Some people have been irritated by the near adulation of Steve Jobs by Apple lovers. Since his death last week there have been an avalanche of blogs. Paul Vallely says. “Think different is the Apple slogan. Ironically, there was a pretty undifferentiated consensus in the tributes being paid to him. Eulogies likened him to Edison and Read more
The Catholic Church’s position on capital punishment has evolved considerably over the centuries. And as a result, “it is not a message that is immediately understood — that there is no room for supporting the death penalty in today’s world,” said a Vatican’s expert on capital punishment and arms control. Because the church has only Read more
This account of living with disability highlights this month’s focus on respecting life. Sarah is in Year 4 at St Patrick’s Kilbirnie and her story tells of a danger many people with disability face, that of being known only for their condition rather than as people who live with a disability: “My condition is called Read more
The daughter of murdered Wellington man Donald Stewart hopes his teenage killer will be rehabilitated in prison. Connor Rewha Te Wara, 15, pleaded guilty to murdering Mr Stewart, 74, on June 27 last year. Te Wara was just 14-year-old when he and his associates – Ben Purua, then 15, and William Frederick Izett, then 17, Read more
You might consider Associated Press reporter Tom Breen to be the anti-William Lobdell. Breen recently told me he eventually became a weekly Mass attendee after educating himself on the Catholic abuse scandals for his journalism job. His story is quite the opposite from Lobdell, whose work on the religion beat at the Los Angeles Times Read more
Brooke Fraser is about to get down and dirty in Ethiopia for a cause close to her heart. The Kiwi songwriter, who this week completes a Flags-raising tour of Europe, will return to Africa to visit as many of the Charity Water birthday-funded (she raised US$65,000) projects as possible. ”I recently received a satellite image Read more
The current battles over the fate of thousands of babies conceived via in vitro fertilization would confound even King Solomon. Sensational news reports surrounding the $180,000 price tag for Ukrainian black-market babies shocked the determinedly secular segments of society, and few remain unmoved by the story of the FBI’s round-up of “baby-brokers.” Beyond the initial Read more
It probably says something about the low-key nature of a papal trip when its biggest news flash involves the shooting off of an air gun – not even a real gun, mind you – two hours before the pontiff’s arrival, in the vague direction of two security agents stationed in the central square of Erfurt Read more
Those expressing concern that video surveillance law might be passed without appropriate public scrutiny need to understand that the Justice and Electoral Select Committee has already examined the issue and heard numerous public and expert submissions on it, Police Association President Greg O’Connor said. “The Search and Surveillance Bill was introduced in 2009 following the Read more
In an interview with Anthony Gaspari of Zenit the Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza touches on all the issues that will certainly emerge during the Papal visit to Germany. He comments on women’s ordination, the influence of the Vatican, ecumenism, celibacy and vocations. Is the ordination of women to be considered Read more