiaNews) - Mel Gibson’s blockbuster film ‘The Passion of The Christ’ released across India May 7th, has sparked new interest in Aramaic - the language that Jesus Christ spoke. Kerala, a state on the West Coast of India, is perhaps one of the few places in the world where the study of the Syriac dialect has been kept alive, along with Sanskrit and Arabic, over the centuries...

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'MARIST MESSENGER'

Monthly magazine of the Society of Mary, NZ

http://www.maristmessenger.co.nz/index.php

Online in the June Messenger:

The Focus for June, by Fr Carl Telford sm concerns the prayer of the heart

'Finding the best place to start', by Fr Tom Ryan sm. How to live a good life is the focus on this first of a series of articles by NZ born Fr Ryan.

'How to pray', by John Smith. Prayer involves praying daily and in dryness!

Book review of Fr Paul Glynn's latest book on reconcilation and healing

'Prayer is not complex', by Fr Michael Tomasi sm. Praying is friendship, not performance

Also in the June Marist Messenger

Finding new life - my journey... Our Lady of Good Counsel... The shaking of the tree - obedience? ... Bringing in the clowns! (humour)... Are we overlooking the head of the Holy Family? ... Prayer as an expression of the love of God.... Faith and martyrdom in the East.... God's gift of life.... Comment on the film - The Passion ... The Jesus Chair -hospitality.

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'THE FAR EAST'

Monthly magazine of St Columban's Mission Society

http://www.columban.org.au/tfe/TFE_fp.htm

Online from the June issue:

Editorial: Woman’s witness to courage

The Director's Message: Challenges to being on mission in Australia and New Zealand

'Women of struggle' (Part 1), by Leo Donnelly Columban Fr Leo Donnelly listened to the stories of a group of modern apostles about their experience of serving their communities.

'Women in a culture of silence', by Maria Benita Clamonte (Nitz) Subaanen women’s role in social functions was, until recently, to provide entertainment through music. Nitz and Columban Fr Donald Kill have worked among the Subaanen people since the 1980s. She talks about their roles within their tribal community.

'The work of St Vincent de Paul', by Peter and Marie Morgan, Columban Partnership Programme. On a visit to Ba, Fiji we visited some ‘lost’ families. Almost ‘lost’ except that the society of St Vincent de Paul (SVDP) finds them each week and brings them supplies and help. The SVDP society is their lifeline....

Also in the June issue:

'Blooms that bud all year': Columban Sisters live close to the people of Peru. 'A heroine of human dignity': Everyone knows a ‘character’ or two. 'A reason to smile': Being able to smile spontaneously liberates the whole person. 'A man with a gift for words': A tribute to a fine missionary who wrote many stories for The Far East. 'A why to live for': A sick woman regains her dignity in Korea. 'Mother of 80 children': Children learn to socialise, read and write because of one woman. 'An arduous path to justice': One migrant woman’s fight for justice in Taiwan. 'A woman with pictures to tell': A Chinese artist replaces the stained glass windows in Shanghai Cathedral. 'Hope through a mother’s love': A mother’s fight for her twin sons. 'An escape from brutality': The story of a wife and mother who refused to accept violence at home.

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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 June 4, 2004: President Bush and the Pope; Preview of John Paul's Swiss trip; The next 25 years in the life of the Catholic Church.

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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 ]

Religious Education Adviser, Diocese of Palmerston North http://www.pn.catholic.org.nz Details in 'NZ Catholic' May 30 - June 12 p.26 and fromMuriell Kivell RNDM, Episcopal vicar for Schools, Catholic EducAtion Office, Private Bag, 11 012, Palmerston North. Tel. (06) 358 8079; fax: (06) 357 3624; e-mail: mkivell@pndiocese.org.nz Applications close 18 June 2004

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Sunday, May 30, 2004

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CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NZ

http://www.cathcom.org.nz

MEDIA RELEASES Southland priest named as new Catholic Bishop of Dunedin (25 May 2004) Coadjutor Archbishop for Wellington (25 May 2004) New appointments to the New Zealand hierarchy (25 May 2004)

INTERNATIONAL NEWS Church welcomes Govt 'man and woman' marriage definition ... Cardinal Arinze explains tough stand on Eucharist ... Pope condemns torture as affront to humans ... Pell comments on obligation to 'build a decent Iraq' ... Catholic teachers join in pay case strike ... Virgin tears spark boom in statue sales

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'NZ CATHOLIC'

No 188, May 30-June 12, 2004

http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz

New bishop for Dunedin and coadjutor for Wellington Wellington - The Holy See has annouced two long-awaited appointments of bishops within the dioceses of New Zealand....

