Around 60 students with megaphones, rainbow flags and a trombone drowned out large parts of the event organised by the University of Sydney Union Catholic Society on May 4.

At issue was guest speaker James Parker's alleged previous association with gay conversion therapy, through a British group called "People Can Change".

In 2014, Mr Parker was the author of an article in the International Business Times titled "Gay Conversion: I Slept With Over 200 Men, Now I'm a Happily Married Heterosexual Dad".

Several complaints were made to the University of Sydney Union and university's vice-chancellor's office before the event.

On the morning of the event on May 4, the union withdrew its support.

At one point during the protest, Mr Parker walked outside with a handmade sign that read "God Loves Gays".

Mr Parker also denied being an advocate of conversion therapy, attributing his conversion to "regular therapy", the University of Sydney's student council's publication Honi Soit reported.

He described his previous homosexuality as the result of a fundamental opposition to men he developed in utero, which he claimed to have overcome through a combination of therapy and faith, Honi Soit reported.

"Once I found deep resolution within myself, my voice began to drop, and my walk began to change," he said to the crowd.

"I began to see women."

One gay student who attended the event described Mr Parker's talk as "hurtful".

Catholic Society president Francis Tamer said he thought "the event went really well".

He said that those opposed had a right to protest, but said he would "also like to make clear that anyone who listened would have found that [Parker] was not in favour of the things that people thought he was in favour of, such as gay conversion therapy".

"Hopefully those that did attend did learn something new from it, whether or not they agreed."

So-called gay conversion therapy has been condemned by the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and the Australian Psychological Society, Honi Soit reported.

Sources

• Honi Soit
• Buzz Feed
• International Business Times
• Bible Society Australia
• Image: Catholic Weekly

The Record was Australia's oldest weekly newspaper.

Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe said the decision to close the newspaper was reached after a five-month review with stakeholders, following a protracted decline in subscriptions.

"Change is sometimes difficult and there will be many people who will be sorry to see The Record in its present form no longer appear each week in our churches," Archbishop Costelloe said.

"If our goal is to use the media to spread the message of Jesus, we must try new methods and set out in new directions."

The Record will be replaced by a monthly magazine as well as newsletters.

From early September, a new e-newsletter, together with a printed four-page newsletter, will deliver news and events for the archdiocese.

The printed newsletter will be emailed directly to parishes for printing and distribution, while the e-newsletter, which will include similar content, can be sent directly to a recipient's email inbox.

The magazine and the newsletters will be edited by the archdiocese's newly-established media and communications team led by James Parker.

Mr Parker said contracted staff would keep their jobs and temporary staff had been offered further opportunities.

He said the ever-increasing digital age does not mean a decrease in the quality or quantity of content.

A goal of the new approach is to deepen engagement with society, Mr Parker said.

Archbishop Costelloe said work will be done to make the archdiocesan website more attractive to a wider group of people, including the young.

He said many such people are far more likely to use the Internet to access news and information than they are to read a weekly newspaper.

The archbishop acknowledged that not everyone has access to the Internet or is comfortable using digital technology.

This is why the printed newsletter option from parishes is to be made available.

Sources

• Herald Sun
• The Record
• Image: The Record

The cross will stand at the Joshua Camp, an international Catholic Olympic gathering in East London, until August 13.

The camp provides hospitality and creates a Catholic presence to foster spiritual growth and evangelisation. Organisers have described it as "Olympic World Youth Day".

The Olympic Cross was specially commissioned for the Games. Artist Jon Cornwall used 12 different types of wood from around the world to represent the 12 disciples.

"We wanted to create a keepsake that symbolises everything the Games truly represent, something we could then pass on to future Olympic host nations," explained James Parker, Catholic executive co-ordinator for the Games.

"As Christians our lives mean nothing without the cross and so this seemed to be the most suitable object to commission for ourselves and as a future gift to others."

After the Games, the Olympic Cross could head to Russia for the 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games or it could head to Brazil for the 2013 World Youth Day, the 2014 Football World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Twenty-four hour exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is being held in St Francis of Assisi's Church, at Stratford in east London, throughout the Games.

A special Mass for the 30th Olympiad was held in London's Westminster Cathedral.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster reminded attending Olympians that their bodies "are temples of the Holy Spirit".

"This does not detract from that physical achievement of sport, with its beauty, symmetry, harnessing of speed, finesse and power," he said. "Rather it enhances those achievements and gives them their deepest purpose — that of giving glory to their Maker."

Sources:

Catholic Herald

Catholic News Agency

Catholic News Agency

Image: The Catholic Church in England and Wales

Sister Mary-Joy Langdon, of the Sisters of the Infant Jesus, will join the Olympic Torch Relay in the Kingston to Ealing leg. She is no stranger to flames, having been Britain's first female firefighter when she joined the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service in 1976.

Past Olympians and sports professionals who are Catholic have been invited to the July 28 Mass at Westminster Cathedral to celebrate the start of the Games.

"They are being invited to join the rest of the Catholic community in giving thanks to God for the many opportunities that the Games present not only to our nation but to the whole world at this time," said James Parker, the Catholic executive co-ordinator for the Games.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales has proposed seven different ways that Catholics — as individuals, groups or schools — can connect with the Games, whether within the Catholic community or jointly with other churches.

Prayer for a peaceful and trouble-free Games tops the list. Other ideas include:

• bringing an Olympic theme to both the inside and outside of church buildings;
• volunteering to serve the local authority or a local social project;
• putting on a simple big screen event to show live sporting events;
• planning an activity for Super Saturday, the second Saturday of the Games;
• organising an Olympic-related quiz night for family or members of the local community; and
• showing basic hospitality to others.

From Rome, Pope Benedict has sent greetings to the organisers, athletes and spectators, with his prayer that "in the spirit of the Olympic Truce, the good will generated by this international sporting event may bear fruit, promoting peace and reconciliation throughout the world".

Independent Catholic News

The Catholic Church in England and Wales

Vatican Insider

Image: The Catholic Church in England and Wales