Steve Jobs, “Saint” or “exploiter”? A wise life guru like Saint Ignatius of Loyola or an avaricious man, who could not have cared less about the poor – like the rich man in Luke’s Gospel? Despite being a Buddhist, Steve Jobs became a central figure in Catholic debate. He has even caused the Society of Read more
‘Just before Christmas, the Dutch announced that they are considering mobile units to kill people in their own homes. 1,000 of the 4,000 euthanasia deaths in Holland each year are now done without the patient’s consent,’ writes Lord Alton. The New Year is ushered in by Father Time, who derives from the Greek God Chronos, more Read more
A British writer just back from a monastic retreat says it occurred to him, while on retreat, that the modern welfare system could learn a lot from the abbeys. Until the Reformation, the monastery offered alms to the poor and somewhere for people fleeing tyranny to hide. Post Reformation, the safety net was undone and Read more
I’ve said this so often I probably ought to have it printed on T-shirts: the most important Catholic story of our time is the demographic shift from the global north to the south, with two-thirds of the Catholics in the world today living in the southern hemisphere, a share that will rise to three-quarters by Read more
The proliferation of excommunications in recent years is sapping the energy out of that formerly most-feared weapon in the church’s quiver. Once upon a time, excommunication was seen as a virtual death penalty to the soul of the unfortunate recipient. And in the Middle Ages, it could lead to a literal death sentence for the Read more
This report, authored by Richard Herr and Anthony Bergin, suggests that with rising Chinese influence in the region, the US appears to doubt that Australia can deliver on South Pacific issues. The Pacific Island members of the United Nations now meet under the rubric of the Pacific Small Islands Developing States that excludes Australia. The Melanesian Read more
Next month will mark the 10-year anniversary of the explosion of the sexual abuse crisis, triggered by a January 2002 article in the Boston Globe on Fr. John Geoghan, accused of abusing more than 130 children over a 30-year career. (Geoghan was killed in prison in August 2003.) Geoghan remains an appalling symbol of the Read more
Religious Studies is a vitally important, though neglected area of education. Religions underpin the cultural and philosophical heritages which shape our current worldviews. If we are to understand the various cultures of today’s world, we need to know something of the worldviews and values that underlie them. In addition, an understanding of ways in which Read more
Next Sunday, Dave and Michelle Mollard from Palmerston North and their children will travel to Delhi in India to undertake missionary and aid work for 14 months. They will work with children and orphans in the slums of India. Their work will include teaching English to street kids. Read about them in the Manawatu Standard Read more
In the big tent we like to believe the church is, we recognize that tensions exist, that viewpoints differ and that different groups approach the Gospel imperative from different sets of priorities. Tensions exist within any big family, and disagreements too are part of family life. In the best of circumstances disagreements can be learning Read more