Immortality has become the great question mark. The answer used to be provided at Easter, with the Christian climax in death by crucifixion, followed by resurrection. The Jesus story wrestled with death not being merely death. Today, however, the sacred meaning of Easter is little more than a dusty relic. For the secular modern age, Read more
A Catholic surgeon’s view of Christ’s cause of death says he probably died from excessive blood loss. “Christ emptied himself,” Dr. Timothy Millea said in a talk at his Catholic parish . “As a surgeon, two words that make our hair stand on end are ‘bleeding out’,” he said. “If you can’t stop it, you Read more
A Catholic teenager in Britain was tied to a wooden cross and hung from a wall by work colleagues, a court has heard. Four men are on trial at York Crown Court accused of religiously aggravated assaults. All four deny the charges and three claimed the incidents were part of general workplace banter. The mock Read more
A new study suggests the figure on the Shroud of Turin was crucified with his hands over his head, rather than to his side. The scientist leading the study suggested that being crucified in a “Y” shape would be very painful and would probably cause asphyxiation for the victim. Scientists at the Liverpool John Moores Read more
Catholics from China admit feeling embarrassed when they see a crucifix. Beyond the image of a tortured man suffering execution, the crucifixion depicts total humiliation, or “loss of face” as the Chinese say. To them, this seems harsher than the physical pain. The trouble with the crucifix is we no longer see it, but rather Read more
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, on the site where Jesus was crucified and rose again, may close for a day in protest over a disputed $NZ2.8 million water bill. Such a move would bar thousands of pilgrims and visitors from the church that is considered to be the most holy Christian shrine Read more
Gruesome re-enactments of Jesus’ crucifixion are an increasing Good Friday tourism drawcard in the Philippines. “There are few places on earth where religious fervor is matched in such graphic shows of penitence and resolve to do better”, Asian Pearl Vision, a small luxury travel designer in the Philippines writes on its website. In an article “Crucifixion in Read more
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) warned penitents today against crucifying themselves this Holy Week.
Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu, CBCP president, said the Church would rather have people renewing their faith than inflicting pain on themselves.
“While we are trying to discourage these practices we cannot also judge their intention, especially those who have made it as their vow,” the prelate said.
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Once again, Good Friday sees Filipinos nailed to crosses, re-enacting Jesus’ suffering and death. Yesterday tourists flocked to see at least 24 Filipinos take part in the annual ritual which Church leaders reject as extreme devotion and a distortion of the Easter message. “The Church asks you to deny yourself through mortification, prayer and sacrifice. Read more