Mention the word sin these day and people can become quite prickly. Typical comments range from “There’s too much emphasis about sin”, “my sins put Jesus on the Cross”, “I’m unworthy”, “I’m a sinner” to “it’s all negative”. This guilt-based old religion mentality, ties us into a God who is tough as old boots and Read more
Gendered misconduct on the rise, female teachers scared of being “deepfaked” and parents protecting badly behaved boys: this is high school in 2024. “But what if she sent them to him first?” Devastating words from a teenager that made me shudder. I used to visit schools and give presentations about consent and respectful relationships. At Read more
I have appreciated comments you have made concerning the self-inflicted impotence of the United Nations, and so I feel sure you won’t mind hearing from one of the many New Zealanders who are distressed by what is happening in the Middle East, but who also feel a certain impotence which is why most don’t bother Read more
What does holiness look like? We are supposed to have seen it. That is the point of the Solemnity of All Saints. We acknowledge and revere those not named in the church’s canonical roster of saints, men and women who nonetheless constitute what St John the Seer called: a great multitude, which no one could Read more
Up and down again, back and forth, forwards and back again. This is how the Synod on Synodality proceeded over two long years at the round tables, above all with the explicit non-dispute over the church’s controversial issues that had been removed from it. These are serious and will determine the real significance of the Read more
On October 24, Pope Francis released his fourth encyclical, titled Dilexit nos (“He Loved Us”), dedicated to the Sacred Heart. Unlike the widespread political and media interest surrounding Laudato si’ in 2015 or even Fratelli tutti in 2020, this encyclical received little attention beyond Catholic circles. An encyclical’s impact takes time. In 2015, Laudato si’ Read more
“I believe that this profound human thirst for infinite happiness, which we all feel at times, is the most real thing there is. “To hope for it is to live in the real world,” insists Timothy Radcliffe, the former Master of the Dominican Order (1992-2001), who Pope Francis named when he announced the nomination of Read more
From the beginning, one of the most persistent charges against Pope Francis’s Synod of Bishops on Synodality, which got underway in 2021 and wrapped up last night [26 October] in Rome, is that the deck was stacked with progressive voices, creating an unrepresentative sense of the totality of global Catholic opinion. To cite a classic Read more
Congratulations to the 350-odd participants in the Synod on Synodality for completing two long and intense sessions of work in 2023 and 2024. No doubt there are many angles to explore in the 28,000 word document. But let’s take a quick dive into it to see what it says about the role of lay people, Read more
Since it was founded nearly two decades ago, 23andMe has grown into one of the largest biotechnology companies in the world. Millions of people have used its simple genetic testing service, which involves ordering a saliva test, spitting into a tube, and sending it back to the company for a detailed DNA analysis. But now Read more