War begins with words, warns Lebanese Cardinal Maronite Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir has warned that insult laden politicians' speeches indicate "that war will soon ignite" in Lebanon, as Pope Benedict renews his call for urgent and just solutions to "this grave moment" in the Middle East. [More] Catholic dictator dies, state funeral denied A Chilean Cardinal has led the first of several religious ceremonies planned for General Augusto Pinochet, who died yesterday, but there will be no state funeral for the late Catholic dictator who took power in Chile's own "September 11". [More] John Paul II in French statue controversy A small French Atlantic town is divided over the erection of a towering bronze statue of the late John Paul II which is claimed by opponents to threaten the nation's separation of church and state. [More] Arnhem Land experience touched the spirit Visiting Arnhem Land changes a person's life. The land is rich with spirit, the rivers tell stories from centuries past, the birds fly with unrestrained grace, and the sunsets powerfully whisper the promise of peace. Several months have passed since my visit to Ngukurr, a remote Aboriginal community in southeast Arnhem Land, but the images from that week are fresh and vibrant in my mind. Shortly after my stay, I found myself back in Sydney trying to get on with life. Returning to such a spiritually destructive place was highly traumatic - Jonathan Hill [More] - Eureka Street Vietnamese are the new Irish in America If you visit the Divine Word College, a tiny Catholic missionary school in Iowa, the conversations you will hear in its hallways will most likely not be carried out in English. Usually, they are in Vietnamese. So is the music played late at night in the school's cafeteria, when students are hungry for a bite. Vietnamese dominate this seminary. Forty-three out of its 67 students, about 2 out of 3, are Vietnamese. "They are replacing the traditional Irish and Italian immigrants, who once provided a steady supply of priests in the States," says vocation director Len Uhal - Andrew Lam [More] - New America Media Soundtrack for a cultural revolution Are we in the midst of a cultural revolution? It is indeed an exciting thought, highlighted by the visit of several international personalities this year, that perhaps for the first time since the 1970s, entire generations of young people are beginning to believe that they can change society for the better. It is arguable that with the effects of globalisation, we face more crises now than ever before. Like the 1970s, it seems that music is providing the medium through which these issues are being brought to people's attention - Aaron Mulcair [More] - Kairos