Schools act on cellphones Wellington - Catholic schools are restricting the use of cellphones by students to minimise the trouble they can cause...

Marist clubs honour player Auckland - Blues and Auckland rugby captain Xavier Rush was honoured on May 16 as New Zealand's best 2003 Marist rugby player...

Also in the latest issue ... Pope¹s advice to Helen Clark; Irish influence shaped Treaty of Waitangi; Catholic Supplies closing down; Diocesan priests face "huge" work pressure; Vatican issues new guidelines on migrants; Eight-page education feature.

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FROM THE SECULAR PRESS

Priests welcome Campbell as one of their own, no stranger Otago Daily Times Thursday, 27-May 2004 http://tinyurl.com/3bna4 Dunedin Roman Catholic priests were the first on the telephone to congratulate the new bishop of the diocese, the Rev Colin Campbell...

Insight to our new bishop The Southland Times 27 May 2004 http://tinyurl.com/2bt27 Mention New Zealand Idol to the Catholic Bishop-designate for the Dunedin Diocese and he not only knows what it is, he can name the finalists. This is not a man isolated in an ivory tower from the community he has been appointed to serve...

MP fights abortion consent clause NZ Herald 25.05.2004 http://tinyurl.com/2olaq National MP Bill English wants the law that allows girls younger than 16 to have abortions without their parents' knowledge overturned...

Tower puts cathedral at risk, claims church (photo) NZ Herald 26.05.2004 http://tinyurl.com/2ayt9 The Catholic Church is worried about possible damage to St Patrick's Cathedral from the construction of an apartment tower nearby. The project is the brainchild of Princes Wharf developer David Henderson, who has earmarked a rundown Albert St block for a 38-level apartment tower...

Budget delivers to children - Caritas Aotearoa Press Release Friday, 28 May 2004, 10:19 am http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0405/S00300.htm Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand, the Catholic social justice agency of the New Zealand Bishops Conference, says the government’s 2004 Budget has responded to the concerns many Catholics have expressed about child poverty and support for families ...

The ethics of happiness. The fundamentals of Catholic teaching are still rooted in the most basic human desires, by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor The Guardian (UK) Wednesday May 26, 2004 http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1224836,00.html Many people, including some Catholics, misunderstand the nature and purpose of moral teaching. For Saint Thomas Aquinas, morality is rooted in the most basic and universal desire, the yearning for happiness and fulfilment. Today the Catholic bishops in England and Wales publish a document called Cherishing Life, which offers the reader a clear and accessible explanation of Catholic moral teaching. We begin with a reflection on our human nature and then look towards its fulfilment in the happiness that derives from true friendship with each other, and with God...

POW's crucifix returns to Pilsen http://thekansan.com/stories/052804/rel_0528040019.shtml On June 6, 1954, four former Korean prisoners of war presented a hand-carved crucifix to the parish at Saint John Nepomucene Catholic Church in Pilsen [Kansas], which is now part of Holy Family Parish, honoring the legacy of Chaplain Father Emil J. Kapaun. Major Gerald Fink, a former POW and of the Jewish faith, was the person who carved this crucifix, helped by men of all faiths who wished to honor the memory of the chaplain who had cheered them, stole food for them and died for them...

Holy row may delay EU constitution deal The Independent (UK) 25 May 2004 http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=524646 The European Union yesterday split over calls for a reference to God or Christianity in the draft constitution, casting a cloud over fresh optimism that an overall deal will be struck next month...

Pope: Condemnation of anti-Semitism not enough Jerusalem Post May. 23, 2004 http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=108\ 5281776370

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FROM THE OVERSEAS CATHOLIC PRESS & NEWS AGENCIES

7 habits of highly effective Mass-goers http://www.uscatholic.org/2004/06/featb0406.htm The secret to getting the most out of Mass may be easier than you think. Try these seven simple steps that allow the Mass to do its work on you...

Bishop says church serious about getting rid of abusive priests Catholic News Service (US) http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/20040528.htm Rome (CNS) -- An international group of English-speaking bishops is serious about ridding the church of sexually abusive priests and is committed to making the Catholic Church a model safe environment for children, said Archbishop Philip Wilson of Adelaide, the organizer of a May 24-27 meeting in Rome of 30 bishops, religious superiors and church child protection officers from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Great Britain, Ireland, the United States, Canada and Jamaica...

