Oct. 11 was the International Day of the Girl Child, a day to empower young girls and promise them a better future. However, today, I am sorry to say to girls that I do not have good news for you. You have grown up with the promise of a better future. Throughout your life, you Read more
This memo is a twofer, offering both a lively story theme to pursue and an issue that is now affecting the work of every stylebook and copy editor in the American media. An older campaign by feminists, including those working in the world of liturgy, sought to shun male pronouns — particularly when either gender Read more
The decision by the Rolling Stones to remove their 1971 song Brown Sugar from the set list for their upcoming US tour has drawn both praise and criticism. Read by some as a surrender to the “woke brigade” and by others as a reasonable response to the accusation the lyrics glorify “slavery, rape, torture and Read more
Pope Francis knows how to cause a stir with his statements. But even when the current Bishop of Rome says things that should not be newsworthy, they are objectively relevant in the context of the embattled Catholic Church of today. One example: the pope recently said that the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) shaped his theological Read more
The temple is emptier than it should be. The idols are alone. The country is in lockdown to manage the delta outbreak, and all the worshippers at Sri Venkateswara, a Hindu temple in Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt, are at home. Online, though, the bells are ringing. A priest chants prayers on the Facebook livestream, and for Read more
When Pope Francis met with the Archbishop of Paris and other French bishops at the end of September, he observed on the matter of the then-forthcoming report on sex abuse in the church of France: “Look the truth in the face.” It is not only the hierarchy that is now doing so, but all of Read more
When faced with the terminal suffering of someone you love, almost nothing else matters. I understand the pain. The renewed debate about voluntary assisted dying in NSW is personal for me – my mother died earlier this year following a battle with a terrible disease over a number of years. There were days when I Read more
With birthday celebrations being downsized, religious services moving back online and indoor playdates getting cancelled, millions of people are having fewer social interactions because of persistently high case numbers and high rates of transmission. It’s not just interactions with friends and families that are getting cut. Routine yet beneficial interactions with people at fitness and Read more
Life is full of ironies. And life in the Church is no different. In fact, this past week we just witnessed a bit of irony that stretched right across the Atlantic Ocean, though most people seem to have missed it. On October 4, as English Archbishop Arthur Roche had just finished giving his first major Read more
When the Catholic Church officially addresses the question of whether women can be ordained to the priesthood, as it did in “Ordinatio Sacerdotalis,” the answer is generally something along the lines of: “It can’t be done.” To the modern ear that “can’t” is jarring. After all, the history of humanity is very much a history Read more