On March 17, the world celebrates the feast day of St Patrick, a zealous British bishop of the fifth century who became famous for spreading Christianity in Ireland. Patrick is Ireland’s main patron saint. But as a medieval historian, I suggest that we also pause to remember another of Ireland’s patron saints, the nurturing, compassionate Read more
“The ideas of a ‘Russian world’ and an ‘Orthodox society’ are based on bad theology,” says Russian Orthodox priest and theologian Cyril Hovorun. “They are heretical ideas. Theologically, they must be seriously deconstructed to reveal their fascistic and authoritarian dimension,” he insists. Hovorun, a 48-year-old native of Ukraine, is an archimandrite in the Ukrainian Orthodox Read more
Before the pandemic, the Potter’s House of Denver had plenty of use for its 3,500-seat sanctuary in the southeast corner of the Colorado capital. In early January, the megachurch announced it was selling its building and continuing to hold services online, as it had been doing for nearly two years. Pastor Toure Roberts said the Read more
At the end of the first fortnight of the Russian invasion of Ukraine its character, its consequences and its characterisation in public discourse are becoming clear. The war is set to become a bitter and prolonged military battle which will cause great casualties both to soldiers and the civilian population and lead to a huge Read more
While the political debate on masks may never be settled, a large new study this week further solidifies the story from the realm of science: People who wear face coverings are less likely to spread COVID-19. Cases of in-school transmission were 72% lower in districts with mandatory masking during the late summer and fall of Read more
Lockdown liturgy such as online Mass, walk-up communion and drive-in Eucharist during the liturgical lockdown have shown us the dominant culture of the Church. Where these practices became the default of bishops, the potential failure of the synodal process is high because these practices were made possible by sidelining the laity. What is the potential Read more
The response of Catholic moral theologians to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been universally negative. “The war in Ukraine is a spiritual, human and ecological catastrophe,” said Eli S. McCarthy, a peace activist at Georgetown University’s Justice and Peace Studies, in a recent email to me. The view is shared by Catholic pacifists as Read more
Caught up in the escalation, will Vladimir Putin dare to resort to nuclear strikes? If he gives in to this ultimate vertigo, he will not fail to invoke Seraphim of Sarov, the Slavic Francis of Assisi whom Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow, consecrated as patron saint of Russia’s nuclear arsenal. A controversial characteristic? The two potentates Read more
A fifth birthday is usually something to celebrate with cake. As Backbone Collective reflects on its fifth birthday, we think of our original purpose: to create a safer and more responsive system to increase the safety and wellbeing of all women affected by family violence and abuse in Aotearoa New Zealand. After hearing from hundreds Read more
“May the Lord preserve the Russian land… A land which now includes Russia and Ukraine and Belarus and other tribes and peoples.” A Sunday sermon with very political overtones. It was delivered on February 27 at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow by Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church. The 75-year-old Read more