Catholic Fire

To learn more about Blessed Mary MacKillop (1842 - 1909), go here. Related: MacKillop sainthood "almost completely certain": Pell

Gianna Jessen, abortion survivor speaks at Queen's Hall, Parliament House, Victoria. Australia - on the eve of the debate to decriminalize abortion in Victoria. Gianna's visit was sponsored by the Ad Hoc Interfaith Committee.

Here is an overview of the Princeville group's trip to World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia via Christine.

SYDNEY, July 22, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI's weeklong trip to Sydney Australia for the 2008 World Youth Day ended spectacularly on Sunday with a mass attended by some 400,000 pilgrims at Randwick Racecourse and Centennial Park, making it the largest gathering in Australian history. Similar numbers of pilgrims, both international and local, attended many of the central events throughout the week. It was estimated that in excess of half a million pilgrims and locals came out to welcome Benedict XVI on Thursday 17 July for his official arrival on boat-a-cade and motorcade at Barangaroo. The final tally reveals that 110,000 international pilgrims, representing 170 countries, converged on Sydney for the global Catholic youth event. Another 113,000 local pilgrims officially took part in WYD08. The record for World Youth Day attendance, however, is still held by the Philippines, where, in 1995, an estimated 4,000,000 people attended the concluding Mass. WYD08 Coordinator...

Benedict XVI: "The time has come for me to say good-bye -- or rather, to say arrivederci! I thank you all for your participation in World Youth Day 2008, here in Sydney, and I look forward to seeing you again in three years' time. World Youth Day 2011 will take place in Madrid, Spain. Until then, let us continue to pray for one another, and let us joyfully bear witness to Christ before the world. May God bless you all".

LifeSiteNews: WYD Focuses on Healthy Sexuality and an Openness to Life Zenit: World Youth Day Conversions Begin From Daniel Bean: Stay tuned to Pope2008.com where Tim Drake is covering WYD events live from Sydney, as they happen. Some recent posts not to miss: Pope’s Australian Arrival Pilgrims: Why They’re Here Spending the Eve of WYD with Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Stay tuned! Related Posts: Video from Australia: Pilgrims and the Pope Sydney cathedral unveils statue of Pope John Paul II Pope Benedict XVI touches down in northern Australia Pope Benedict XVI Leaves for WYD World Youth Day Links NFP Ready for Condom Peddlers at WYD World Youth Day 2008: Catholic Olympic Torch is Coming Catholic Facebook Launched Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Holy Father's Message for World Youth Day 2008

From WYD08 : His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has touched down in Sydney following the longest journey in his life on Alitalia flight AZ4000 from Rome, travelling for 19 hours 45 minutes and 16,418 kilometres. This historic visit to Australia is his ninth apostolic visit outside of Italy. Descending from the aircraft, the Pope was greeted on the tarmac by the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, and the Premier of NSW, Morris Iemma amongst other dignitaries. Following the brief greeting, he then travelled by car to the Kenthurst Study Centre, where he will spend time privately until the evening of Wednesday 16 July. MORE From CNA: Pope lands in Australia, prays youth will find rest, joy and desire to evangelize Pilgrims of World Youth Day in Australia 2008 BBC World News has a video entitled "Pope begins Australia tour" here. Fr. Z shares more videos and commentary here. Related Posts: Sydney cathedral unveils statue of Pope Joh...

DARWIN, Australia (AFP) — The plane carrying Pope Benedict XVI on his first visit to Australia touched down in the northern city of Darwin on Sunday for a scheduled stopover, an AFP correspondent said. The 90-minute technical stop in Darwin is the last ahead of the Pope's scheduled arrival in Sydney at about 3:00 pm (0500 GMT). MORE

The official WYD site The NCRegister’s Pope2008 blog has transitioned into a pretty full-service WYD2008 blog. Links to lots of articles about the event, the pilgrims and so on. Britain’s Catholic Herald has a good WYD portal going. The Archdiocese of San Antonio’s pilgrimage blog Indy Archdiocese pilgrims are blogging here. Nashville pilgrims here, led by Vanderbilt Catholic chaplain Fr. John Sims Baker. Katherine Thomas, a Steubenvile grad student, will be blogging for the Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education. Here’s the Pope’s schedule. He leaves Saturday. There’s lots of interest - for example, the Pope will be confirming 24 young people at the final Mass on 7/20. Via Amy Wellborn.

Catholics are responding to anti-papal demonstrators who plan to distribute condoms to pilgrims at World Youth Day by distributing Natural Family Planning information. The Australian Council of Natural Family Planning (ACNFP) said it will distribute material promoting the sympto-thermal method (STM) of natural family planning, News.com.au reports. The STM method involves using the knowledge of the naturally-occurring fertile and infertile phases of a woman’s menstrual cycle. The ACNFP said there have been protests of Catholic teachings on sexuality and contraception at every previous World Youth Day. "Interestingly, despite the thousands of young people there to celebrate their belief in the church, it is the condom peddlers who tend to catch the eye of the media,'' the group said in a statement. "But this time we're ready for them! "Despite popular belief, the church isn't against sexuality. On the contrary, the church wants everyone to develop a deeper,...

The Catholic equivalent to the Olympic Torch, the World Youth Day wooden cross, is arriving in Sydney tomorrow, after travelling across the world and throughout the host country, Australia. The cross was introduced by Pope John Paul II when he created WYD in 1984 to symbolise Christ's love for all people. The cross which has an Icon of Our Lady and an Indigenous Message Stick arrives in Australia on 1 July for a 15 day walking pilgrimage around each Australian diocese. It will make various stops including cathedrals, the Great Barrier Reef, war memorials and even shopping centres and sports stadiums and the walk is expected to gather huge crowds. WYD '08 Coordinator Bishop Anthony Fisher said: "The purpose of the WYD cross, Icon and Message Stick is to invite young people to World Youth Day and to spread a message of hope, peace and Christ's love for humanity." Via The Independent Catholic News.

CATHOLIC church leader Cardinal George Pell is looking for new friends. The Sydney archbishop today launched a global Catholic social networking website based on the models of MySpace and Facebook. Xt3.com - representing "Christ in the third millennium" - aims to connect young Catholics before, during and after next month's World Youth Day (WYD) in Sydney. Cardinal Pell showed off his personal Xt3.com page to WYD participants and media. He admitted to being a latecomer to the internet but said there was a need for the church to have a serious web presence. "Whatever about my ignorance on this area (the internet), it's more than balanced by my recognition of its importance, and my determination that representatives of the church be actively presented in this area," Cardinal Pell said. He said the site had given him a fresh perspective on the internet. One of the site's founders, Robert Toone, said Xt3.com could also provide a useful tool for dialogue betw...

The Vatican has launched a judicial inquiry into the case of an Australian woman who claims to have been cured of inoperable lung cancer in 1993 through the intercession of saint-in-waiting Mary MacKillop. Two doctors will examine the case for evidence of a second miracle needed for sainthood. MORE To learn more about Blessed Mary MacKillop (1842 - 1909), go here.

Church Slowly Moving into the Late 1990s Via Mark Shea.