In this issue: Cardinal George: ‘Catholicism as a comprehensive way of life presupposes that the Church is not just a set of ideas but also a way of living. The sense that the Church can shape people’s lives through her teaching and guidance and discipline is weakened today and sometimes contested in principle.’ There are often misunderstandings in the way the church is governed, especially when such governance is compared with our everyday experience. Archdiocesan experts in the Code of Canon Law explain how - and why - church law developed and how it functions. Sacraments and the rights of the faithful The church’s listing of rights and duties for everyone Guiding the gifts of the Spirit

Pleas for peace in Iraq
Catholics spend Christmas amid war fears

Nun strives for ‘village of love’ for AIDS victims

Assumption Sister Florence Muia, 45, was in Chicago studying for a master’s degree in pastoral counseling when the calling came to her. Far from her Kenyan homeland, Muia could not ignore the barrage of news about the epidemic of HIV/AIDS in Africa, and the despair felt by many of the epidemic’s victims.