'Bishops told Church in unique position to help The Catholic community is in a unique situation to help fight unemployment, a meeting of Australian bishops was told by the Australian Catholic Welfare Commission. In a second major report following up on its May discussion paper "What about the Unemployed?" the commission says Australia is suffering from unemployment. The commission told the bishops there were several ways in which the Church can tackle the question of unemployment (see story page 2). The Church has been concerned for the unemployed
from NICHOLAS HERR in Sydney
through its welfare agencies for many years. But, it adds, the Church community is in a unique position to do more. "It has
PERTH, WA: 30 May — 5 June, 1985
Catholics to fight unemployment
representatives in all stratas of society, who come t ogether with common objectives in their Christian committment," it says. "It has an enormous potential mediating influence to assist the nation to work together for the relief of
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• Austral ian bishops and those from Oceania met in Sydney last week as part of their regular conferences. See r eports pages 2 and 3, and on Natural Family Planning, page 11. • Record reporter, ROSLYN ROSS continues our special series on Natural Family Planning with an interview from Ann O'Donnell in Perth. See story and picture pages 10 and 11.
• Much concern was expressed at the bishops' conference about unemployment and how the Church can help. See stories top of page 1 and in page 2.
present injustice to those unemployed suffering through lack of job opportunities, and the obligation to use this mediating influence effectively," T he commission says unemployment levels are
still at an unacceptably high level. The proportion of unemployed is between 8 and 10 per cent of the Australian labour force compared with 2 per cent or less between 1950-70. There is possibly
AG CA TR AL Cont page 2
Unemployed American youth demanding jobs
ROME: The trial this week of eight alleged conspirators — four of them in their absence — in the shooting of Pope John Paul II in 1981 is being called by the Italian Press the "trial of the century." Three of the defendants were employees of the Bulgarian government at the time of the May 13, 1981, shooting and their conviction would be seen by many as evidence of the Soviet Union's involvement in the plot. Among Soviet-bloc countries, Bulgaria is considered one of the most closely tied to Moscow. To begin with, only four of the defendants will be present. They include Agca, 27, who faces new conspiracy charges but who more importantly is expected to be the state's key witness. Sergei Antonov, 36, former Rome station chief for Bulgaria's national airline, now under house arrest in Italy and in poor health; Omer Bagci, 40, a Turk accused of furnishing Agca with the gun used in the shooting; and Musa Celebi, 33, a Turk accused of providing ligistical support in the conspiracy.
Pope John Paul II reels from the shock of the bullet back into the arms of his bodyguard in the shooting in St Peter's Square.
The other four defendants will be tried in absentia. They include two other Bulgarians: Todor Ayvazov, 42, a former cashier at Bulgaria's Rome embassy. and Tell° Vassilev, 43. attache
Cont page 4
What the Agca trial is yet to hear is the relevance of the alleged fourth 9mm pistol bought for the assassination and which was seized two weeks ago from 25 year old Turk Asian Esmet caught with false papers entering Holland from West Germany on the last day of Pope John Paul's visit.
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Owerpow. 11.