In Western Europe, politics and the media are still dominated by the liberal mentality that prevailed among European intellectual elites for most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and gave rise to various versions of the “theory of secularisation.” Some of those theories assumed, in the light of the changing role of the major Christian Read more
The full text of the Holy Father’s Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2015 was published on 23 September: Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus is ‘the evangeliser par excellence and the Gospel in person’. His solicitude, particularly for the most vulnerable and marginalised, invites all of us to care for the frailest and Read more
In the wake of the Roe v. Wade ruling of the Supreme Court in 1973, it became clear to those in pro-life work that some sort of ministry was required to help women suffering from the far-reaching ramifications of legalized abortion. Thirty years ago this week, Vicki Thorn launched Project Rachel to meet that need. Read more
It started, as is so often does with girls, with a whispering campaign. The gossiping was endless. “Everything I seemed to do was something to talk about. The girls would nudge each other and say: ‘Shhhh, Amelia* is there’.” School felt like a popularity contest. Amelia was asked to name the three prettiest girls in Read more
We hear a lot about tolerance these days. Tolerance is a moral virtue best placed within the moral domain – but unfortunately it is often confounded with prejudice. Much of the psychological research about tolerance generally and about the development of children’s understanding of tolerance of others who are different from them has been examined Read more
Ian Paisley was probably the most fiery, uncompromising and bellicose Ulster politician throughout the Troubles. But late in life, one of the most turbulent figures in Northern Ireland politics throughout the 20th century underwent a transformation. The man who constantly declared “No surrender” to Republican views, suddenly agreed to share power in a Northern Ireland Read more
“The privileged place for an encounter with Christ are our sins,” Pope Francis said at yesterday’s morning mass in St. Martha’s House. “It is the power of God’s Word that brings about a true change of heart.” The “encounter between [our] sins and the blood of Christ is the only salvific encounter there is.” The Read more
Depression is a major, if not the major, cause of suicide. Every year, almost one million people die from suicide around the world. Depression is often seen as a disorder of the developed world; mental disorders – in particular depression but also disorders from alcohol misuse – have been clearly linked to suicide in high-income Read more
In early April 2014, German author Gabriele Kuby visited the Czech Republic to give a number of public presentations promoting her new book, The Global Sexual Revolution: The Destruction of Freedom in the Name of Freedom, recently translated to Czech. During her visit to Brno, I had a chance to interview Kuby about her book Read more
Teenagers can do the craziest things. They drive at high speeds. They stand around outside loud parties and smoke weed in front of the cops. They guzzle liquor. They insult their parents – or lie to them – and feel no remorse, because, of course, their parents are idiots. It is easy to blame peer Read more