The number of foreigners living in Japan has reached an all-time high. According to the country’s Immigration Services Agency, more than three million aliens were living in Japan at the end of 2022. In fact, the agency’s count of 3,075,213 is lower than the actual number because there are undocumented aliens in the country in Read more
Three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, churches have fewer people in the pews, more money in the collection plate and less conflict than they had in 2020. Despite their struggles, many congregations are optimistic about the future. Clergy dissatisfaction, on the other hand, remains on the rise. Those are among the findings Read more
Most of us know what a “thin place” is, but it’s not easy to describe it. Perhaps that is because the experience is beyond our limited sensory system and, therefore, beyond logical thinking and description. Yet we have all had experience of a “Thin Place” as something belonging to a greater reality. Like you, I Read more
According to the media, the most important issues facing the Synod on Synodality are the possibility of married priests, women deacons and the blessing of gay couples. The first session of the synod will take place in Rome this October, with a second session in October 2024. I personally hope the synod deals with these Read more
Every major religious tradition has one thing in common: They all highly encourage reproduction among their adherents. The Roman Catholic Church, however, stands out on this issue. While other religious traditions permit their members to use various types of birth control to manage the number of kids they have, the 1997 Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Read more
“Enough is enough! I’m writing the President!” After hitting the umpteenth brick wall, my wife had reached the end of her rope. As a Canadian citizen in America, married to an American, obtaining a green card for work should have been a walk in the park for her. But it wasn’t. After three years of Read more
After reading last week’s column, “Global warming is here and getting worse,” my brother, who is president of a Jesuit high school, responded, “Great article, but you just describe the problems. I’d never let you out of my office until you gave me a solution.” The good news is there are ways to reduce and Read more
Recently, I criticised comments made by Bishop Robert Barron, known for his “Word on Fire” ministry and the bishop of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, in which he complained about the Catholic faith being “dumbed down. I found his comments a-historical and thought they suggested that only very smart, well-informed and well-read Catholics could qualify as good Catholics. Read more
Most Christian Churches and communities throughout the world are currently in the midst of a five-week period called the “Season of Creation” – officially, at least. Unfortunately, most of their members around the globe – including the overwhelming majority of those belonging to the Catholic Church – seem to be completely unaware of this. That’s Read more
A couple of months ago, I was at a dinner party with a professor of one of the hard sciences at Cambridge. The talk turned to AI, and he told us the following story. He had asked ChatGPT to write one of the essays that he sets his students. The result, he said, was a Read more