Network for Learning (N4L), which provides fast broadband to schools, says the number of student attempts to access blocked sites more than doubled from 1 billion in the June quarter to 2.2 billion in the three months to September. Read more

Children, teens and vulnerable adults are those the Vatican particularly aims to protect.

Set up following recommendations from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, the website offers a suite of resources.

Among these are Guidelines for Episcopal Conferences and Religious Congregations, along with educational, spiritual, healing and prayer resources.

A best practice Template supports the Guidelines so policies can be developed by local Conferences of Bishops and Religious to fit local contexts.

The Commission's role is also educational.

For example, it is advising bishops and church leaders across the globe about their "responsibility and accountability" for protecting young and vulnerable people from sexual abuse.

The Commission is also ensuring church leaders realise they are accountable for creating a safe culture.

This culture would ensure young and vulnerable people are protected "in all institutions and structures of the Catholic Church".

The Commission says it sees the website as "a useful resource for the Church and all people of good will in our common goal, which is to make our Church and our society a safe home for all."

Although the website is only in English at present, in the longer term it will also be in Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese.

Pope Francis set up the Commission, in 2013 to "promote the protection of the dignity of minors and vulnerable adults." It has no judicial powers.

It is headed by Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston and has 17 members from around the world. Two are clerical sexual abuse survivors.

The Commission's contact details are included on the website.

Although open for use, the new website is defined as a "beta" version. This means it is still being developed and changes can be expected.

Source

• RNS
• America
• Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors
• CNS News
• Image: Vatican Radio

The video relayed footage of gruesome deaths of Islamic State victims who have been beheaded, shot and even burned alive in the Middle East.

"Hacked by Islamic State", the text on the black homepage read on the Our Lady of Mercy Syriac Catholic Church website, based in Concord in Sydney's west.

"We don't negotiate except with cannon, we don't have dialogues except with guns," the text said.

The hack also stated that the group would not stop fighting until it prays "in Rome by Allah's will in a conquest".

The church community affected is mostly from Iraq and Syria.

Parish priest Fr Rahal Dergham told Daily Mail Australia they first felt shock followed by "a big wave of anger and hurt" when they realised their website had been hacked.

"We have our families still under the threat of ISIS and the majority has been hurt, displaced or raped," Fr Dergham said.

"I don't think at this stage we have any fear. We've lost everything.

"They [the church members] feel a big loss has happened.

"We're always hoping that at one stage ISIS would be defeated and we would be back to our towns and churches and monasteries and villages and properties, and business as usual.

"[But] people have lost hope."

He said the church community had been seeking a peaceful way of life.

"Hopefully Australia will always be a safe country and safe home for all of us."

The church's website was restored later on Thursday.

In a Facebook post on Thursday afternoon, the church said they believed the attack had been fuelled by the church's appeal to help and shelter displaced Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

The incident has been reported to Australian authorities.

Last week, four Kosovo citizens were arrested in Italy on suspicion of condoning terrorism after online threats were made against Pope Francis.

The threats included claims that Francis will be the last Pope.

Sources

• Daily Mail Australia
• Catholic News Agency
• Image: Daily Mail Australia

Vatican Radio quoted bank president Ernst von Freyberg that the site will provide information "on our reforms and the things we do in the world and how we support the Church and its mission and charitable works."

The bank, which is officially known as the Institute for Works of Religion, has been the target of investigations by Italian authorities.

Freyberg said he plans to run the bank in line with international norms. "Our task is to run [the bank] in a way that it can respond to international norms, that it is a clean institute and one of service," von Freyberg was quoted as saying.

He said the new measures are aimed at giving Pope Francis the ability to decide the right formula for the bank.

Pope Francis last week said the bank must become "honest and transparent."

The pope made his comments at the end of his first international trip to Brazil for the World Youth Day celebrations.

"I don't know what will become of the bank. Some say it is better that is a bank, others that it should be a charitable fund and others say close it," he said.

"We have to find the solution," Francis said. "But whatever the solution, it must have transparency and honesty. That's the way it must be," he said.

The Vatican earlier confirmed its Financial Information Authority had signed a memorandum of understanding with Italian authorities over the exchange of financial information to combat money laundering in line with international standards.

The Vatican has already signed similar agreements with other countries, including the United States.

Visitors to the Vatican Bank website can read about the bank's 71-year history, how many customers it has (18,900, as of last year), its employees (114), and its net profit for 2012, listed as €86.6m (£75.6m).

Sources

UPI

Chicago Tribune

euronews

The Guardian

Image: AFP/Getty Images/NYT

The news was announced by the bank's new president, Ernst von Freyberg, in a meeting with bank staff.

He said that other documents would also be made public on a special website, and that an "international organisation" would be consulted to oversee that transactions are in accordance with Vatican and international standards.

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