In March 2020l, Lockdown happened so fast, it felt like an emotional earthquake. Nothing like it had happened to this country. We didn’t know how to react. Understanding this, our leaders knew they needed to give daily broadcasts. Those updates held us together. We tuned in each day to Covid news that finished with a Read more
Pope Francis’s little document Spiritus Domini is a most welcome development and a very interesting small brick in his larger pastoral edifice dedicated to implementing the reforms mandated over half a century ago by Vatican II. While some have presented Spiritus Domini as no more than giving formality to what has been common practice in some Read more
Since the beginning of COVID-19, Pope Francis has regularly reiterated his extreme concern for the sick, their loved ones and those who care for them. He’s also insisted that the world and the societies that gave rise to this pandemic must “heal globally”. To help in the effort towards developing a global response, the pope Read more
In what’s being hailed as a demonstration that Pope Francis is in earnest about empowering women within ecclesiastical structures, on Feb. 5, for the first time ever, the pontiff named a woman as the Promoter of Justice for the Appeals Court of the Vatican City State. In effect, the Promoter of Justice functions like a Read more
When we read the Gospels as a parable, they bring new meaning to us, and this is especially so in the holy seasons of Advent and Easter. In prayer, we are now with Mary and the angel. Gabriel does not appear to us like something from a medieval painting, but we are aware of a Read more
Christmas time 1973 I was a newly-arrived seminarian in Japan. It was my first-ever Christmas away from home. The “economic miracle” of the country’s post-war recovery was in full swing. Before the end of the decade, a best-selling book would tout Japan as Number One. However, the miracle was not yet complete, even in the Read more
COVID-19 safety measures and social distancing have put further strain on many Catholic churches and parishes that have already seen their flocks dwindling. While many still hope things will go back to “normal” once a vaccine is widely available, one researcher is asking a tough question: “What if they never come back?” Dan Cellucci, CEO Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the way most Catholics around the world are used to worshiping, having led to measures ranging from outright bans on physical gatherings to limits on the size and behaviour of congregations. The various restrictions have raised numerous theological, liturgical and spiritual questions. And the Holy See and the local Churches Read more
There can be little doubt that the experience of being a Catholic in 2020 – the year of COVID-19 – has marked our experience and our habits profoundly and changed the way we shape and imagine our belonging to the Church. But there is an additional element to consider – the impact of these new Read more
Dealing with the impact of sexual abuse has been largely outsourced by the Church. Now an initiative is being launched, with the support of Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, taking a fresh pastoral approach to the welfare of survivors “You took away my faith”; “The Church cheated me out of my relationship Read more