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Pope Francis has emphasised the “fundamental” importance of women in the Catholic Church, saying they have a privileged role because of their ability to pass on the faith through love. He said women have always had a special mission in the Church as “first witnesses” of Christ’s Resurrection, and because they pass the faith on Read more
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Recently I viewed a YouTube video by Australian performance poetry artist, Joel McKerrow. “God Rid Me of God’ it was called. The poem explores the constraints we put on the nature of God; the shackles we use to confine God. Joel entreats that we stop shaping God in our own image: “God, rid me of Read more
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Billed as the Pop Star priest, Chris Skinner, Saturday, helped warm up the crowd at the annual Mission Concert at the Mission Estate, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. Fr Skinner was one of the lead in acts for female composer and singing sensation Carole King and the Bee Gee’s legend, Barry Gibb. Chris told the crowd Read more
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A warning from Pope Benedict XVI about lack of faith among Catholics in France has coincided with new research revealing a decline in fervour among Catholics in the United States and a weakening of belief among Catholics in Ireland. Speaking to visiting French bishops, the Pope described ignorance of religion, even “among the Catholic faithful”, Read more
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The task of evangelisation is closely linked to the work of ecumenism, Pope Benedict XVI has told participants in a plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. “We cannot follow a truly ecumenical path while ignoring the crisis of faith affecting vast areas of the world, including those where the proclamation of Read more
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I have previously written about the Catholic Church’s need to be realistic about its property needs — in terms of schools, churches and presbyteries. If a property is no longer needed or the revenue generated from its sale would be a better use of the asset, assuming it’s not going to be disproportionately detrimental to Read more
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Those who believe in Hell are less likely transgress again leading to lower crime rates. So concludes a study by by Azim Shiraf at the University of Oregon and Mijke Rhemtulla at the University of Kansas who compared rates of crime with rates of believe in heaven and hell in 67 countries. The study acknowledged Read more
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There is no conflict between evolutionary biology and belief in God, two professors have asserted during a session on faith and science during the international Rimini Meeting in Italy. The annual event, in the northern Italian resort city of Rimini, brings together international experts on religion, politics, economics, science and the arts to debate cutting-edge Read more
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A University of Oregon psychologist has found that a country’s belief in heaven and hell is related to its crime rates, and that a belief in a punitive God equals less crime while a belief in a forgiving saviour means more crime. “It seems like there is a case to be made for the causal Read more
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According to a University of Chicago study 12% of New Zealanders do not believe in God. The figure compares with 52% of East Germans and less than 1% of Filipinos who also do not believe. However, according to the survey, only 16% of New Zealanders have a strong belief in God, 37% of respondents say Read more
