On the 30th anniversary of the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II, historian Lucetta Scaraffia says that the late Pope believed the crime had a “profound meaning” in salvation history. He worked to shift attention towards this “transcendent reality” to find “the real reason for the event.” Bl. John Paul II’s critical stance towards Read more
Led by two academics at Oxford University, the £1.9 million study found that human thought processes were “rooted” to religious concepts. But people living in cities in highly developed countries were less likely to hold religious beliefs than those living a more rural way of life, the researchers found. The project involved 57 academics in Read more
Religious leaders are hailing Queen Elizabeth II’s historic state visit to Ireland this week as a sign of reconciliation following centuries of sectarian hatred and violence. They hope it will help heal divisions. Arriving in Dublin on 17 May for a four-day visit, the queen will be the first British monarch to set foot in Read more
In Rome and in Catholic circles around the world, a question is quietly circulating which only Pope Benedict XVI can answer: What to do about Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Pope John Paul II’s former Secretary of State, who still holds the post of Dean of the College of Cardinals? Were Benedict to die today, it would Read more
When the Vatican released a report last week calling man-made climate change “serious and potentially irreversible” and advocating aggressive action to curb emissions, it stirred up old divisions within the U.S. faith community over whether human activity can affect creation and what should be done about it. It is a question that divides people of Read more
As word got out that Osama bin Laden had been killed by a Navy SEAL strike team in Pakistan, television and the Internet quickly began to feature images of spontaneous celebrations outside the White House and at ground zero in New York. Just as quickly, blogs and social media pages such as Facebook began to Read more
Considering the fact that they are elected to lead people in prayer, mission and good works, surprisingly few popes have been beatified or canonized, especially in the last 500 years. From St. Peter to Pope Benedict XVI, there have been 265 popes; 78 of them are saints, and Pope John Paul II’s beatification brought to Read more
When Christine Yarzabek, a first-grade teacher in Hershey, Pa., heard that Osama bin Laden had been shot and killed, she was at a loss. “9/11 happened before my students were even born,” she said. “It makes it hard to truly tell them in an appropriate way what is going on.” Yarzabek teaches 22 six-year-olds from Read more
A couple of years ago, as his fellow psychologists debated whether narcissism was increasing, Nathan DeWall heard Rivers Cuomo singing to a familiar 19th-century melody. Mr. Cuomo, the lead singer and guitarist for the rock band Weezer, billed the song as “Variations on a Shaker Hymn.” Where 19th-century Shakers had sung ” ‘Tis the gift Read more
The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Richard Chartres KCVO, Bishop of London delivered the Address at the wedding of the Prince William and Catherine Middleton. His address focussed on the spiritual growth of a married couple, saying that the spiritual life grows as love centres beyond ourselves. “The more we give of self, the Read more