Everyone is sick of the pandemic and tired of hearing about Covid. When I turn on the radio in the morning to National Public Radio (which I now think of as National Pandemic Radio), the first word that I hear is always “Covid,” “coronavirus” or “pandemic.” It is hard to escape. So I am going Read more
Two high ranking church officials in Germany have expressed support for optional celibacy for priests. Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, one of Pope Francis’ most trusted aides, has spoken out in favour of banning mandatory clerical celibacy. He also supports allowing Catholic priests the option of marrying. Four days earlier, Archbishop Heiner Koch of Berlin Read more
The Catholic Church in New Zealand says it’s too soon to bring the police into the historic abuse in care findings Church investigations have uncovered. A more thorough investigation will have to be undertaken first in relation to the 1680 recorded instances of alleged abuse reported since 1950 – of which 592 alleged abusers were Read more
One of France’s most popular news and information magazines, Paris Match, has published a series of secretly taken photographs of Archbishop Michel Aupetit in the company of a young woman as part of an article titled “Lost for Love”. Pope Francis on December 2 accepted the 70-year-old Aupetit’s resignation as Paris’ archbishop after rumours intensified Read more
Two former Australian Prime Ministers, Hon Tony Abbott and Hon Kevin Rudd join Australian Catholic University Emeritus Professor Greg Craven in a conversation about important issues facing Christianity and society. Rudd and Abbott are longer prime ministers but both now serve the nation in other ways. This conversation is to hear their views, as people Read more
Spiritually, we are all called to be pregnant with God and to give birth to Christ in the world. Men and women alike, this is our mission, and the mother of Jesus gives an outline of what that birthing is all about. Scripture doesn’t offer a lot of information about Mary. But if we look Read more
On Sunday, December 5, Pope Francis, visiting the Greek island of Lesbos, made an emotional pitch for European states to be more welcoming to foreign migrants. The pontiff called on Europeans to stop ignoring their suffering, insisting that Jesus “is present in the stranger, in the refugee, in those who are naked and hungry.” “I Read more
The Ghanaian Catholic Bishops Conference have ignored Pope Francis by publicly supporting a draconian bill making its way through parliament that broadly targets LGBTQ+ rights. The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill states, “homosexual practices [should be made] illegal in Ghana”. The bill purports to criminalize many LGBTQ+ basic freedoms Read more
A programme in 2021 that attempts to instruct children that puberty is a gift from God and “sexual love” is best expressed within the sacrament of marriage might reflect the church’s best hopes for our youth. In reality, it’s about as much use as telling kids they could try using crossed fingers as contraception. It Read more
Asked what drives his values, when pressed the National Party’s new leader, Christopher Luxon (pictured) identifies the Christian religion. The apparent media anxiety over Luxon’s Christianity is incoherent; his four immediate predecessors Judith Collins, Todd Muller, Simon Bridges and Bill English all professed a form of Christian faith. Then adding to the incoherence is that Read more