VATICAN CITY – Amid the deluge of information and nonstop chatter in today's media, the Church needs to help people find safe havens of silence, Pope Benedict said.

Far from being the enemy of calm and quiet, social media and the Internet can lead people to virtual sanctuaries that offer silent reflection, thoughtful dialogue and true meaning in life, he said.

This year the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada marks the 100th anniversary of the arrival of her first bishop, Blessed Nyktyta Budka.

The anniversary will be marked with events that are themselves historically significant, Archbishop Lawrence Huculak of Winnipeg said in an interview Jan. 20.

While theology professor Paul Flaman has received positive feedback to his new book Homosexuality and Following Jesus, he expects the ultimate reaction will be mixed.

A priest-psychologist once told him, "It's practically impossible to say anything significant about homosexuality without getting somebody mad at you."

VATICAN CITY – Divisions among Christians, including those on moral issues, weakens their credibility and their ability to respond to the spiritual yearning of many men and women today, Pope Benedict said.

"There is more that unites us than divides us" on the basic tenets of faith – belief in Christ, the Son of God and saviour of humanity, the pope said.

EDMONTON – Nothing that we do in love is ever wasted.

That was the central message of the Rev. Dr. Catherine MacLean, from St. Paul's United Church, when reflecting on the theme of this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

PICKERING, ONT. – Believers in every religion and through every century of human history have done something they can't quite describe, justify or do without. They pray.

They may meditate, contemplate, recite, babble or immerse themselves in silence. They may seek solitude or seek company to pray with others. They may follow the rules of a liturgy, improvise or seek a simple, direct encounter with God.

ANTIGONISH, N.S. – The Diocese of Antigonish had to tap into $2 million of bridge financing to make its second payment towards a class action suit settlement for victims of sexual abuse.

The $4.2 million instalment had to be made by Nov. 1.

Authentic Chinese cuisine, dance and arts, and kung fu demonstrations plunged people into the Oriental world, allowing them to not only cherish Chinese culture but also to celebrate unity.

Mary Help of Christians Parish hosted a two-day celebration of Chinese New Year, Jan. 21-22.

In the Catholic Church, it's true that everything old can be new again, and the Vatican wants one of those things to be the art of "apologetics" – dusted off and updated to respond to new challenges, including those posed by militant atheists.

The term "apologetics" literally means "to answer, account for or defend." Through the 1950s even Catholic high school students were given specific training in responding to questions about Catholicism and challenges to Church teaching.

One obligation Catholics have is to become catholic. The four marks of the true Church, as we learned in catechism class, are to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic. However, these are not badges to be worn with pride; they are obligations for living.

The Church is sometimes accused of being a relic of mediaeval times; in fact, it is a Church of all times. For G.K. Chesterton, the famous 20th century apologist and convert to the Catholic Church, Catholicism "is not an old religion; it is a religion that refuses to grow old." It is not old, but eternal.