Anything that authenticates, makes visible and validates women’s ministry will help women take their rightful place in the Church says Kate Bell, a theologian and catechist. She made the comment on Flashes of Insight, a conversation between herself, and fellow theologians, Fiona Dyball, Elizabeth Young and Jo Ayers. The women discussed the newly approved ministries Read more
The first phase of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s four-stage “pathway out of the COVID-19 pandemic”, announced on Friday, focuses on vaccinating as many Australians as possible, while halving the cap on international arrivals. Morrison expects phase one, which we’re currently in, to be in place until 2022. But he said it’s hard to give a Read more
On the campaign trail last year, Ardern raised eyebrows when she blithely told journalists she expected “wide support” for expanding existing hate-speech laws to include religion. When asked whether sexual orientation, age or disability could be included, she said, “Yeah.” The Prime Minister, who had just unveiled a memorial plaque at Christchurch’s Al Noor mosque, Read more
His story doesn’t begin with a stranger in shadow-black darkening the door of his log cabin, but it is the first thing he mentions. It was the day in 1955 the priest came with papers in hand and the determination to steal away Dave Rundle, 10, and his brother Lawrence, 5, from their parents and Read more
Ordinary Time. Lent and Easter well behind us, the Church is in Ordinary Time. Looking up the definition of the word ‘ordinary’ in the Oxford Dictionary its says “not interesting or exceptional; what is commonplace or standard.” Nothing really to write home about. The liturgical colour chosen for “ordinary time” is green and maybe here Read more
With a few months to the first session of the long-awaited Australian Plenary Council (PC2020), we are finally headed down the home stretch. The initial phase of listening drew nearly 220,000 people across Australia and 17,500 individual and group submissions. These submissions were distilled into the six national theme papers and then further distilled again Read more
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recently approved drafting a document on receiving Holy Communion in the Catholic Church. It will include a section regarding standards for politicians and public figures who support laws allowing abortion, euthanasia and other “moral evils.” The proposed document has already caused controversy. The Vatican has warned against exclusively Read more
I don’t remember most of Autumn, because I lost my mind late in the summer and for a long time after that, I wasn’t in my body. I was a lightbulb buzzing somewhere far. After the doctor told me I was dying, and after the man I married said he didn’t love me anymore, I Read more
Synods, seen by Pope Francis and many to be inclusive, have the possibility of becoming exclusive. The signs of hope that Synods hold for women and those within the Church who want to see change may deliver the opposite. The warning comes from involved and committed Catholic women in a conversation on Flashes of Insight. Read more
The discovery of potentially hundreds of unmarked graves near former residential schools in B.C. and Saskatchewan has prompted calls for the Catholic Church, which ran dozens of the institutions across the country, to release its records. Last week, the Cowessess First Nation announced the preliminary discovery of 751 unmarked graves at the former Marieval Indian Residential School. Read more