Update (Jul 15, 2008):
The Federal Court of Australia has overturned a special law introduced to prevent protesters "annoying" Catholic pilgrims during Pope Benedict XVI's visit in Sydney for the World Youth Day celebrations.
The judges ruled that there was "no intelligible boundary" on what "causes annoyance." However, protesters can still be fined if they "inconvenience" participants as the law - passed by the New South Wales government - still stands.
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Thousands of protestors are planning to rally and hand out condoms this Saturday on Oxford Street and Anzac Parade ahead of an overnight vigil and papal Mass at Randwick racecourse to rally against the church's attitude homosexuality, contraception and abortion.
News of the regulations have spurred more creative slogans - a T-shirt by Sydney designer Tristan Parry reads: ''5,500 dollars - a small price to pay for annoying Catholics.'' The Sydney Morning Herald online carried a picture of a more loaded T-shirt reading: ''The Pope touched me Down Under,'' a pun on Catholic sex abuse scandals which dog the pontiff on his travels. Under the temporary regulations, a person may be fined A$5,500 for causing annoyance at a World Youth Day event.
The sweeping new regulations were announced by the New South Wales police to limit behaviour that may cause "annoyance or inconvenience to participants" during Pope Benedict XVI's first visit in Australia to celebrate World Youth Day (WYD).
The laws will apply in the month of July; and in WYD-declared areas including areas of downtown Sydney, transport interchanges and the pilgrimage route, also taking in a radius of 500 metres around the zones.
The World Youth event was founded by the Pope's predecessor, John Paul II in 1986 and will run from 15 to 20 July. Billed as the largest event Australia has ever hosted, it will culminate in a Papal Mass in front of an expected 500,000 people at Randwick racecourse next Sunday.
Two activists from the NoToPope Coalition of gay and lesbian, religious, and atheist groups have challenged the validity of the powers in court. The court is expected to hand down its judgment on Tuesday, the official start of the six-day WYD event.
"These laws are very draconian and we have the right to protest and say our piece," Rachel Evans, organiser of the NoToPope Coalition, told reporters outside the court.
"Criticising WYD ethics includes promoting contraception, access to abortion and conducting any criticism of the reactionary views of some Catholic Church leaders."
"We're not planning to get into any trouble, we don't want to condemn Catholic youth for being Catholics. We want to condemn the Pope for being homophobic," Evans was quoted as saying in a media report.
She said the Pope's teachings contributed to 67,000 women dying every year from backyard abortions and a suicide rate among gay youth that is seven times the average.
Anna Katzman, the president of the New South Wales Bar Association, said making someone's inconvenience the basis of a criminal offense was "unnecessary and repugnant."
"If I was to wear a T-shirt proclaiming that 'World Youth Day is a waste of public money' and refuse to remove it when an officer... asks me to, I would commit a criminal offense," Katzman said. "How ridiculous is that?"
The event is said to cost taxpayers some A$150 million.
As he did during his US trip in April, Benedict is expected to offer apologies to Australian victims of sexual abuse by priests. Meanwhile, Australia's senior Catholic leader, Sydney Archbishop George Pell, came under fire last week following the reopening of a 25-year-old sexual abuse case.
In 2003, Pell sent a letter to Anthony Jones in which he dismissed Jones' complaint of rape against Father Terrence Goodall despite a church investigation that upheld the allegations. Pell said Tuesday that his letter was "badly worded" but stood by his conclusion that the act had been consensual. He said he based his decision on Jones' age - he was 29 - at the time of the alleged rape and Goodall's Goodall's insistence that the act had been consensual.
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Reader's Comments
its so tacky to protest Catholics, let them be, they will self destruct if they aren't doing the right thing anyway . . .
James_chi (post 8) I understand your point, but don't forget that religions are sacred only to those who believe in them... If you want to impose your idea of what is sacred and what isn't you are taking a dangerous path and i'm sure you realize that.
I've always thought that if a religion (or any form of spiritual answer to man's ingrained spiritual questions) is strong enough, honest enough and true enough, then it should NEVER resort to political power. When it does it proves only two things :
a) it's inherent weakness
b) a highly suspicious attraction to power
All regions are sacred. No religions ever cause wars, it's THE PEOPLE who practised the religions that made wars. Please understand this very basic knowledge first. Some people abuse their religions for their personal gain, but it doesn't mean the religion is bad, rite?
