Compass

The life and legacy of outgoing Pope Benedict XVI who surprised the world by resigning after less than eight years at the helm of the Catholic Church.

As the world waits for Benedict XVI's successor Australian Catholics are considering what they'd like from their new Pope.

St Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland, is also one of the world's most popular saints, but does his life live up to his legend?

A bold new approach is harnessing the power of the bystander to put an end to cyberbullying.

Horses and humans traumatised by the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria are finding comfort in each other, thanks to an innovative therapy program.

From the Vatican in Rome, Geraldine Doogue tells the story of Pope Francis's election, and looks ahead to the challenges he now faces as leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Survival and success, the stories of Jewish families who lost everything in WW2 and rebuilt their lives from scratch here in Australia.

Is donating one of your kidneys an inspirational act of kindness or a naïve and irrational gesture?

Compass tells the story of six bells rescued from Wales about to be installed in a Sydney church in time for its centenary celebrations... St. Leonard’s Catholic Church in Naremburn turns 100 this year and, for the first time in its busy history, bells will be ringing in the mass.

The story of two unlikely friendships that might never have formed if not for a groundbreaking scheme... Called “Best Buddies”, the program matches up disabled and non-disabled students and has had growing success in NSW public high schools.

Six different faiths, six young Australians- What will happen when they switch lives for two weeks?

Six different faiths, six young Australians- What will happen when they switch lives for two weeks?

Six different faiths, six young Australians. What will happen when they switch lives for two weeks?

On his 60th birthday Australian clown and mime Jean-Paul Bell leads a travelling circus troupe to Nepal to perform for school children in remote villages, only to find he’s taken on more than he bargained.

The extraordinary story of one of Britain's fastest-growing religious groups, and its eccentric creator.

Compass sets off deep into the Australian desert to join a camel trek for Muslims.

When it comes to offering a helping hand to those in need Australians are among the most generous in the world, but why are our wealthy are among the most reluctant when it comes to giving money?

A new breed of fashion designers is turning heads on the Australian catwalk catering to Muslim women eager for cutting edge designs better suited to our lifestyle and climate ... For women in particular; dress is an integral part of Muslim life: it embodies a moral and behavioural code dating back to Islam’s earliest days. Dress-codes vary from country to culture, but modesty remains the cornerstone. Now Australian Muslim designers, weary of black synthetic imports, are reinterpreting modest fashion with their own stylish, versatile and distinctive garments specifically tailored for Australia’s lifestyle and climate. As the countdown to Ramadan begins, Compass follows several upcoming designers preparing for the busiest time on the Muslim calendar.

Geraldine Doogue talks to Australian singer-songwriter Archie Roach about his journey of survival and transformation. One of the Stolen Generations, Archie Roach survived a turbulent upbringing to develop into a powerful voice for Indigenous Australians. More recently he’s experienced the death of his soul-mate Ruby Hunter, and two life-threatening illnesses. All have hit him hard. But he’s transcended these crises emerging with a renewed spirit, love and joy for life, and a new album featuring Gospel music for the first time. To mark the start of NAIDOC Week 7 – 14 July (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Compass charts Archie Roach’s story.

In this series Compass revisits radical religious and social movements in Australia’s recent past, exploring their impact and legacy. Episode 1 - The Hare Krishna movement arrived in the West in the 1960s, at the height of the youth revolution. Temples and farming communities soon sprang up around the world. Chandra and Dhara were raised communally on Australia’s biggest Hare Krishna farm in northern NSW, where – contrary to popular myth - devotees lead a highly disciplined life as strict vegetarians, abstaining from drugs, alcohol, gambling and illicit sex, while worshipping Krishna, their supreme God, through prolonged chanting. So, who joined the Hares and why? And, where are they now?

In this series Compass revisits radical religious and social movements in Australia’s recent past, exploring their impact and legacy. Episode 2 - Charismatics believe through God they can heal the sick, receive signs and speak directly to God in a special language ... 40 years ago a radical new religious movement erupted in Australia and one of its flag-bearers was Harry Westcott, a Methodist preacher from Canberra, who had an experience of God so powerful, it transformed him and his style of ministry. Charismatic renewal attracted tens of thousands of Christians, giving them a new and deeper sense of God, and transformed parts of the Anglican, Catholic and Protestant churches. But within 20 years it was over... So what was the Charismatic Movement? Why did it burst onto our scene when it did? And, whatever happened to Harry Westcott?

In this series Compass revisits radical religious and social movements in Australia’s recent past, exploring their impact and legacy. Episode 3 - The first Kibbutz was founded in Israel just over 100 years ago. A radical socialist experiment, it combined communal living and Zionist philosophy with the aim of “making the desert bloom”. Soon there were dozens, and training farms were set up in countries like Australia, to prepare young people for the physical hardship of kibbutz life where - in exchange for outdoor manual labour – volunteers were provided with food, shelter, education and medical care. In the late 60s and 70s many young Australians, Jewish and non-Jewish, went to Israel to join a Kibbutz. Why did they go? How has the experience shaped their lives? And, do Kibbutzim still operate? Compass finds out.

In this series Compass revisits radical religious and social movements in Australia’s recent past, exploring their impact and legacy. Episode 4 - The Girl Guides began in Britain 100 years ago when a band of girls gate-crashed a Boy Scouts Rally in London demanding a group of their own. The movement spread worldwide and in its Australian heyday boasted 80 000 members helping shape a whole generation of girls, now women. Today Girl Guides still go camping and learn outdoor skills, but they are also focused on climate change, poverty, body image and preventing bullying. And, among its newer members are young Muslim girls. So, what values lie at the heart of this 100 year old girls-own group? In a time of gender equality, where anything’s possible for a modern Australian girl, what is its enduring appeal?

