“You believe in God? Jesus!” The irony was lost on my friend. The only funny thing he’d picked up on was that I could believe in God. I get it. As a leftie, organic pasta, and free-the-gay-whale type, people tend to think I’m atheist. At a stretch, I’m middle class enough to be a casual Buddhist Read more
At our school we have a motto; ‘Opere Et Veritate’ or ‘In word and in deed.’ It calls on us as students to put our words into actions, a concept that seems simple but often is not undertaken. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, or Pope Francis as we know him, has been dubbed by not only the Read more
It’s what they talk about in movies and soap operas; 15-years-old, Catholic and pregnant. The daughter of a well known policeman, to the son of a well known Catholic school principal. The shame. The embarrassment. The scandal. Well, that was me, the 15-year-old girl, and from the moment I snuck to the doctors to have Read more
It was a gift first thing in the morning. I noticed on my Facebook newsfeed a story about an Sr Cristina Scuccia, an Italian member of the Ursuline Sisters of the Holy Family, and her stunning performance of “No One” (originally by Alicia Keys) on the Italian version of the popular tv show, The Voice. Her Read more
Thank God for Fred Phelps. That’s what I say, of the controversial, hate-mongering founder of the Westboro Baptist Church. But something tells me Fred Phelps already thanked God plenty of times for Fred Phelps, given the two were on such apparently close terms. After all, it was Phelps who so graciously enlightened the rest of Read more
While pro-Russian and pro-Western media have been spinning the Crimea crisis as either a heroic exercise in righting a past wrong or a land grab by a new Hitler, the legal position is far from straightforward. Crimea was once an independent Tatar khanate, captured by Russia in the 18th century. The Tatars were deported by Read more
When the head of an international religious order visited Japan many years ago, I was asked to be his translator. One evening at a convent of the order, the superior greeted a large group of nuns, saying what a pleasure it was to be with them for the visitation (shisatsu). I thought I had turned Read more
Lent will see churches crowded across the globe. But here in Syria, where St Paul found his faith, many churches stand empty, targets for bombardment and desecration. Aleppo, where I have been bishop for 25 years, is devastated. We have become accustomed to the daily dose of death and destruction, but living in such uncertainty Read more
St Patrick is one of a handful of Christian saints, along with Mary, Valentine and Francis, that is celebrated in popular culture. His feast day is commemorated with supermarket meat sales, green rivers, green beer, and (my favourite) parades. But who was the real St Patrick? Most people know that the missionary Patrick (Patricius or Pádraig) Read more
Yesterday I read through one or two suggestions for Lent that left me reeling. I really don’t think Lent is about giving up or taking on more, as such; rather, it’s about seeking God with more intensity of focus than we manage at other times. To do that we need simplicity— and we have become Read more