Loving our global neighbours - and enemies
The global village is showing signs of its ever-shrinking diameter. According to Philip Rizk, an Egyptian-German Christian working with the Foundation for Reconciliation in Gaza, " The teachings of Christ go a step further in calling his listeners to love not only their neighbours, but their enemies. For some, Muslims around the world are neighbours; for others, they may be considered enemies. Will the West be able to take a call of the past seriously and consider the neighbours of this global village, before feedings its undying desire for freedom from all responsibility toward the other?" Sojourners, 15th February 2006

'No words can describe what we are going through'
It was a spontaneous and profound display of communal suffering: 600 young people and adults gathered outside Mildura Base Hospital before dawn to grieve for five teenagers who died at the scene, including a brother and sister, killed by a hit-and-run driver... They came in a steady flow for four hours... each making a personal commitment to share the pain and bewilderment and to offer each other comfort. SMH, 20th February 2006

Gold medalist's compassion turns attention to Darfur
Olympic athletes often turn inward for inspiration before an event. U.S. speed skater Joey Cheek looked outward, across a continent to Africa, to a land of genocide, and it may have made all the difference. Monday, Cheek announced that he would donate his $25,000 purse for winning a gold medal to a sports program serving children in the world's trouble spots. He wants his money to go to the devastated Darfur region of Sudan. Mercury News, 15th February 2006

India's feisty untouchable woman
In the twilight world of Musahars, an untouchable community in India, Girija Devi is a shining exception. After leading a spirited drive to root out alcoholism and get the government to work for her community in the troubled state of Bihar, she has become the first woman from her community of rat-eaters to address a United Nations convention. BBC News, 19th February 2006

Project Compassion 2006
Have you thought about Project Compassion 2006 - a way of making a real difference to the lives of many?

Go to www.caritas.org.au for more information

Photo: Gerrit Fokkema

Fighting compassion fatigue
"Compassion fatigue is natural and subliminal. But I am asking you to fight it and realise that just as you are on the verge of relegating images and figures of disaster to the distant past, the hardship for many of our fellow human beings, whether in the same country or in far-flung corners of the world, is just beginning. Most important of all, you still have the ability to help them. And I hope you hold that thought for as long as you can," writes Lishan Soh. The Brown Daily Herald, 10th February 2006

Project Compassion
Caritas Australia's annual fundraising appeal, begins next week on Ash Wednesday (1 March 2006) and continues until Easter Sunday (16 April 2006). During these six weeks of Lent, Catholic schools and parishes throughout Australia will receive and use educational materials aimed at broadening the way we view the world. In 2006 Caritas Australia has set a target for the Project Compassion appeal to raise more than $8 million. Get involved in Project Compassion 2006 and together let's continue to help reduce world poverty!

www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion/index.htm

Craig Turley: Heaven and Hell
Is about Craig's search for identity. This former AFL superstar was adopted at birth, and in 1993, his darkest year, Craig decided to find out who his parents were. Also in 1993, Craig thought of taking his own life by jumping into the sea off the Kalbarri cliffs. Today, Craig is not playing football; instead, he coaches and mentors an Aboriginal team from Geraldton, north of Perth, and avoids the spotlight.

ABC TV Compass, 10:05 pm Sunday 26 February 2006

"Compassion and non-violence help us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear their questions, to know their assessment of ourselves. For from their point of view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers and sisters who are called the opposition." Martin Luther King Junior