In this series Compass revisits radical religious and social movements in Australia’s recent past, exploring their impact and legacy. Episode 5 - In the ‘70s and ‘80s followers of “sex-guru” Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh stood out in Australia with their bright orange clothes and unusual names. Combining eastern mysticism and western capitalism, the Bhagwan urged devotees to explore sex as a path to enlightenment, and many devotees gave up everything to join his ashram in India, then later in America. But when the controversial movement imploded in a cloud of corruption and murder allegations, almost overnight the Orange people seemed to disappear Who were the ‘Orange People’? What persuaded people to join? And, are they still around? Compass finds out.

In this series Compass revisits radical religious and social movements in Australia’s recent past, exploring their impact and legacy. Episode 6 - Freemasons arrived in Australia with the First Fleet and up until quite recently were shrouded in secrecy and tightly maintained traditions. Freemasonry is not a religion, but members must believe in a supreme being, and in its heyday most were either Protestants or Jews. Catholics were forbidden by their church from joining. Now, faced with declining membership, the Freemasons have had to relax some of their rules and reinvent themselves. So, what does this silent band of brothers actually do? Are they viable anymore? If so, who belongs and why?

Compass explores resilience through two remarkable stories of survival. Chance and Ann were both struck down in their 30’s by freak accidents. Ann was horribly burnt in the Ash Wednesday bush fires 30 years ago. Chance has just broken his neck and is facing life as a quadriplegic. How have they coped with severe pain and adversity? What has helped get them through? And, is religious belief an asset or a liability? Through their journeys, Compass examines the human capacity to survive. To find out more about Chance Burns’ journey to recovery you can visit his website http://chanceburns.com.au/

As demand for Foster Carers in Australia increases, Compass meets several foster families to learn about the challenges and rewards fostering can bring. Almost 40-thousand Australian children live in ‘out-of-home-care’, but already there aren’t enough foster homes to go around. Now, foster care providers in NSW are reaching out to previously untapped families; gay couples and single parents among them. So what does it take to be a foster parent? Who currently welcomes foster kids - many of whom have suffered abuse or neglect - into their homes and lives? Why do they do it, and what are the rewards? At the start of “Foster Care Week” Compass finds out. For further information about Foster Care in your state…. www.benevolent.org.au www.anglicare.org.au NSW: Fostering NSW www.fosteringnsw.com.au or enquiry line: 1800 236 783 VIC: Foster Care Hotline: 1800 013 088 www.fosterabrighterfuture.com.au QLD: Foster Care Recruitment: 1300 550 877 TAS: Recruitment Line: 1800 732 522 WA: Foster Recruitment: 1800 182 178 www.childprotection.wa.gov.au SA: Foster Recruitment: http://www.sa.gov.au/subject/Community+support/Carers/Foster+care ACT: Centralised Intake Service: 1300 556 729 NT: Foster Care: 1800 814 599 Supplied by Association of Children's Welfare Agencies www.acwa.asn.au

In this series Geraldine Doogue invites Muslims, Jews and Christians to dinner to explore what they believe and why? 50 years ago in Australia God knew best, and religion was part of everyday life. Today religious institutions are under scrutiny and belief is considered by some to be irrelevant. So, what’s in it for those who remain true to their faith? In Episode 1, Assad Karem, Maha Sukkar, Mohammed El-Ieissy, Noha Sayed and Susan Carland talk about what being a Muslim means to them, how their faith informs their lives and the challenges they face in a post 9/11 world.

In this series Geraldine Doogue invites Muslims, Jews and Christians to dinner to explore what they believe and why? 50 years ago in Australia God knew best, and religion was part of everyday life. Today religious institutions are under scrutiny and belief is considered by some to be irrelevant. So, what’s in it for those who remain true to their faith? In Episode 2, Bram Presser, Timmy Rubin, Mark Baker and Ronni Kahn talk about how their faith has informed their values, what makes ‘a good Jew’, the role of women in Judaism, and the contentious Israeli-Palestinian divide.

In this series Geraldine Doogue invites Muslims, Jews and Christians to dinner to explore what they believe and why? 50 years ago in Australia God knew best, and religion was part of everyday life. Today religious institutions are under scrutiny and belief is considered by some to be irrelevant. So, what’s in it for those who remain true to their faith? In Episode 3, Kristina Keneally, Christopher Geraghty, Thomas Wilson and Mary-Clare Meney - talk about what God means to them, how their faith informs their lives, what makes ‘a good Catholic’, and how they reconcile their Catholic identity with the shame of the sexual abuse crisis that has engulfed their church.world.

When disaster strikes, what determines who lives and who dies? Does luck, chance, Karma or God decide our fate? And, do those who survive owe any debt for their lives? Compass explores how survivors of two very different disasters have made sense of what happened to them. Hanabeth Luke was 22 when she survived the Bali Bombing, but the love of her life - who was just metres away from her on the dance floor of the Sari Club – did not. Josh & Gabby Magnus and their sons, Eli and Zac, were in Thailand on Boxing Day 2004 when the tsunami hit their holiday resort. They survived, but more than 230,000 in the region did not. How has their survival impacted on their lives? And, have their religious beliefs played a role in their extraordinary experiences?

The story of an unlikely friendship between a young Afghan asylum seeker and a 71 year old Australian pensioner. Mary is a Christian who lives in a poor rural municipality outside Hobart in Tasmania. When the government opens a new detention centre nearby Mary is bitterly opposed to the arrival of its mostly Muslim detainees. But when her local knitting club is asked to make winter beanies for the asylum seekers, she embarks on a journey of friendship that finds her questioning long-held beliefs and prejudices.