Odd Spot

Pope hints at an encyclical letter about sport

Thursday, March 11th, 2021

An extensive conversation with Pope Francis has been appropriately called “una ‘enciclica laica,’ ” a “secular encyclical” by his interlocutor, the journalist Pier Bergonzi. In the course of the interview, Francis was asked if he might consider writing an encyclical on sports. His response leaves open an intriguing possibility: “Perhaps this conversation can be defined Read more

Men who attend religious services weekly do more housework

Monday, March 8th, 2021

In a recent study, Bethany Gull and Claudia Geist identify two paths leading to men’s increased housework — one non-religious and egalitarian the other religious and family-centred Their results surprised them, as they had expected conservative religious men to have lower housework participation due to their traditional gender ideologies. Laurie deRose and Anna Barren suggest Read more

Pope Francis never exercises but he likes a siesta

Thursday, March 4th, 2021

Pope Francis said: “I don’t do any physical activity. “My doctor has recommended it, but my answer is always the same, ‘I don’t have time’.” He enjoys siestas, saying: “As soon as I finish lunch, I go to my room, take my shoes off and lie down fully dressed. Read more

Teacher put on leave after questioning how George Floyd died

Monday, March 1st, 2021

A teacher at a Catholic High School in the USA has been put on leave after she said the manner of George Floyd’s death was “disputed”. Floyd, a Black man, died May 25, 2020, after a Minneapolis police officer crushed his neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds. When asked who disputed it Deborah DelPrince said, Read more

Sign bans Pope from Napier quay

Thursday, February 25th, 2021
No Popes beyond

If the head of the Catholic Church ever tries to dock a boat in Napier, he’s in for a bit of a surprise. Signage on the cycleway through West Quay, Ahuriri, near where the waka is berthed, early this week read: “No popes beyond this point.” However, it turns out that if Pope Francis is Read more

Ageist greeting cards not funny

Monday, February 22nd, 2021

Age-stereotype birthday cards often “exaggerate the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, emphasize dramatic age-related physical changes, portray older adults as unattractive and cranky and suggest they lack sexual interest or have an inappropriate sexual interest,” writes Sheri Levy in “Psychology Today.”  Read more

Priest put ashes on the long finger to preserve social distance

Thursday, February 18th, 2021

Worried that you were going to be have to kick off your Lent without a reminder that you are but dust and unto dust you shall return? well fear not, as a quick-thinking Waterford priest has devised a novel solution for administering ashes in a socially distanced manner. “I call it the long finger” beamed Read more

Young people are embracing orthodoxy online and in church

Monday, February 15th, 2021

Gregorian chants, renaissance choral music and incense wafting from a metallic censer. And they’re not just resonating with older generations, either. Younger people are flocking to late-night Latin Mass — at least they were pre-COVID — and embracing Christian orthodoxy in online spaces. Read more

Trump’s lawyer may hold his head while drinking because of his religion

Thursday, February 11th, 2021

One of Trump’s defence attorneys made headlines on the first day of the trial for reasons that had very little to do with the arguments he was making. Instead, many who tuned in wondered why he seemed to consistently hold the back of his head whenever he took a sip of water. Read more

Cardinal upholds ‘probable invalidity’ of confession by phone

Thursday, December 10th, 2020

Even though the world is facing a pandemic that may limit many people’s ability to celebrate the sacraments, particularly those people who are in isolation, quarantining or hospitalized with COVID-19, confession by phone is still most likely invalid, said Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary. Read more