News from around the Catholic world for the week ending 12 September.
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• Six Australians to attend the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family
• Italian missionary sisters murdered in Burundi
• US escalate intervention against Islamic State
• Pro-life activist challenges Tasmania’s buffer zone laws
• Preparations continue for one of Australia’s largest Catholic youth conferences
TRANSCRIPT
BOBBIE: Six Australians will join more than 250 representatives from around the world next month at the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family” from 5th – 19th October.
On Tuesday the Vatican announced that, included among 250 participants will be 14 married couples from Asia, Africa, Oceania and Europe.
Representing Australia will be George Cardinal Pell, Melbourne’s Archbishop Denis Hart, chairs of the Australian bishops’ Catholic Marriage and Family Council Professor Ron and Mavis Pirola, co-director of the World Organisation of Ovulation Method Billings in Australia Joan Clements, and Sydney Life, Marriage and Family Centre Director Chris Meney.
The Synod will be themed “The pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelisation” and members will be asked to find ways to improve the pastoral application of Church teachings and the best ways to explain it and help Catholics to live it.
38 observers and 16 experts will be in attendance, most of whom are lay men and women invited because of their activities in family ministries and pastoral care, canon law and moral theology.
The Lutheran, Anglican and Baptist communities will be represented at the conference also.
More on that story via Catholic Weekly
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Three Italian missionary sisters were brutally killed in the African state of Burundi last weekend.
Two Xavarian Missionary Sisters of Mary were found dead on Sunday in Kamenge, Burundi, where they have lived for seven years. A third sister who had raised the alarm was killed the following morning.
It is believed the sisters were sexually assaulted and beaten, and two were partially decapitated.
In a statement earlier this week, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said Pope Francis was “greatly saddened” by the killings, and offered condolences to the families, local parishioners and the religious order the sisters belonged to.
“Pope Francis has learned with great sadness of the murder of three nuns,” said Vatican secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Though the motive remains unclear, three suspects have been found and an arrest has been made. The man arrested has now confessed to the killings.
“It is very difficult to know the reason behind the killing, but nothing can justify it,” parish priest of Kamenge, Father Mario, said.
Further updates are available via Reuters.com or Vatican.va.
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US President Barrack Obama has this week announced the U.S. Government’s strategy to counter the Islamic State militant group in Iraq and Syria.
In a speech delivered 9pm Wednesday local time President Obama revealed that the U.S. would undertake further airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, commit 475 additional troops to Iraq, redouble efforts to counter terrorism and continue provide humanitarian aid in the region.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: “First, we will conduct a systematic campaign of airstrikes against these terrorists. Working with the Iraqi government, we will expand our efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions, so that we’re hitting Isil targets as Iraqi forces go on offense.
BOBBIE: President Obama also reinforced that his commitment of additional troops does not signal the beginning of a ground war.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: “As I have said before, these American forces will not have a combat mission. We will not get dragged into another ground war in Iraq. But they are needed to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces with training, intelligence and equipment. We will also support Iraq’s efforts to stand up national guard units to help Sunni communities secure their own freedom from Isil control.”
BOBBIE: President Obama said that the US intervention was dependent on Iraq forming an ‘inclusive government’ which, he said, they have done in recent days.
He added that the U.S. will not be alone in this effort, but would be working with Kurdish and Iraqi forces and have the support of a ‘broad coalition of partners’.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has since confirmed that Australia will contribute to the increased effort, although no formal request had been received from the U.S. Australia is currently contributing through humanitarian aid and weapons air drops.
See the full speech via the White House website.
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A pro-life activist has challenged Tasmania’s recent abortion legislation by protesting within 150m of an abortion provider in Hobart’s CBD.
Graham Preston, who resides in Brisbane, Queensland, has completed a week of demonstrations outside a Hobart gynaecology centre.
Mr Preston has spent the week outside of the centre holding a sign quoting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and another displaying a picture of an 8-week old child in gestation.
Mr Preston was approached by police several times throughout the week, however was not arrested.
Counter-protests have also been staged in response to demonstration, with counter-protesters reportedly obscuring and stealing the activist’s signs, and shouting at Mr Preston until police intervened.
While Mr Preston was previously arrested in relation to the buffer-zone law, prosecutors dropped charges this week pending a review of the law by police.
In commenting on the review, Tasmanian Police Commissioner Darren Hine said, “We’re reviewing the prosecution first, we’ll wait until that review concludes to see if there’s any issues with the legislation.”
At the time of reporting, specific issues with the legislation have not been confirmed.
More on that story via LifeSite News and ABC.
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Finally, preparations for one of Australia’s largest Catholic conferences are well underway in Brisbane.
Ignite Conference is just two weeks away, and is set to attract close to 1500 people from around Australia. This year’s conference is themed ‘Illuminate’, drawn from Ephesians 5:13.
Keynote speakers include Brisbane’s Archbishop Mark Coleridge, Sister Miriam James from Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT), singer-songwriter Fr Rob Galea and many more.
Ignite Youth Director Pat Keady spoke to Cradio this week about what to expect from Ignite.
PAT KEADY: If you were to come to the Conference this year I believe that what you would experience is the same thing which is always offered, and that’s a ‘wave of grace’. Someone coined a phrase one year it was like, as you’re there at Ignite Conference, there’s a wave of grace that God is just pouring out and it comes crashing in and washes over everyone present. And that’s what I’ve experienced year after year. It’s a different experience for everyone, but it’s still an experience of grace that’s being poured out and transforming lives. That’s what I believe you definitely can expect.
BOBBIE: To find out more or to register for Ignite Conference head to igniteconference.com.au. Get in quick as registrations close today.
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Music Credit: Waking Up by Dexter Britain.
