Digital cyberslums where cyberbullying, pornography and abuse are running rampant need the Church’s presence, a Vatican conference found. The conference, Wednesday, entitled “Stop threats on the internet” was organised by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Reports of one out of three young people in Europe being cyberbullied is evidence of a “new form of Read more
The Waikato Interfaith Council (WIFCO) is launching a Compassionate City initiative. They are calling for support from anyone who is interested in making Hamilton a Compassionate City The initiative will begin with a gathering to explain some of the concepts, to familiarise people with the Compassionate Cities world movement. The International Institute for Compassionate Cities supports Read more
Bishop Peter Cullinane was one of a number of speakers at a recent multifaith event in Palmerston North. Prisms of Light – An Interfaith Conversation on how Compassion Transforms our Communities, explored how compassion is a central theme in the the living out of many world faith traditions. Other speakers were: Helen Chong spoke on roots of compassion Read more
It’s a “national tragedy”, a “dirty secret”, an “outrage”. But within the hyperbole surrounding the issue of domestic violence in our country are countless stories of individuals and families who have felt its impact first-hand. My own family has such a story – but we’re ‘lucky ones’, who ‘got away’. My sister and I escaped Read more
Pope Francis this week comforted a man with a severely disfigured face – just two weeks after he embraced an Italian man with neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes painful tumors all over the body. The pontiff embraced the unnamed man after the weekly audience in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday. Reports said it is not Read more
Getting any kind of help from Jesus didn’t seem likely when I was propelled onto a praying exploration by my friend Marcia’s decision to go on pilgrimage. Neither did I expect preaching at a local church, an unusual experience for me these days, the preaching and the going to church, to be a tipping point. The gospel I Read more
It’s possible to become a more compassionate person by training your brain, according to a new study. Researchers from the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconson-Madison’s Waisman Center found that engaging in compassion meditation — where you practice feeling compassion for different groups of people, including yourself — seemed to increase Read more
At St Mary’s primary school in Lochee, Scotland, I had the same teacher for six years, Mrs W. For me, she was an excellent teacher: she encouraged me to read widely, gave me ample time for creative writing, drilled me in mental arithmetic, and allowed me leadership opportunities, which largely consisted in time out of Read more
The Dalai Lama has told his Facebook followers that “religion is no longer adequate” to satisfy all the ills of the world. The Tibetan Buddhist leader, who has 4.3 million Facebook fans, posted this status update on Monday last: “All the world’s major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can Read more
How is the world turning – what does the future hold for us all? The news is full of the dark stories, the more shocking the better, it seems. If someone wants to try to do some good for others, someone is sure to dig up some angle that reflects badly on the person, maybe Read more