Since June 24–25, 1981, the eve and feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, when six children in a small village in Bosnia-Herzegovina first reported seeing and receiving messages from the Blessed Virgin Mary, more than 40 million pilgrims from around the world have flocked to the small village named Medjugorje. Pilgrims attend Read more
About 1,600 years ago, the brilliant Doctor of the Church St. Ambrose admonished those of wealth who clung to their sense of entitlement: “You are not making a gift of what is yours to the poor man, but you are giving him back what is his. “You have been appropriating things that are meant to Read more
Sitting at Turangawaewae at Kiingi Tūheitia’s tangi last week, I found myself reflecting on growing up in Stokes Valley. It’s probably fair to say that as a teenager my actions were sometimes sub-optimal. One incident in particular came to mind from my college days, when I’d made an inappropriate comment to a fellow student who Read more
I was on retreat when I stumbled upon her. In truth, she was a pitiful sight to behold. Her ear was bleeding, and severely deformed, as though it had been ripped off of her, and a large tumour had taken root at the side of her face. Without a second thought, my hands reached out, Read more
The Pope is back in Rome after his visits to Asia and Oceania. Here’s what we learned from his historic trip. Able and willing superstar First, despite rumors to the contrary, Pope Francis is still up to the job. In just 11 days (Sept. 2-13), he visited four countries where the heat and humidity sap Read more
As I’ve mentioned, back during the lengthy pandemic lockdown, when we had few places to go and comparatively little to do, I decided to take advantage of all that unforeseen solitude by developing my spiritual life. Among other things, I studied the works of Roman Catholic mystics. One sublime idea they sometimes express is that Read more
Over 40,000 verified reports of online child sexual exploitation were made to The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) in 2022–23. That’s over 100 reports every day. And these numbers are trending upwards. Cases of sextortion have soared by 400 percent in some states in the last 18 months. Targets and perpetrators Young people Read more
As Pope Francis concludes his 12-day tour of Southeast Asia, theologian and anthropologist Michel Chambon, based in Singapore, analysed the significance of this trip for the future of Sino-Vatican relations. How has China followed Pope Francis’ Asian tour, and what interests has it seen in it? Michel Chambon: Beijing has closely observed the entirety of Read more
On his tour, Pope Francis promoted peace, religious harmony, and Catholicism’s engagement with Islam, particularly in Indonesia. His visit showcased his focus on global peripheries and the Church’s need to navigate complex political and interreligious issues in today’s world. Pope Francis is arguably at his best when far from Rome. His apostolic trips to the Read more
New tasks and challenges emerge between the synod’s first and second sessions. Greater attention needs to be paid to the wider context of the synodal renewal, to the preconditions and consequences of this process. It concerns a much larger and more demanding task than simply transforming a rigid clerical system within the Catholic Church into Read more