Sabrina Hodak grew up in a Modern Jewish Orthodox family but only truly embraced Judaism at age 16, around the same time she understood she was bisexual. It was an upsetting and confusing time, because the same religious mentors who helped her strengthen her beliefs kept saying her sexuality would conflict with her faith. “That Read more
When my son was at intermediate school, he would often ask for two or three extra sandwiches. I didn’t think much of it: ‘He’s a hungry, growing boy,’ was probably the first thing that came to mind. But I never said no. It wasn’t until several months and dozens of ham, egg and mayo sandwiches Read more
The late Cardinal John O’Connor of New York often said women who had abortions were “invincibly ignorant” — they did not understand what they were doing. He blamed the bishops for not teaching convincingly. The question of abortion may be decided politically, but the real test is if morality is taught. The Supreme Court’s decision Read more
If I had a dollar for every story I have seen about the possibility of the pope resigning, I could take a trip to Rome to watch the pope at work. Why are these stories so popular with journalists? First, the stories are easy to write: Just report the latest whispers from anonymous Roman clerics Read more
Slowly, imperceptibly, we are leaving the Covid days behind us and a new reality is being born. Weeks and months drifted by without the Eucharist and now we are waking up to a new dawn. Much has changed. The familiar pattern of Eucharistic ministers waiting to offer each of us the cup at time of Read more
Loneliness can be debilitating, especially as we age, and Michael Whitehead wants to do something about it. Mr Whitehead is the Men’s Health Clinical Nurse Consultant at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, and recently presented at the Global Action on Men’s Health and the World Congress of Public Health. This week is Men’s Health Week and Read more
“Over new plan to elect pope, 3 cardinals threaten to quit.” That headline appeared in the October 6, 1972 issue of the National Catholic Reporter. “If insiders’ reports are accurate, Pope Paul is faced with a threatened palace revolt over proposed changes in the procedures used to elect a pope,” wrote Desmond O’Grady, the now-deceased Read more
Newly promoted minister Kiritapu Allan has said what a lot of people think but feel unable to say. She lashed out in a tweet against “tokenistic” use of te reo by employees of DOC “as an attempt to show govt depts are culturally competent”. She told Stuff she encouraged the use of the Maori language, Read more
On Instagram, Angela Pan’s wedding looks perfect. At her hen’s party in Auckland, she sports a train of balloons in millennial pink. In a short video, gentle music accompanies an unboxing of her gift boxes for bridesmaids, featuring customised wallet pouches and fluffy slippers. In a crisp white dress, she kisses her new husband Joseph Read more
A century ago, one in five people who died in New Zealand were killed by an infectious disease. Infectious diseases, as a group, took more lives in 1922 than heart disease. Twice as many people were killed by communicable viruses or bacteria as died of all forms of cancer combined. These days, heart disease and Read more