Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese celebrating Diwali and Bandi Chor

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese celebrating Diwali and Bandi Chor

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese posted a few photos on his X handle of himself celebrating the Bandi Chhor Divas, a big day for the Sikh community, on Friday (November 1). Albanese visited Sydney’s Murugan Temple where he celebrated Diwali with the Tamil Australian community. “Deepavali celebrates the victory of light over darkness”.

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Pope’s child protection board urges transparency from Vatican sex abuse office and compensation

Pope Francis’ child protection board  issues a report

Pope Francis’ child protection board called Tuesday for victims of clergy sexual abuse to have greater access to information about their cases and the right to compensation, in the first-ever global assessment of the Catholic Church’s efforts to address the crisis.

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors issued a series of findings and recommendations in its pilot annual report, zeroing in on the church in a dozen countries, two religious orders and two Vatican offices with detailed analysis.

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Only love will save humanity, pope says in encyclical on Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart of Jesus

 

Addressing a world faced with consumerism, division and artificial intelligence, Pope Francis urged faithful to “return to the heart” in his new encyclical, “Dilexit Nos” (“He Loved Us”). “In a word, if love reigns in our heart, we become, in a complete and luminous way, the persons we are meant to be, for every human being is created above all else for love. In the deepest fiber of our being, we were made to love and to be loved,” the pope wrote.

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Spiritual awakening after COVID

AlphaThe Combined Churches of Greater Shepparton offer an evening session exploring deeper spiritual questions and seeking meaningful answers at the Salvation Army, each Wednesday evening at 6pm. A free dinner is given at the session. You are cordially invited to a combined Christian churches “Alpha” group each Wednesday evening.
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Cultivating Taqwā: Moral Integrity and Respect for Human Dignity

Dr Adis DuderijaAsma Lamrabet is a Moroccan female liberation theologian whose exploration of the concept of Taqwā in the context of the Qur’anic vision of equality offers profound insights into the nature of humanity’s spiritual journey. She posits that the Qur’an presents an unequivocal stance on the equality of all human beings before the Creator, transcending factors such as race, ethnicity, skin colour, and gender. Dr Adis Duderija gives an account of the work of Asma Lamrabet of Morocco.

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A year of devastation: with hope and trust shattered, what can bring an end to the violence in Israel-Palestine?

Violence in Gaza, Lebanon and IsraelShould the tit-for-tat cycle of violence continue, the blow-back will hurt not only Israel’s efforts to attain safety and security for its citizens, but the prospects for a political future for the Palestinians. A year has passed, what will bring peace to this region? Here, Eyal Mayroz, Senior Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney writes this Op-Ed.

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Buddhist Meditation and the future of contemplation

Buddhist schistThe Australian Association of Buddhist studies presents a lecture series on Meditation and the future of contemplation. Professor David Germano from the University of Virginia is the holder of the 2024 University Buddhist Education Foundation (UBEF) Visiting Professorship in Buddhist Studies. As part of this Professorship, there will be a lecture series in the John Woolley Rogers Room (N397) of the John Woolley Building (A20) at the University of Sydney on 17, 22, 24 and 29 October. These lectures will be hybrid sessions.
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Cultivating a Culture of Peace: World Day of Peace 2024

Cultivating a Culture of Peace: World Day of Peace 2024The International Day of Peace, also officially known as World Peace Day, is a United Nations observance every year on 21 September. The theme for World Peace Day 2024 is Cultivating a Culture of Peace. The faith communities of Shepparton – and the Shepparton Interfaith Network – actively seek peace and harmony in our nation, Australia, and in the World.

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Pope Francis’ Singapore Mass fuels hopes for future papal visits to China, Vietnam, Malaysia

Pope Francis in Singapore
Catholics from China, Vietnam and Malaysia who attended Pope Francis’ September 12 Mass in Singapore are hoping the pontiff might also become the first pope to visit their respectives countries, as well.
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World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel 2024

World Council of Churches LogoThe World Council of Churches (WCC) invites people and churches all over the world to pray, advocate, and stand in solidarity with people in the Holy Land during the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel. The week includes the UN International Day of Peace on 21 September.
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Who is the ‘Laughing Buddha’? A scholar of East Asian Buddhism explains


Porcelain ‘Laughing Buddha’ image, China, 17th-18th century.
Metropolitan Museum of Art


With his delighted expression, round belly, bald head and monastic robes, the “Laughing Buddha” is instantly identifiable. However, astute observers might wonder why this buddha does not look like the historical Buddha, who lived in India about 2,500 years ago.

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