Suicide has never looked more vivacious. In Brittany Maynard, advocates of assisted suicide have found their ideal spokeswoman. She is not an aging hippy embittered by her loss of energy. As far as one can tell, she is neither a radical individualist nor a nihilist. She is, by all appearances, a loving, life-embracing young woman. Read more
A new buzzword is circulating in the world’s convention centres and auditoriums. It can be heard at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and at the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund. Bankers sprinkle it into the presentations; politicians use it leave an impression on discussion panels. The buzzword is “inclusion” and it Read more
He was not what she was expecting, in several ways. The man who would one day be Pope Francis had come to hold a service far from the grandeur of the great cathedral of Buenos Aires. He had travelled – taking the subway train and then the bus – to arrive in one of the Read more
The article Fr. Giancarlo Pani published in Italian Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica before the Synod, regarding the exception the Council of Trent made for Greek-rite Catholics, withdrawing its condemnation of the Eastern practice of second marriages in 1563, has sparked a heated debate. The article written by the Jesuit historian has attracted criticism not Read more
Dear Eminences, Beatitudes, Excellencies, Brothers and Sisters, With a heart full of appreciation and gratitude I want to thank, along with you, the Lord who has accompanied and guided us in the past days, with the light of the Holy Spirit. From the heart I thank Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod, Bishop Read more
The boat sank quickly. One minute Fahad Abdul Kariem was wedged into the hold, legs apart so that another migrant could sit in front of him. The next, the Mediterranean swell was rolling the vessel, the motion aggravated by the scores of African and Indian migrants clinging to the roof canopy. And everyone was in Read more
Although the Synod of Bishops on the family has sparked frank discussions about the direction of the church, the American archbishop who represents U.S. Catholics at the event said Friday it is “doing what it’s supposed to do.” In an interview with NCR, U.S. bishops’ conference president Archbishop Joseph Kurtz said the synod is starting Read more
(RNS) As he wraps up a Vatican meeting marked by sharp debates over sex and morality, Pope Francis on Sunday will honour one of his most controversial predecessors by beatifying Pope Paul VI, who is most famous for reaffirming the Catholic Church’s ban on artificial contraception. Beatification puts Paul one step shy of formal sainthood. The move Read more
ROME – True old-timers in the Vatican press corps still love to reminisce about how much fun it was covering the Second Vatican Council, a gathering of the world’s Catholic bishops from 1962 to 1965 that launched the Church on a course of modernisation and reform. It was a gripping story, filled with colorful characters. Read more
Science and religion have often appeared at loggerheads, but Papal astronomer Brother Guy Consolmagno says there is no need for conflict. Brother Consolmagno said while literal readings of the Bible suggested the world was young, the perpetration of that belief, despite the scientific evidence to the contrary, was simply “bad theology”. “It’s almost blasphemous theology,” Read more