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Australia is pursuing draconian measures to deter people without visas from entering the country by boat. In doing so, it is failing in its obligation under international accords to protect refugees fleeing persecution.
Pope Benedict will visit Australia from July 12 to 21 for World Youth Day, the Holy See has announced. The Vatican gave no further details of the trip. The Sydney Morning Herald reports the 81-year-old pope will make his first visit to the country as pontiff to take part in the July 15-20 event designed to bring young people from around the world together to learn about the Catholic faith. Organizers in Sydney say they expect 123,000 international visitors to come to Australia’s largest city. The pope will cruise Sydney’s famous harbor as part of his official welcome, they said last month.
After 11 years of Liberal government, Australians voted for the Labor Party led by Kevin Rudd (photo) in the November elections.
It is not every day that one sees a priest tinkering his way around an airplane, but that has been a regular sight for the last couple of years at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Thurgoona in southern NSW. A light aircraft has been built by Father John Fowles who hopes to fly it around Australia to raise money for those less fortunate in East Timor. He explains: “The ‘Fly Away to Heaven’ project is an initiative that is inspired by the idea of giving back. We have received many blessings in our parish here and now we feel there is a need to give back and help someone else. At the time, the cause for East Timor and the situation there came to my attention and I thought we should give something from here. The idea is to get sponsorships for flying various legs to circumnavigate around Australia in this little airplane. Also, it is a way of reaching out and making people aware of what we are doing.”
