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CELEBRATING THE YEAR OF ST PAUL “BUT WE BELIEVE that, if we died with Christ, then we shall live with him too. We know that Christ has been raised from the dead and will never die again. Death has no power over him any more. For by dying, he is dead to sin once and for all, and now the life he lives is life with God. In the same way, you must see yourselves as dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:8-11
THE RECORD
“Be indefatigable in your purpose and with undaunted spirit resist iniquity and try to conquer evil with good, having before your eyes the reward of those who combat for Christ.” -Bishop Matthew Gibney
the Parish. the Nation. the World.
Western Australia’s award-winning Catholic newspaper since 1874 - Wednesday December 3 2008
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Perth, Western Australia $2
WYD ‘hits the road’
National gathering of youth ministries, leaders, sets out a vision for directing WYD momentum in Australia Many have wondered how Bishop admits to take advantage of the Catholic hospital momentum created by WYD; one way chosen by Australia’s sterilisations bishops is to back a strategy created by youth leaders.
Abortions may also have been performed according to statistics; hospital officials misled bishop over practices.
■ By Robert Hiini
THE Catholic Bishops of Australia have approved a blueprint for youth ministry across the nation generated by a National Youth Leaders’ Gathering (NYLG). The blueprint was drafted after three days of talks and small group interaction on 21 – 23 November, attended by over 330 people from dioceses, religious congregations, groups and movements throughout the country. Approving the blueprint, the Bishops praised the post-WYD spirit of faith they said was evident at the Gathering and in the direction of the initiatives presented to them in the NYLG report. The blueprint outlines three key areas for national co-ordination: ● Formation for Young People ● Support for Youth Ministry ● National Events; The plan leaves room for each diocese, religious order, school, group or movement to implement their own specific initiatives. Under Formation, young people identified Catechesis as a key area, saying that it should be “vibrant; use multi-media, be age-specific and developmentally appropriate; include Scripture, prayer and liturgy, Church teaching and Tradition, the Sacraments, Social Teaching, and include mentoring and leadership”. They also called for a strategic plan for faith formation for schools and universities, a consolidated database of human and material resources, and avenues for empowerment of young people in leadership and ministry. Continued - Page 6
WASHINGTON (CNS) - The bishop of Tyler, Texas, in the US has concluded that Catholic hospitals in his diocese have violated ethical directives by performing sterilisations. “As a bishop, I am deeply saddened and upset by this news,” said Bishop Alvaro Corrada, in a November 21 statement published in the Catholic East Texas, newspaper of the Diocese of Tyler.
Averted: Apostolic Nuncio to Australia Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, left, and Bishop Joseph Grech of the Diocese of Sandhurst socialise with young people from the Sandhurst Diocese at the Gathering. PHOTO: YVETTE NEHME
Benedict grieves Mumbai attacks ■ By John Thavis
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Pope Benedict XVI condemned the wave of terrorist attacks in India as acts of “cruel and senseless violence,” and led prayers for the nearly 200 people who died and the hundreds injured in the bloodshed. A Vatican spokesman, meanwhile, warned that if extremists continue to exploit the ethnic and religious tensions of south-
ern Asia the results could be even more tragic. Speaking at his noon blessing on November 30, the Pope asked for prayers for the victims of the attacks in Mumbai, the Indian financial capital, where suspected Islamic militants assaulted at least 10 targets in a three-day siege that began on November 26. The Pope also expressed concern for the clashes between rival ethnic and religious groups in Jos, Nigeria, where at least 200 peo-
ple were killed from November 28-29. Churches and mosques were burned in the rioting. “The causes and circumstances of these tragic events are different, but there should be a common sense of horror and condemnation for the explosion of such cruel and senseless violence,” the pope told pilgrims from his apartment window overlooking St Peter’s Square. “Let us ask the Lord to touch the hearts of those who delude
of Perth, W.A.
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“The whole Bible points to Jesus as the one who saves, the one who tells A pilgrim’s guid answers to life’s deepe to finding est questions us of God’s love and the one we are called to follow and the one who offers eternal life. My hope is that many lives will be changed by meeting Jesus in the pages of the Bible and that they will respond to his call without by Archbishop Barry J. Hickey hesitation or compromise.” Y J. HICKE
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ARCHBISHOP BARR
a pilgrim’s guide to finding answers to life’s deepest questions
“As bishop of the Diocese of Tyler, I have to admit my failure to provide adequate oversight of the Catholic hospitals as regards their protection of the sacred dignity of each human person.” Bishop Corrada’s statement follows an investigation by his diocese after a national newspaper reported claims last July that thousands of sterilisa-
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check it out now! at: www.therecord.com.au
PHOTO: CNS/CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS
Continued - Page 11
BARRY HICKEY
Living Biblically
Out of bounds: Trinity Mother Frances Health System, which operates Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler, Texas, is one of the health systems that was named in the whistle-blower report that didcovered ethical lapses at Texas Catholic hospitals.
LIVING BIBLICAL
A new book by ARCHBISHOP
■ By Chaz Muth