Four months ago I wrote a piece on the debate of euthanasia in New Zealand. Lecretia Seales has become a household name after New Zealand Listener ran a piece titled Dying Wishes and highlighted the debate after a private members bill on the issue had been removed. A word on the ruling I would like Read more
You wouldn’t expect this from the 71-year-old gay leader of the successful campaign to legalise same-sex marriage in Ireland. But scholar, senator, and civil rights activist David Norris not only calls Pope Francis a “terrific beacon of hope around the world,” he also bemoans the Catholic Church’s dwindling influence in his homeland. I’d call that Read more
A young woman stands in a room with several men around her. She tells the men that she is taking women’s studies at university. They respond by grabbing her throat to silence her. They move onto slapping her and pulling off her clothes. The scene that follows is too graphic to recount. After the men Read more
Cardinal George Pell has said he’ll return to Australia to give evidence at the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, if he is required to do so. The recent revelations from Ballarat are so horrifying as to beggar belief and I expect he will honour the commission’s request for him to appear Read more
In debates about refugees, asylum seekers and mass migration, a crucial issue is the moral and political status of borders. Do we think borders are good or bad, a necessary evil or a moral necessity? My contention is that those who argue for open borders under-value a sense of place and the integrity of the Read more
Ibn Khaldun offered a cogent explanation of why corruption thrives within close-knit societies. To everyone’s great shock and surprise, a number of FIFA officials have been arrested on corruption charges at the behest of US law enforcement agencies. Whatever the outcome of these investigations, it is no secret that FIFA is beset by corruption, which Read more
Here’s my theory: The shrinking number of American Catholics isn’t just about the hierarchy’s anachronistic politics. It’s also about Catholics seeking, and not finding, an experience of the holy and transcendent — of God — in their Church. Without that, who could be surprised when the Pew Center this month found the Church losing adherents Read more
I’m starting to have a crisis of faith. Not in God, but rather, in Pope Francis. It seems a betrayal to even write these words. I’m a progressive Catholic who longs for a church that is more welcoming of women, homosexuals and divorced people. I want a church where the hierarchy spends more time talking Read more
It takes strength to admit I am not as strong as a man. I must swallow my pride before asking a male to open a jar for me. To let a man open a door for me, or carry my bag when I am struggling. Those things, they seem like portraying myself as weak. Girly. Read more
The suicides of two medical residents in New York City last fall have thrown a spotlight on a real problem among health care professionals, particularly physicians. Medical students, residents and practicing physicians commonly report symptoms of burnout and depression. Rates vary depending on the group, but range from 20-60%. Frank suicidal ideations (when someone has Read more