I don't understand what you meant by religion is not honest, strong, true enough. It sounds good in sentence but just doesn't make sense. Please understand the basic of religion first before you analyze it. It sounded like you judge a bible just by looking at its black cover and its thickness instead of actually reading it and truly understand the messages in it. I write this not to argue with you, my dear, I only want to deliver my point across to you. Peace bro :D
Before you "deliver your point(s)" in such condescending manner, "brother", maybe you ought to try and figure out what other people are actually tring to say ? But then, it's a fact that most religious people prefer to "deliver" messages rather than argue with their reason. Unfortunately, your answer shows that you are a typical patronizing zealot, and you thereby prove your point ie that people, not religions, are the problem.
Mind you, and to make a rather jesuitic point (lol) of semantics, the T-shirt says "annoying catholics" and not "annoying catholicism" so strictly speaking they are attacking people and not religion !!For for your information i DID read the Bible, both testaments. I also read the Koran as well as the Gita and the Upanishads. Your assumption that I didn't read the Bible is wrong and quite revealing of your mental attitude to people who do not think the way you do.
Oh, and please spare me the "peace bro" bit, because that's adding hypocrisy to brainlessness.
ditto yveserwan's post. great to hear from someone who actually thinks. lambs generally don't, let alone read and understand posts.
we can do so in an objective and measured fashion. bosses do it, parents do it, teachers do it, even friends.
all under the name of criticism. people (yes, that inlcudes lesbians and gays et al), however, deserve some standards of respect under the principle of autonomy, or more baldly...if you wish to have any semblance of a stable society.
if you wish to defend religion, it will do you well to understand why not everybody agrees with you. you don't have to agree with their arguments, but if you don't wish to be accused of paying mere lip-service to your faith then consider it.
look up the following websites for a start:
1. talkorigins.org
2. godisimaginary.com
3. skepticsannotatedbible.com
on a separate matter, here's a peek at the vatican's astonishing store of wealth, as reported by the bbc news
(they really need so much of this money stuff? )
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7501486.stm
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7501486.stm
It also goes in vast amounts to what are known as "sects", all over the world.
My guess is that the only other field that gobbles up similar amounts is the military. Wars, fought or "prepared".
Why is that ? Interesting question isn't it ?
I remember reading an article years ago in "Le Monde". One guy did some extensive research in that particular field, and could hardly believe the amounts of money he pieced together. He specifically investigated the Vatican and the Mormons and in both cases was faced with tremendous difficulties - not surprisingly.
One of the mind-blowing comments that i remember from his article was that, in order to ERADICATE the AIDS problem in ALL of Africa, the Vatican would only have to spend less than 10% of its assets.
What was it Jesus Christ said on that mountain covered with olive trees, the symbol of peace ? Oh yes ! "Blessed are the poor..."
The trains in my part of the Sydney region are ripe with beautiful young men (and women) out for a good time.
"Oh I do like to be a Roman Catholic,
"Oh I do like the Curch of Rome:
'They do everything they like
"In the pale moonlight,
'Confess it in the morning
"And it's quite alright."
The Buddha asks us to refrain from unchaste acts.
Love is NEVER wrong.
macadamiaman
COVER STORY: SOCIETY
Young, Gay and Murdered
www.newsweek.com/id/147790>1=43002
1,waste of $$$, could have spent that $150 million of taxpayers $$$ towards to help those poor, disabled and homeless children borned in those CATHOLIC countries, not to mention some of those HIV+ living parents and children in those CATHOLIC countries.........GOD is blessing them or punishing them ???
2, No revenue generated ... instead, the tight security in so call the WYD08 pilgrims routes completely shut down, locked down, crippled some businesses and employees had to stay at home over a non paid four days of the major event...
3, i have a work colleague called in work sick a day before the first opening mass so he can attend the mass and stay home throughout the whole event.........
HE LIED TO HIMSELF< HE LIED TO HIS EMPLOYER< AND HE LIED TO GOD............AI YA!!!!!!!!!!!
What's the fine for annoying gay people during Mardi Gras?
^^^^^
*stands up and clap*
If you need religion....... Get a stick!
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