The world is in the grip of an epidemic of infantilism. How else can anyone account for tour parties travelling around the world to gasp in awe at the Weta cave or the newly unveiled model of Smaug the dragon at Wellington Airport? We’re told that The Hobbit pilgrims from overseas burst into tears on Read more
Pope Francis’ transfer of Cardinal Raymond Burke on Saturday from being the Vatican’s “chief justice” to a mere cardinal-protector of the Knights of Malta has intensified yet more irresponsible talk of schism within the Catholic church. And top prize for the person most responsible for being irresponsible goes to none other than the man wearing Read more
We just happen to be Catholics, right? Does it make any difference what we are? Does being Catholic really, ultimately, mean much of anything? “So the power of deception, which is over others’ minds (symbolised by the invisibility given by the Ring), is an essential component to the power over others’ bodies and lives and Read more
This is my long delayed contribution to an occasional series in which MercatorNet contributors discuss some of the books which have changed the way they see the world. It is a mixed and somewhat arbitrary selection of reading that has formed my ideas about life and literature. Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. I Read more
Well just another week to the start of the Advent Season and we who are lucky enough to have a little money to spare or just a little more room on our credit cards are starting to make plans for what we will do to indulge ourselves, our friends and families over this coming Christmas. Read more
Did Brittany Maynard die freely? This is the question that must be asked after the attractive 29-year-old woman with a brain tumour announced earlier in the week that she would probably postpone the assisted suicide she had scheduled for Saturday, November 1. “I still feel good enough, and I still have enough joy — and Read more
I’ve got a soft spot for the Pope. I don’t know why; I’m about as religious as a satsuma. But given that Mum’s an Anglican preacher, my Dad’s an atheist, my brother a Catholic, and my Aunt and Uncle devout Jews, I’ve probably picked up second-hand religious interest somewhere. Anyway, I like him. He seems Read more
I needed Pope Francis. And not only because I’m part of the Catholic Church and we were without a shepherd . . . I mean I needed him because I’m sinful, and broken, and I need a constant reminder of how to be like Christ. I have been awestruck by him from the first moment Read more
Imagine if the pope were invited to address a summit of Protestant leaders, and used the platform to take a swipe at Italy’s tiny Waldensian Protestant church — complaining that it tries to convert Catholics, and demanding that it shut up about the separation of church and state. Protestants would rightly howl about how crude Read more
Book Review: This Changes Everything, Capitalism vs the Climate by Naomi Klein. This is a comprehensive and timely book. Klein says in part one, “If there has ever been a moment to advance a plan to heal the planet that also heals our broken economies and our shattered communities, this is it.” In the introduction Read more