It is proverbial wisdom that ‘One picture is worth a thousand words.’ That is certainly true of the picture above – it is worth many thousands of words as we approach the synod in October. Dare I say it, it is worth a thousand of the numbered statements in Denzinger! Please study the picture closely. Read more
Jan-Anders Pettersson struck a note of humility when describing attendance at Pentecostal Jönköping, a church in this downtown near the shore of Lake Vattern. “Unfortunately, it is summer so we only have 1,200 or so in church on Sunday!” he said. Normally, 2,400 people might attend a worship service in the large sanctuary. On this Read more
Rachael Clinton Chen believes that we are seeing “an apocalyptic unveiling” of abuse committed by faith leaders. And it’s not hard to see why: In the past decade, a slew of once-revered Christian leaders have been exposed for sexual violence or sexual misconduct: Ravi Zacharias, Bill Hybels, Jean Vanier, former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, and too Read more
It was encouraging to see the leaders of the men’s and women’s religious congregations in France this past week call for a re-evaluation of the language they use in their communities, especially in how they describe and address those who – like themselves – hold positions of authority. Their reason for wanting to modify certain Read more
On 11 October 1962, the Second Vatican Council opened, and a year later, Sacrosanctum concilium changed the Church’s liturgy. It was expected by most of the bishops that it would ratify a series of documents prepared by the curia covering a raft of issues – but in essence, this was seen as an exercise in Read more
The small marble table from a Roman-era home was adorned with carved acanthus leaves and the body of Dionysus. When I saw it in the archaeological museum of Thessaloniki, Greece, I broke down crying, though I had no idea why. Several months later, while giving a talk for my diocese about Scripture and the Eucharist Read more
For the last two decades critics have seen Working for Families (WFF) as discriminatory, poorly designed, far too complex and woefully ineffective in addressing the worst child poverty. In 2004, CPAG explained what was so wrong in a publication called Cut Price Kids and has been campaigning to fix WFF ever since. After the WEAG Read more
You may not think about it. You may not pray about it. You may not even know about it. But like it or not, if you’ve been baptized, God is calling you to be a prophet! “A prophet? Who me?” That’s right, a prophet. And yes, you! Now just because you probably don’t predict the Read more
The story of women’s participation in the Christian church in the two millennia since the resurrection of Jesus Christ has been one of ambivalence. Scholars have written widely about the role women have played in establishing the early church but who were silenced before the end of the first century of the Common era. Through Read more
Catholic schools are the jewel in the crown of the church in Australia. While parishes continue to decline, the school sector is often booming. The contrast between ageing congregations and young students is stark. Equally striking is the contrast between relatively youthful school staff and ageing church leaders. Twelve months ago, with the Plenary Council Read more