Friday 1 December

In a gesture of respect to Muslims in Turkey and around the world, Pope Benedict XVI visited Istanbul's famed Blue Mosque on 30 November, day three of his visit to the country.

It was his first papal visit to an Islamic place of worship, and only the second time a pope had entered a Muslim place of worship; Pope John Paul II visited a mosque in Damascus, Syria, in 2001.

Friday 1 December 2006 

World Youth Day 2008 (WYD08) organisers have been flooded with entries to their song competition, with 115 received before yesterday’s deadline.

A judging panel is now locked away listening to dozens of tunes and poring over lyric sheets in the search for an inspirational theme song for the world’s biggest youth event in July 2008.

Rome, 29 November 2006 [Zenit]

The Focolare Movement reported that the health of its founder and president, Chiara Lubich, is improving gradually.

"Hospitalized in Rome's Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic on Nov. 2 with respiratory problems caused by a lung infection, Chiara Lubich has left the intensive care unit," stated a communiqué sent to Zenit.

Thursday 30 November 2006

On day two of Pope Benedict XVI's tour of Turkey, the Pontiff paid a visit to the House of the Virgin Mary, near Ephesus, celebrated an open-air Mass and held an evening prayer service with the patriarch of the Orthodox Church.

Ephesus, 29 November 2006 [Zenit]

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass, which was attended by part of the small Turkish Catholic community, at the house where, according to tradition, the Blessed Virgin Mary once lived.

From the first centuries, numerous Christian authors from the East and West mentioned John's and the Blessed Virgin's stay in this city, in which were located the headquarters of the first of the seven Churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation.

But, how was it determined that this was the house of Jesus' Mother? The finding took place at the end of the 19th century.

Wednesday 29 November 2006

The faithful must be prepared and equipped to live their faith by the provision of sound education in both schools and in adult life, the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Ambrose De Paoli said today.

Archbishop De Paoli focused on the value of education in his speech during the opening session of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Plenary Meeting in Sydney.

Wednesday 29 November

Dialogue and a shared commitment to peace were on the top of Pope Benedict's agenda as he embarked yesterday on an historic trip to Turkey, his first trip to a country with a Muslim majority since his election in 2005.

In his four-day visit, 28 November to 1 December, Pope Benedict XVI will aim to build bridges with Islam, reaffirm dialogue with Orthodox Christians and encourage Turkey's small Catholic community.

Wednesday 29 November 2006 

The House of Representatives' conscience vote on stem cell cloning is too close to call, The Age reports today.

The lower house was widely tipped to approve the Bill with a significant majority, but sources have told The Age that the vote could follow the Senate's lead and approve the legislation by a small margin.

Wednesday 29 November 2006 

In Australia, Caritas is highlighting their work with people impacted by HIV/AIDS through the confronting message;
Food + Drugs + Work = Life.

For people impacted by HIV, this can be a harsh reality.

Monday 27 November 2006
by David Schütz, Executive Officer, Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission

My grandparents lived in an isolated farmhouse in the middle of a large holding in Northern Victoria, far from any main roads. Whenever, therefore, they heard the sound of a vehicle (a rather infrequent event), my Grandmother would call out to my Grandfather: "Looks like we've got a visitor, Dad!"

In some ways, the patriarchs of our various churches have been even more isolated than my grandparents were, but in these closing months of 2006 it looks like everyone is calling out: "Looks like we've got a visitor, Holy Father!"

Monday 27 November 2006

Cardinal George Pell has appealed to the House of Representatives, due to vote on cloning this week, to preserve the present legal protections on human life and not waste government money on unproductive research.

In yesterday's Sunday Telegraph, Cardinal Pell warned if Federal MPs repeat the narrow Senate vote, Australia "shall be pushed further and faster down a slippery slope".

Monday 27 November 2006

Pope Benedict expressed his wish for Catholic and Anglican dialogue to continue, despite differences in ordinations and moral teachings, at a meeting last week with the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.

The visit of the Anglican primate was to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the historic meeting of the Pope Paul VI and the then Archbishop of Canterbury in 1966.

Monday 27 November 2006

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference will hold its twice-yearly Plenary Meeting in Sydney this week, from 27 November to 1 December.

Australia’s 43 Catholic Bishops will gather for the meeting, during which they will celebrate daily Mass in the chapel holding the tomb of Blessed Mary Mackillop.

Monday 27 November 2006

Caritas Australia is renewing its call for peace in Sri Lanka as violence continues throughout the country.

In recent months, the escalating conflict between the Sri Lankan Government forces and the Liberated Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) threatens grave implications for the Sri Lankan people. The closure of arterial roads inhibiting the dispersal of food items threatens hundreds of thousands of lives according to Caritas Australia’s partner agency SEDEC.

Monday 27 November 2006

A papal message was read during the funeral of assassinated Lebanese Christian politician in Beirut last week.

In the message, read at Pierre Gemayel's funeral on Thursday 23 November, Pope Benedict XVI pleaded for an "autonomous and ever more fraternal" Lebanon.

Friday 24 November 2006

Australian Catholic University (ACU National) Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Sheehan AO will step down in January 2008, after 10 years as the University’s chief executive.

Thursday 23 November 2006

Pope Benedict XVI has condemned the assassination of Lebanon's industry minister, Pierre Gemayel, a Maronite Christian, who was shot dead on Tuesday.

At the end of Wednesday's general audience, the Pope firmly condemned "this brutal attack" and assured his prayers and "spiritual closeness to the family in mourning and to the beloved Lebanese people."

Thursday 23 November 2006

Pope Benedict will next week visit Turkey, his first visit to a country with a Muslim majority.

The four-day visit, 28 November to 1 December, will aim to build bridges with Islam, reaffirm dialogue with Orthodox Christians and encourage Turkey's small Catholic community.

Wednesday 22 November 2006

The Catholic Church will outline its strategy to prevent infectious diseases effectively at a three day conference to be held in Rome this week.

The Pastoral Aspects of the Treatment of Infectious Disease conference, to be held 23-25 November, will firstly address the origins and causes of infectious diseases, including lifestyles, migrations and "technological and industrial changes."

Wednesday 22 November 2006

Pope Benedict XVI has completed writing the first volume of a book on the life of Jesus.

Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration is the Pope's first book since his election in April 2005. The book will be published by the Vatican's publishing house in March 2007.