NEWS June 2006

End "political point-scoring" over same-sex marriage, says Archbishop
Canberra's Archbishop Carroll has expressed his support for a Federal government decision to overturn the ACT's same-sex union laws but is concerned the debate has become a "political point-scoring exercise." [More]

PNG bishop calls for life ban on corrupt leaders
NSW-born Archbishop Brian Barnes of Port Moresby has called for Papua New Guinea leaders guilty of serious official misconduct to be banned from public office for life in order to weed out deep-seated corruption in government. [More]

No hope for African pope, says African Cardinal
Cardinal Anthony Okogie of Lagos, one of the cardinals who elected the current Pontiff last year, has said that the hope of an African Pope for the Church are very slim because the number of African cardinals in the church today is negligible. [More]

Anglican women bishops dash unity hopes: Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor
Full Anglican-Catholic unity will be "out of reach" if Anglicans ordain women bishops, according to recent comments by Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor. [More]

Tributes pour in for ethical Catholic CEO
Tributes have been pouring in for Edouard Michelin, a Catholic tyre company boss admired for his ethical business leadership, who died tragically in a recent boat accident. [More]

Message Stick visits Taree, NSW
A Message Stick marking the 20th anniversary of John Paul II's meeting with Indigenous Australians has arrived in Taree in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle as it makes its journey around Australia in preparation for an Alice Springs conference in October. [More]

OPINION

The true cost of embryonic stem-cell research
In the future we may well judge that much of the talk of an embryonic stem-cell panacea was just so much hype. By the end of this decade we may well look and wonder how we could have so cruelly created false hopes for sufferers of various conditions, how we could have wasted millions of our precious research resources on the embryonic stem-cells dream, how we could have done so at such a huge ethical and social cost - Bishop Anthony Fisher [More] - Archdiocese of Sydney

FEATURE

East Timor: calmer but still uncertain
The week of my visit to East Timor was calmer than the week before, although the situation was still uncertain. Many routine activities of life were yet to return to normal. Many people were sad and confused by the recent events. They were dismayed that "forces" had stirred up factions, and at the way these factions had arbitrarily and cruelly attacked people and property - Fr Peter Hosking [More] - Province Express

FEATURED CATHOLIC WEBSITE

Catholic Asian Students' Society
"CASS" is a tight-knit network of Asian Catholic university clubs supported by student unions and Sydney's Chinese Catholic community. The group plans to release an anniversary jumper this winter to celebrate its 15-year anniversary. Its website says the jumper will be ready in time for the group's July retreat at a Franciscan centre a few hours north of Sydney.
- www.cass.asn.au

PNG bishop calls for life ban on corrupt leaders

76story NSW-born Archbishop Brian Barnes of Port Moresby has called for Papua New Guinea leaders guilty of serious official misconduct to be banned from public office for life in order to weed out deep-seated corruption in government.

The Nation reports that addressing the parliamentary committee reviewing the work of PNG's Ombudsman Commission this week, Bishop Barnes said the Commission needs to strengthen its role as watchdog over the Government.

He said the Commission was doing a very good job bringing leaders to account, but there were public concerns that the current review of the watchdog could lead to a weakening of its powers.

"We need to preserve intact the Ombudsman Commission as it is; we should strengthen it, we certainly should not weaken it."

The Commission in recent months has referred several Government ministers to the public prosecutor for investigation over alleged misuse of public funds or failure to provide spending records. The penalty for a guilty verdict is a ban from public office for up to three years.

But Bishop Barnes said the three-year ban was "a joke", suggesting lifetime bans for very serious offences and nothing less than 10 years for serious offences.

"Corruption is deep-seated in Papua New Guinea life, particularly political life. One issue related to this is the penalties," he said.

PNG Council of Churches spokesman Lawrence Stephens also urged a strengthening of the Commission and an increase in penalties, saying the current "short time in the sin bin" sends to wrong message to the public about PNG's battle against corruption.

Sir Brian Barnes was born in Wingham, on the north coast of NSW, but as a missionary and Franciscan friar, he became a citizen of Papua New Guinea in 1976, and then Archbishop of Port Moresby in 1997.

SOURCE
Business and church reps back watchdog (The National, 14/6/2006)

LINKS (not necessarily endorsed by Church Resources)
Archdiocese of Port Moresby

ARCHIVE
Sir Brian Barnes, Archbishop of Port Moresby (Cathnews, 14/7/2005)

15 Jun 2006