W E S T E R N A U S T R A L I A’ S A WA R D - W I N N I N G C AT H O L I C N E W S P A P E R S I N C E 1 8 7 4
THE RECORD
We d n e s d a y, 4 A u g u s t 2 0 1 0
REMARKABLE TALE: CHINA’S LARGEST CATHOLIC VILLAGE PAGE 9
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SECOND SPRING?
Bishop Julian Porteous of Sydney has written a fascinating new book examining the phenomenon of the new movements in the Church. PAGES 10-11
Archbishop meets Prime Minister
1970 was a good year. Make that a great year ... for Marriage
After a week of controversy following media reporting of his comments on the encroachment of secularism in Australian life, Archbishop Hickey met with Prime Minister Julia Gillard while she was on the campaign trail in Perth
Ruby, ruby, ruby ... Eight couples celebrate their 40th wedding anniversaries at St Francis Xavier Parish in Armadale. PHOTO: COURTESY ARMADALE PARISH
Archbishop Hickey meets with the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, while she was in Perth campaigning last Saturday morning. PHOTO: FR ROBERT CROSS
ARCHBISHOP Barry Hickey met with Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard on 2 August at her hotel room at the Sheraton in Perth where he explained media misrepresentation of his statement encouraging people of religious conviction to be politically active. They were joined by the Dean of St Mary’s Cathedral, Monsignor Michael Keating, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Labor Member for Perth, Stephen Smith, and the Archbishop’s Executive Assistant, Fr Robert Cross. The meeting, meant to be held at St Mary’s to show the Prime Minister the recently completed and restored Cathedral, had to be relocated at the last minute to the Prime Minister’s Perth accommodation due to unforeseen circumstances. Both the Archbishop and Monsignor Keating took the opportunity to thank the Prime Minister and Mr Smith for the financial support given by the Federal Government for the completion and restoration programme of the Cathedral and expressed a hope the Prime Minister would be able to tour the Cathedral at a future date. Please turn to Page 4
Couples celebrate 320 years of love and marriage On Saturday, 26 July a Mass and supper celebration at St Francis Xavier Parish in Armadale marked the 40th wedding anniversary year for eight separate couples. In preparation, a small group decided that it was worth approaching parish priest Fr Kaz to have the couples all come along to the Mass and invite family members to join them for the occasion. The
Here is the full text of Archbishop Hickey’s clarification of his earlier media statement The Archbishop has said in media statements today that he does not seek to support one party over the other. At
couples were involved in the preparation of the liturgy and during the Mass they were given a special blessing and presented with congratulatory certificates. Following Mass a slide show featuring photographs of each of the weddings delighted those present and brought the memories from yesteryear flooding back. Great care was taken in decorating the church hall where wedding photos and wedding dresses were displayed. A special “Wedding Anniversary Cake” was made for the occasion; the knife to cut the cake
this time, both are doing the proper thing. The Archbishop respects the honesty of both Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott and both of them have said they respect the Christian point of view. He did not attack Julia Gillard or suggest how people should vote. The Archbishop highlighted in his original statement his concern about what the future will bring if secularism is allowed to take an unchallenged hold in our society.
was an original used at one of the 1970 weddings. It was fun and heart-warming to see that with faith these couples have worked to keep their marriages fruitful and can celebrate their achievement. Along with their special Mass, the couples are planning a range of activities to make this year a memorable one. Sponsored by the Knights of the Southern Cross, National Marriage Day will be celebrated in St Mary’s Cathedral on 13 August. Aussie film explores modern marriage - Page 17
Encroaching secularism in our society could lead to social policies that are harmful to the good of our society and personal wellbeing. This is already becoming evident in some European countries and even here in Australia. For example, recently in Victoria, proposed legislation threatened to deny the right of Catholic Health Professionals to conscientiously object to referring patients onto agen-
cies that would perform abortions. The Archbishop wants to encourage people of faith to reflect on how their faithbased values are applied to social issues such as human life, human sexuality, sanctity of marriage and justice (poverty, refugees etc). He further wants to encourage people with strong religious convictions to be active politically and to make sure their views are taken seriously by all political parties.
Is Mel the Caravaggio of Hollywood?
A year later, AIDS stats vindicate Benedict
They’re both artists with, at times, inspiring visions and an artist’s gift to communicate them. But both also share a dark side. It’s a tale of genius and shadow. PAGE 9
Around the world more than a quarter of all persons suffering from HIV/AIDS are being cared for by the Catholic Church. And statistics are backing up Pope Benedict on the use of condoms. PAGE 14
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