He thinks that some of the vocabulary in the new English translation of the Roman Missal is ill-chosen, but Fr Merv Duffy sm considers that the translators “are right in using the word ‘chalice’ rather than the word ‘cup’ because the symbol we see elevated is something special, rather than something ordinary”. Read Fr Merv Duffy’s Read more
The action of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in taking the US LCWR to task has resulted in vast public support for women religious, while the US Catholic bishops look foolish. This is the opinion of Phyllis Zagano, writing in National Catholic Reporter. She says that according to the CDF, the “women religious Read more
Are over zealous atheists becoming just like the religious fundamentalists that they oppose? There was a time when religion seemed to have the corner on dogmatism and excessive zeal. Now it appears to be sharing a corner with a growing number of shrill over zealous atheists. “Because religion is articulated and administered by human beings, Read more
In today’s youth culture the penalties for taking drugs don’t matter a great deal, because drug-taking has become so normalised in Australia. “Prohibition of drugs is not working”, according to Vivienne Moxham-Hall. She writes that “Often kids won’t know what they are taking or can take very dangerous risks in mixing their drugs. If something goes Read more
In recent times two films, Another Earth and Melancholia, have given sensitive treatment to the subjects of depression and suicide. As well, Nothing Prepared Me For This, has been published. It is a book that brings together the writings of a number of relations and friends of people who have committed suicide. In a recent Read more
It was only after the Protestant Reformation that marriage came to be considered as a civil institution. The early Christians understood marriage to be a union between one man a one woman. It was not a contract or a financial arrangement but a sacred union that reflected God’s love. “Christ turned the accepted cultural norms Read more
In the view of the Vatican, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the US has espoused “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.” Disagreements between American nuns and the hierarchy of the Church are part of US Church history, according to Anne M. Butler. In an article in the New York Times, Ms Read more
Various institutions within the American church have been of concern to the US bishops over the past few years — and now it is the turn of the Girl Scouts. In a recent article, Joan Chittister writes that the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Catholic Charities in the US, Caritas, and now the Girl Scouts, Read more
Is there a problem with how media cover race issues? A recent TV programme featured a Northland man, Wikatana Popata, talking about a hikoi in protest about the Government’s proposed asset sales last month. Popata made the most of his air time and said he had “had enough of Pakeha”, and wanted the Treaty of Waitangi Read more
Bert Potter died without expressing sorrow for the ways in which he damaged many young people. Rosemary McLeod describes him as “a warning to whoever seeks a personal sage – and avoidance of reality – that you’ll most likely end up knee-deep in something disgusting”. As McLeod sees it, giving such people guru status means Read more