Bishop Anthony Randazzo’s address, delivered as President of the Federation of Catholic Bishops conferences of Oceania to the synod media on October 6th, 2024, brought to light several crucial concerns. The significance of his address cannot be overstated, as it sheds light on key issues that demand our attention not only around his two niche Read more
Climate change is already affecting our lives in so many ways, but spare a thought for our creepy crawly friends, and the effect that hotter temperatures are having on their sex lives. A study published in the journal Ecology and Evolution has suggested that increasing temperatures are causing insects to change their colouring to avoid Read more
Church leaders and climate activists have found fault with international lending agencies, including the World Bank, for funding fossil fuel and coal projects in the Philippines. “We stand in solidarity with the communities which are hit by coal power projects,” said Father Warren Puno, director of the Ministry of Ecology in south-central Luzon. “This is Read more
At a time of climate change and unprecedented demographic growth, a researcher who analyses thematic themes such as the dynamics of globalisation and human security a calls for placing food issues at the heart of our policies. “We must not forget that 735 million people are in a state of chronic hunger and more than Read more
Nothing will ever be the same in the Holy Land after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel – and after Israel’s apocalyptic response. So said Francesca Albanese to a Catholic audience in Wellington recently. Albanese is the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. But the Israel-Palestine issue has a simple solution, she Read more
Perhaps you are wondering, “What is Laudato Si’ Week?” And for that matter, what does Laudato Si’ mean? Laudato Si’ is medieval Italian for “Praise be to you.” It is a quote from St. Francis of Assisi’s beautiful Canticle of the Creatures: “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains Read more
Picture the Earth as seen in familiar photos taken from space. There it spins, a beautiful blue marble wrapped in swirling white clouds, luminous against the black background of endless space. We, humans, live here, as do millions of other species on and under the solid land, in the fresh and salty waters, and in Read more
Do you remember the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000? Did it make any difference in your life at the time? Has it had any lasting impact on your life and faith? Preparation for the Great Jubilee began on Nov. 10, 1994, when Pope John Paul II issued his apostolic letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente (As Read more
For Catholics, Oct. 4 is widely recognized as the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Among the best-known and most venerated of the saints, Francis of Assisi has become synonymous in religion pop culture with brown habits, birdbaths and the blessing of animals on his feast day. But beyond pets, Francis is also known as Read more
How does Pope Francis’ thinking about ecology compare with that of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI? Catholic teaching on ecology prior to Pope Francis In 1971 the document Justice in the World, issued by the Synod of Bishops, represented a major step in the development of Catholic teaching on the environment; Barbara Ward-Jackson Read more