Young Australians plan Christian Christmas protest
Melbourne's Catholic Youth Ministry CYM were planning to stage a street protest yesterday, to highlight the perceived reality that "Christ has been left out of Christmas" and reject the aggressive promotion of the commercial side of Christmas. The protest was also against Melbourne City Council's refusal to host a Nativity Scene in the city centre. The young people presented a live performance of the Nativity of Christ on the steps of Melbourne Town Hall. Mgr Les Tomlinson, in charge of youth ministry, said the protest was a response to a general denial about the Christian origins of Christmas. He said: "he aggressive promotion of the commercial side of Christmas has seen a shift where some people are even unaware of its Christian origins. In preparation for Christmas many Catholics in Melbourne have been attending Holy Hours every Thursday in Advent at St Patrick's Cathedral hosted by CYN. Brisbane's Archbishop John Bathersby, noted that the conscious effort by public figures to avoid mentioning the word 'Christmas' was a "sad reflection" of an increasingly secular society. He said: "'Christmas' is being replaced with euphemism like 'seasons greetings', 'festive season' and even 'here's cheers." In Sydney, Cardinal George Pell in his Christmas message has warned against a "vague spirituality which leaves selfishness in place" insisting that the "all-important struggle between good and evil" requires the faithful to proclaim that "the Christ is the Son of God; son of the transcendent God who is the lord of history and the creator of the universe". Source: FIDES