What's on: An evening of cross cultural praise and worship, August 16, Dong San Korean Church in Parramatta. READ ON MORE EVENTS

Trade fair and bring good news to the poor
Fair Trade seeks to change how international trade operates by ensuring producers in the Third World receive a fair price for their products. It enables them to invest in their communities and gain knowledge and skills. READ ON

News in brief
Including: Refugees, citizenship test, Knox, Queens Birthday Honours, Trailwalkers and hope for famers. READ ON

Inmates share in youth day experience
A British Benedictine monk has taken World Youth Day into a women's prison in Sydney, leading inmates in an ancient form of Christian meditation. READ ON

Pope calls for Christian unity, condemns violence
Pope Benedict XVI warned Christian leaders Friday that the push to unite Christian churches was at a "critical juncture" and called on people of all religions to join together against violence. READ ON Pope Benedict XVI has called on leaders of Australia's Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran and Uniting churches to fight for unity, during celebrations for the Roman Catholic sponsored World Youth Day in Sydney. READ ON MORE MORE Pope Benedict XVI has expressed great praise for Australia, which has always guaranteed religious freedom, but above all a request for all religions to work together for the good of the world, and for the formation of young people, encouraging them "to marvel at the beauty of life, to seek its ultimate meaning, and to strive to realise its sublime potential". READ ON

The Next Anglicanism?
A great deal of the current theological contretemps can be explained by the fact that "the centre of gravity in the Christian world has shifted inexorably southward, to Africa and Latin America," where the approach to theological and moral issues is more traditional than that found among more progressive believers in Europe and North America. READ ON

Help or hindrance? Psychological impacts of religion
In the aftermath of World Youth Day, the University of Western Sydney (UWS) will hold a conference to explore the beneficial and harmful impacts of religion. READ ON

Churches' feedback greatly needed, committee says
A key committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) is calling ecumenical partners, including its 349 member churches, for more feedback on two crucial matters of concern facing the church and the WCC. READ ON

Pope warns against splits
Pope Benedict XVI warned Christian leaders Friday the ecumenical movement was at a "critical juncture". READ ON

African churches want sanctions on Zimbabwe
Delegates from churches in Zimbabwe, South Africa and other southern African countries meeting in Johannesburg have expressed "overwhelming support" for targeted economic sanctions against Zimbabwe. READ ON

Account of Myanmar bravery shows people's woes
The Roman Catholic archbishop of Yangon says the human resilience shown by community rebuilding in Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis wreaked havoc in May, killing more than 130,000 people, has given hope to the church. READ ON

Many Swiss find nature more spiritual than church
More than half of Switzerland's Protestants find nature more spiritually moving than going to church, a poll conducted for a weekly magazine of the Reformed churches in the German-speaking part of Switzerland has found. READ ON

An olive branch to other faiths
Behind the clamour of World Youth Day, the Catholic Church is reaching out to other religions. READ ON That warm and fuzzy brotherly love is delusive. READ ON

WCC solidarity visit to help overcome violence
Churches working for peace in Indonesia will receive a solidarity visit of an international ecumenical delegation sent by the World Council of Churches from July 17 to 24. READ ON

Westpac Community Treasurers' Awards 2008
There are hundreds of thousands of community groups in Australia who rely on the unsung and unpaid labour of honorary treasurers. Responsible for the financial wellbeing of their organisation, they often go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure ends meet. READ ON

A fallible church
Since the first Lambeth Conference of 1867 there have been many serious rifts in the Anglican Church and there will no doubt be many more. READ ON What is the Lambeth Conference? READ ON MORE Strong ecumenical presence. READ ON

The Passion: 14 Stations of the Cross
International award-winning artist Miriam Cabello will exhibit her greatly anticipated The Passion: 14 Stations of the Cross to coincide with World Youth Day celebrations. READ ON

Court rules against restrictions for Pope's visit
Legal restrictions imposed for Pope Benedict's visit to Sydney this week, which could see protesters arrested for "annoying" Catholic pilgrims, are unconstitutional, the Australian Federal Court has ruled. READ ON MORE The decision to overturn the anti-annoyance regulation might seem to be a clear victory for the activists. This is an incorrect reading of the case. READ ON

British plan for carbon-neutral ‘ecotowns’ draws ire
The innovative proposal for ultramodern communities with solar power and subterranean recycling chutes is designed to address an acute housing shortage. READ ON

From church to 'rhizone'
The crisis of theological education ultimately stems from Christians who aim to become professional leaders in a world where Christianity itself is increasingly deinstitutionalised, and its leaders are rapidly becoming deprofessionalised. READ ON