Mystic Who Helped Inspire "The Passion" to Be Beatified in October Date Set for Anna Katharina Emmerick, as Well as Karl I of Austria http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=54439 Vatican City, May 28, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The German mystic whose recorded visions helped inspire "The Passion of the Christ" will be beatified Oct. 3. Anna Katharina Emmerick (1774-1824) will be beatified at the Vatican along with Karl I (1887-1922), emperor of Austria and king of Hungary...

The new penitents The Tablet (UK) 29/05/2004 http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/archive_db.cgi/tablet-00899 The weekly visit to the confessional, followed by a quick Hail Mary, has gone for most Catholics. Yet a change in approach means Reconciliation is flourishing ...

New BBC chief 'a devout Catholic' Independent Catholic News (UK) 25 May 2004 http://www.indcatholicnews.com/bbccg.html

Central European bishops outline priorities for the faithful as 100,000 pilgrims gather at Marian shrine in Austria http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=54208 Mariazell, Austria, MAY 25, 2004 (Zenit.org).- About 100,000 pilgrims were on hand this past weekend for a historic meeting between faithful of the Churches of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria...

“Do not hide your faith!”: Bishops of central Europe voice 7 requests at the end of “Pilgrimage of Peoples” to Our Lady of Mariazell http://www.fides.org/eng/news/2004/0405/24_2432.html

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CATHOLICTV.NET

Wellington Archdiocesan Media Centre

http://www.catholictv.net

New interviews:

** John Butterfield, new General Manager of the Wellington Catholic Centre

** Ross Wilson, new Turanga Maori for the Wellington Archdiocese

** Fr Jim Lyons, author of "Love is always ...", an interpretation of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

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NZ CATHOLIC EDUCATION OFFICE

"Lighting New Fires" Schools' Newsletter, April 2004

http://nzceo.catholic.org.nz/lightingnewfires.shtml

Editorial, by Brother Pat Lynch: globalisation and and education ... Progress of discussions on review of private schools conditional integration Act ... advertising for teachers in integrated schools ... holidays act provisions now operative ... research and regulations on gifted and talented learners ... congratulations to leaders who are making a difference at the national level ... celebrating people & events: achievements of catholic schools nationwide ... more high distinctions from the 2003 Australasian competitions seeing your school in lighting new fires ... Auckland Maori and Polynesian Festival awards... boarding bursaries receive first increase since 1994 ... resource on justice and world trade issues the luckiest nut in the world sister school requested ... did you know? Community dialogue on the treaty of waitangi hiv-aids information

Catholic schools' supplement

Editorial: Why New Zealand’s catholic schools are increasingly being sought after by catholic people ... ERO reports favourably on catholic early childhood centres ... growth in theology enrolments ... new principal congratulations ... thinking about evangelisation ... congratulations to St Joseph’s Maori Girls’ College, Greenmeadows and St Mary’s College, Wellington ... Caritas lenten programme successful ... referendum on the repeal of the prostitution reform act 2003 ... worthwhile reading ... useful websites ... rock and water programme supports boys’ education ... classroom stories with a christian message... facilitation skills workshops ... a helpful resource: welcome ! Celebration for young children for the church’s year’

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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 May 28, 2004: Who speaks for the Vatican?; European and American approaches to pro-choice politicians; Cardinal Law's new assignment; Admitting homosexuals to Catholic seminaries; English edition of papal biography delayed; An Anglican viewpoint

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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 ]

Executive Officer, NZ Catholic Bishops' Conference. Details in 'Wel-com' May 2004 p.17 and from NZCBC Office, PO Box 1937, Wellington 6015. E-mail: j.dew@wn.catholic.org.nz

General Manager, Catholic Caring Foundation, Auckland http://www.catholic.org.nz/auckland/caring.htm Details in 'NZ Catholic' May 16-29 p.23 and from Neil Barr, Catholic Caring foundation, Private Bag 47904, Auckland 1034

Presenters, 'NZ Catholic' newspaper 'NZC' wishes to employ good communicators in Northland, Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Nelson-Marlborough, West Coast, Otago and Southland. Details in 'NZ Catholic' May 2-15 p.23 and from Dennis Augustine, NZ Catholic, PO Box 147-000, Ponsonby, Auckland 1034 Tel. (09) 360 3049

Religious Education Adviser, Diocese of Palmerston North http://www.pn.catholic.org.nz Details in 'NZ Catholic' May 30 - June 12 p.26 and fromMuriell Kivell RNDM, Episcopal vicar for Schools, Catholic EducAtion Office, Private Bag, 11 012, Palmerston North. Tel. (06) 358 8079; fax: (06) 357 3624; e-mail: mkivell@pndiocese.org.nz Applications close 18 June 2004

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