Several years ago, an energetic young mother, Tia, was out and about with her infant Aimee when disaster struck: a group of men, accompanied by vicious dogs, surrounded the pair, snatched up Aimee, and brutalised Tia. They left her helpless and without her daughter. Aimee was eventually rescued. But Tia was too battered to look Read more
“I am a magnificent failure,” Ashton Kutcher announced on the TEDYouth stage in New Orleans on Saturday. “I screw up so much it hurts.” The star of television show “Two and a Half Men” said this not to be self-deprecating or to beat up on himself, but to drive home the point that failure is Read more
Being one of the first human beings to orbit the planet most certainly brings a unique perspective to all aspects of human life, including faith and ethics. Many of the first astronauts and cosmonauts who returned to our little blue dot in the universe brought back messages of peace and human unity. Coming from members Read more
When Pope Francis was elected in March, Bridget Kurt received a small prayer card with his picture at her church and put it up on her refrigerator at home, next to pictures of her friends and her favourite saints. She is a regular attender of Mass, a longtime stalwart in her church’s anti-abortion movement and Read more
He liked to be called Jack. Plain Jack. But Clive Staples Lewis, arguably the greatest communicator of the Christian message in the 20th century, was anything but plain. He died on November 22, 1963, the same day as Aldous Huxley and President Kennedy, and while Lewis never completed the journey from Anglican to Catholic, he Read more
It is one of the major blind-spots in international humanitarian aid. But recent and ongoing emergencies demonstrate the crucial role that local people have to play in the aftermath of disasters. Much of the humanitarian work currently taking place in Syria and neighbouring countries would not be possible without networks of dedicated organizations which understand where Read more
The visit was largely unremarkable, except in one key way: a religious sect was born that views Philip as their god. Matthew Baylis recently chronicled that visit and the religion, which thrives even 40 years later, in his new book “Man Belong Mrs. Queen: Adventures with the Philip Worshippers.” “They had a jolly old time. Read more
Religious persecution of Muslims in Burma has resulted in bloodshed and displaced entire communities. But grassroots initiatives have also emerged to counter the hatred. Ashin Issariya appears unassuming, but the quiet demeanour quickly changes when he has something to say. In the pre-dawn light of Burma’s nascent reform process the Buddhist monk and former Saffron Read more
Don’t cry for the Catholic Church in Argentina or anywhere else in Latin America. The church may have lost privileged status in many nations, and is dropping some market share to a rapidly growing Pentecostal movement. But the combination of increasing religious freedom and competition is also fuelling a Catholic renewal movement, and equipping the Read more
It would be wrong for me to anticipate the mind of the Church, but I personally believe that one day Oscar Romero will be declared a Saint of the Church. These were the carefully-chosen words of Cardinal Basil Hume in a tribute to Archbishop Romero at a memorial service in Westminster Cathedral the week after his assassination Read more