The Catholic Church has had little trouble finding its way onto the front pages of Australian newspapers in recent weeks and months, though it’s usually been — not unlike many other Western countries — to report on something related to the sexual abuse of minors. With two state inquiries and a national Royal Commission all Read more
I caught a segment of Campbell Live (Monday 10th June). John Campbell was sharing the stories of Christchurch’s most vulnerable living in caravans and sub-standard accommodation. He was also following up these stories – demanding we listen, demanding we act. By the end of the half-hour episode, many had offered support and accommodation. My faith Read more
Getting any kind of help from Jesus didn’t seem likely when I was propelled onto a praying exploration by my friend Marcia’s decision to go on pilgrimage. Neither did I expect preaching at a local church, an unusual experience for me these days, the preaching and the going to church, to be a tipping point. The gospel I Read more
When Justin Middling slumped to the floor during a university lecture, his peers thought he was mucking around. The 33-year old was dying. By the time his friends realised he was not joking, by the time paramedics navigated the stairs to the lecture theatre and by the time they got him to hospital, he was Read more
A Mormon missionary has produced a striking guide to serving in New Zealand, describing Kiwis as “earthy, raw, straight-shooting, irreverent, hilarious, and caring folk”. Missionary Gina Colvin, in a blog on a major Mormon website, also took shots at her own Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints and the way Americans see the Read more
According to doctors as many as one in five Australians has a problem with substance use and and many of those people will develop an addiction.The annual cost to the community is estimated at $50 billion. That is more each year than the entire National Broadband Network is predicted to cost to build over 10 Read more
First of all, I would like to congratulate Pope Francis I on his election, becoming the first South American to head the Vatican. Although the Church has been having some serious trouble over the last decade with numerous scandals and harsh although often warranted criticism, I feel his election is an appropriate step in the Read more
WASHINGTON – You wanted Father Andrew Greeley as your friend and not your enemy. You got the sense he was born with his fists up and his loyalties fully formed. He was ready to do battle at the first signs of disrespect toward those he cared about. Understanding Greeley, the priest, sociologist and novelist who Read more
The trouble with the godstuff is that you can spend an awful lot of time wrestling with things that make no apparent sense. Like this prayer exploration I’ve been tangling with after my friend Marcia asked me to pray for her before merrily tripping off on pilgrimage. Prayer has always been a mystery to me, which you Read more
In June 1973 Juan Perón, the 77-year-old former Argentinian president, came home to Buenos Aires from exile in Franco’s Spain after an absence of 18 years. That same year Father Jorge Bergoglio of the Society of Jesus became the head of Argentina’s Jesuits at the age of 36. One day he would become pope. Perón Read more