Religious tensions rise in West Papua
Authorities in West Papua, Indonesia, must move fast to prevent tension between Christian and Muslim communities escalating into a Malukan-style conflict, according to a recent report by the International Crisis Group. READ ON

How God inspires my New South Wales rule
Like five million other Australians, I proudly belong to the Catholic faith — a tradition that stretches back 2,000 years and includes more than one billion adherents in every country of the world. READ ON

Pope faces growing religious scepticism in Australia
Fading faith in God, disgust over sex abuse scandals and objections to the church's stance on gays, abortion and contraception will greet Pope Benedict XVI in Australia this week. READ ON

Stance on sexuality turning young people off religion
While the Catholic Church in Australia is hoping this week's event will showcase its faith to the nation's non-religious youth, a new survey suggests any recruitment drive could be a difficult task. READ ON

Gay, lesbian Christians urge tolerance
Members of Sydney's gay and lesbian community have urged tolerance and acceptance at a church service coinciding with the Pope's arrival for World Youth Day. READ ON

The gospel on being gay
So does the Bible condemn homosexuality? Or is scripture neutral, as Christian liberals believe? READ ON

How ethical are you?
Are you an enforcer, philosopher, judge, angel, teacher or guardian? Find out the composition of your moral DNA. READ ON

Methodist Conference to review position on abortion
A major report on abortion, assisted reproductive technologies and stem cell research has been received by the Methodist Conference. The report, Created in God’s Image, looks at the ethical and theological issues raised by these technologies, and aims to give church members a useful framework for discussing them, and other breakthroughs yet to come. READ ON VIEW REPORT

Lutheran cookbook shares potpourri of recipes
In an era of fierce debate about world food shortages, escalating prices, and food trade polices in an era of climate change, the origins of food and how people use it to prepare their daily fare has a particular relevance. READ ON

Celebrate Calvin by changing the world
The World Alliance of Reformed Churches, whose roots go back to the 16th century Protestant Reformation of Jean Calvin, is urging members to celebrate in 2009 the 500th anniversary of his birth by working for the unity of the church, promoting social justice and respect for creation, and by addressing war and violence. READ ON

Fine with food but dining on despair
Wesley Mission has announced a seven-point action plan to tackle long term homelessness after its latest study found that the majority of Sydney’s homeless have held a job but have been forced onto the streets or into shelters because of a major financial crisis. READ ON The Wesley report shows that homelessness can happen to any of us and that the response needs to be more than just a bed and a hot meal. READ ON

Tablet ignites debate on Messiah and resurrection
A three-foot-tall tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew that scholars believe dates from the decades just before the birth of Jesus is causing a quiet stir in biblical and archaeological circles, especially because it may speak of a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days. READ ON

World's youth more religious than reputed
When the Pope arrives in Sydney for World Youth Day he will be met by hundreds of thousands of cheering young people. While this is often seen by commentators as an almost inexplicable anomaly, globally teenagers and young adults are much more religious than is commonly assumed. READ ON

Slurp soup, but silently
The dedicated volunteers who are set to complete their daunting task of making 1,200 cups of soup won't get to enjoy their mouth-watering soup. Instead, the soup will feed hungry pilgrims during World Youth Day celebrations. The group will feed visitors to the Paddington Uniting Church next week, where they are running a silent "oasis set aside for young people to experience silence and contemplation". READ ON

Keeping the faith
Audio: eight Catholics about their faith. LISTEN

Gays to protest at Pope's arrival
Gay and lesbian Christians will protest the Pope's condemnation of homosexuality ahead of World Youth Day, labelling his beliefs as right-wing propaganda. READ ON

Soup fills gap left by slow season start
For the many seasonal workers who come to Jindabyne and the mountains, a lack of snow can do more than simply spoil their fun. READ ON

inTENTsive care with Médecins Sans Frontières
In August 2008, following a successful 13-year run in 13 countries around the globe, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Australia is launching the first Australian tour of Refugee Camp in Your City. READ ON

Meet the ‘Mod Squad’ at Synod 2008
This is not a reference to a ’70s TV series or to a procession of large bikers in leathers. It is the irreverent description given to a scheme by staff from the Synod Youth Unit and some former moderators to build a network of connection between young Uniting Church leaders and some much older people. READ ON

Inclusiveness a focus in Synod Bible studies
Can the church define itself by its inclusiveness? What might it be able to learn from the ideas of the Democratic Presidential Candidate, Barack Obama, who is said to have inspired Americans with his imagination? Synod members will be challenged to consider questions like these during daily Bible studies at Synod 2008. READ ON