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Pope Benedict's apology to abuse victims included a directive to the local church to extend compassion and justice. The Church's 'Towards Healing' protocol is not a cheap substitute for criminal prosecution or civil liability.
Media coverage before a big event, be it World Youth Day or the Beijing Olympics, always focuses on defects and ideological conflict. Controversies regarding state funding and anti-annoyance laws aside, the young people celebrated WYD in their own way.
The organisers of the WYD opening mass did not attempt to integrate Australian elements into the mass, but included them as added extras. The ritual structure of the mass requires creativity to make it connect with different audiences.
World Youth Day pilgrims have said they are going to 'hear' Pope Benedict. In the time of John Paul II, they spoke of 'seeing' the Pope. The emphasis has switched from theatre to scholarship.
When it comes to international aid, Australians pride themselves on their generosity. There is a similar dimension to events such as World Youth Day, which play a formative role in the lives of young people from developing countries.
While observers remark on the superficiality of connection and meaning in Australian society, events such as World Youth Day encourage participants to be reflective. This can lead young people to larger human and civic values.
The rights of free speech and assembly should not be curtailed because World Youth Day pilgrims might be annoyed or inconvenienced. The NSW regulation is a dreadful interference with civil liberties, and contrary to the spirit of Catholic Social Teaching on human rights.
A teacher at a Catholic college joked that students turned to Madonna — the pop icon, not the religious one — for spiritual inspiration. Western society may seem to trivialise religion, but a culture of authenticity has developed in which people seek their own way and deepest fulfilment.
Many Australians still believe US President Harry Truman made the right decision in authorising the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Philosopher Michael Walzer calls it an act of terrorism designed 'to spread fear across a nation and force the surrender of its government'.
Since public service is often seen as a sheltered workshop for bludgers, Kevin Rudd won sympathy for demanding heroic work practices. Overwork is morally unjustifiable because it makes instrumental goals central, and fails to respect deeper human values.
The Australian Catholic Bishops argue that Bishop Geoffrey Robinson's book on sexual abuse questions the authority of the Church to teach definitively. But Bishop Robinson is right when he calls for reflection on the factors within Catholic culture that foster abuse.
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