As Syria marks the 13th anniversary of the beginning of its civil war on March 15, one Catholic agency says people “should not forget that Syria is the world’s worst displacement crisis.” In March 2011, popular discontent with the government of Bashar al-Assad led to large-scale protests and pro-democracy rallies across Syria, echoing the Arab Read more
World
Syria’s civil war marks 13th anniversary, “world’s worst displacement crisis”
Monday, March 18th, 2024Research confirms parental choice in education saves taxpayers billions
Monday, March 18th, 2024Recent research conducted by Catholic Schools NSW (CSNSW) confirms the significant amount of money taxpayers save due to government support for parental school choice. Published on 14th March, it reveals that non-government schools save taxpayers at least $4.59 billion each year in recurrent funding. Catholic schools in NSW alone represent a $500 million annual saving Read more
Coptic Orthodox Church suspends dialogue with Vatican over same-sex blessings
Thursday, March 14th, 2024
The Coptic Orthodox Church has suspended its two-decade-long doctrinal dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church over the Vatican’s approval of same-sex blessings. The Patriarchate of Alexandria and Coptic officials have labelled same-sex blessings as heresy. The Holy Synod of the ancient Coptic Orthodox Church, based in Egypt, announced the suspension on March 7. “After consulting Read more
Islamic leaders’ call to climate change action
Thursday, March 14th, 2024
Islamic leaders have unveiled ‘Al-Mizan: A Covenant for the Earth,’ a document urging action on climate change. The document can be seen as a counterpart to Pope Francis’ groundbreaking encyclical, Laudato Si’, launched nine years ago. Al-Mizan, announced on February 27 during the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi, offers a Muslim perspective on Read more
Saints – ordinary people like me!
Thursday, March 14th, 2024
Saints are not unreachable “exceptions of humanity” said Pope Francis on Wednesday. They are ordinary people who worked diligently to grow in virtue, and are a sign of humanity’s virtue, he said. Think of the saints as “a kind of small circle of champions who live beyond the limits of our species” Francis wrote for Read more
Petition highlights strain between wedding photographers and clergy
Thursday, March 14th, 2024
A petition for better working conditions for wedding photographers in churches has garnered nearly 1000 signatures, shedding light on tensions between photographers and clergy during wedding ceremonies. The petition refers to a “huge issue across the wedding photography industry”. It alleges clergy are “rude, humiliating, aggressive and abusive”. Hosted on change.org, the petition calls for Read more
Bondi surfies’ enthusiastic mission
Thursday, March 14th, 2024
A Sydney youth ministry has taken itself to where a lineup of enthusiastic young people can be guaranteed – Bondi beach. Offering surfboards rather than hymn books, Bondi’s Catholic youth ministry teaches new surfies to ride the waves and tells them about the Catholic faith. Last weekend saw over 25 Sydneysiders at the Bondi Catholic Read more
Sydney start-up has developed a process to infinitely recycle PET plastics
Thursday, March 14th, 2024An Australian start-up claims to have cracked the code to infinite recycling after it developed a solvent that allows contaminated plastic to be used repeatedly. This move could potentially boost its revenue by $100m a year. Paco Industries’ discovery has overcome one of the biggest barriers to the repeated recycling of polyethylene terephthalate plastic (PET), Read more
French Catholics continue to reflect on themes from the Synod on synodality
Thursday, March 14th, 2024The famed Institut Catholique in Paris (ICP) has launched a series of eight webinars aimed at discussing themes related to the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis’s project for Church renewal and reform launched in October 2021. The 300 slots at the first of these monthly sessions, which took place this past Monday, filled up quickly. Read more
India’s new citizenship law excludes Muslims. Why?
Thursday, March 14th, 2024India has implemented a controversial citizenship law that has been widely criticised for excluding Muslims, a minority community whose concerns have heightened under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government. The rules for the law were announced Monday. It establishes a religious test for migrants from every major South Asian faith other than Islam. Critics Read more