In preparing to come to Antarctica, I had been told this was the most secular continent in the world, filled with scientists on a mission for discovery. But for those who are looking for spirituality, there is a lot to be discovered here too. I have spent three weeks at the South Pole Station with Read more
The past week has seen the nascent leadership contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister of Scotland turn nasty. The Scottish National Party is a broad church, it turns out, but some of its members seem to be finding difficulty in accepting that its breadth of opinion extends to traditional forms of Christianity. The Read more
Pope Francis marks the 10th anniversary of his election on March 13 having outlasted the conservative opposition that failed to bring him down and which is now at a crossroads, seeking new direction following the deaths of two of its figureheads. The conservative-progressive divide has been a recurrent theme of the past 10 years, since Read more
How can you be a scientist? Don’t you believe in the Bible? I was asked these questions after introducing myself and my major at a Bible Study my sophomore year in college. I sat there confused for a few minutes before answering. I am currently at the South Pole Station in Antarctica with the IceCube Read more
We do not know what the final result of the Synod on synodality will be. But we already know that the synodal process is a crucial moment in making real the transition from a Eurocentric Catholic Church to a global Catholic Church. We are now in a crucial moment of the multi-stage process that will Read more
Could the Roman Catholic Church be ready to reconsider its prohibition of the use of contraception? The fact that prominent Catholic conservatives have felt the need to speak out against such a possibility gives some grounds for thinking that, within the Church itself, and under the protection of Pope Francis, a movement for change is Read more
“Oh, what sorrow to have watched three of my parishioners shot dead in cold blood, right before my eyes — and I couldn’t do anything,” Nigerian parish priest Father Bako Francis Awesuh, 37, shared in a new Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) report published Friday. “I couldn’t pray because of the shock I Read more
Is John Paul II really a saint? It may sound like a strange question, given that he was canonized in 2014. But it is one that some people are asking after a Polish television broadcast an investigative report that criticized the late pope for his alleged mishandling of clergy sex abuse cases from 1964-1978 when Read more
The next six months are likely to be a bumpy road on the way to Rome where the first of two Synod assemblies on the very issue of synodality will take place this coming October. This gathering, and a second one in October 2024, are the culmination of the Synodal Path on which Pope Francis Read more
March 7 was Census day in Aotearoa, our five-yearly opportunity to (according to the 2023 census website) “represent ourselves, our families, whānau, communities, and cultures.” I’m reminded of the Bible censuses, especially the one early in Luke providing the reason that Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem. In recent years our NZ national census Read more