The campaign to redefine marriage has recently gained such momentum – with now three and soon four bills before the Commonwealth Parliament – that many think it is inevitable. This can leave those with misgivings feeling that they are already losers in a done deal. Some think it is the inexorable progress of liberty and Read more
“It is not enough to simply generate a life – it is necessary to provide a loving context because ultimately only love gives life,” says Dr John Kleinsman, director of the New Zealand Catholic Bioethics Centre. ‘And that means the ‘proper place’ for children to be conceived is in a loving marriage between a mother Read more
A New Zealand organisation promoting the natural family has won a decision from the country’s High Court that its political activities do not necessarily disqualify it as a charity. On 30 June Justice Collins ruled that Family First New Zealand’s advocacy of the traditional family makes it similar to “organisations that have advocated for the Read more
There will be tension at October’s synod on the family between an emphasis on mercy and a notion of cheap grace, a new US bishop says. Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego told the National Catholic Reporter that the “theology of mercy is saying is that the essential attribute of God in relation to us Read more
A controversial Australian reality show that pairs couples in arranged marriage premiered in New Zealand on Monday. The documentary series, which will air on TV3, involves four men and four women being paired off by relationship experts and meeting each other for the first time at the altar. The show, Married at First Sight, then Read more
Every priest and parish in Britain and Ireland is to receive a DVD defending Catholic teaching on marriage, the family and sexuality. The DVD comes from the British Confraternity of Catholic Clergy in collaboration with St Anthony Communications, which specialises in catechetical video presentations. It has been launched as the Church prepares for the synod Read more
English Cardinal Vincent Nichols has told married couples that even a broken marriage remains a source of grace for those involved in it. Cardinal Nichols was speaking at a special Mass at Westminster Cathedral in thanksgiving for the sacrament of Matrimony. More than 500 married couple celebrating milestone anniversaries attended. In his homily, Cardinal Nichols Read more
Pope Francis has changed one significant emphasis of his pontificate since last year’s extraordinary synod on the family, a Vatican watcher says. Vaticanista Sandro Magister, writing for the Italian L’Espresso magazine, said in the first two summers of his pontificate, Francis “gave space and visibility to the men and movements in favour of a reform Read more
The archbishop of Sydney says a crisis of what it means to love should be a focus at the synod on the family, not controversial topics the media promotes. Archbishop Anthony Fisher said this last week in an interview with Vatican Radio. This followed his appointment by Pope Francis as a member of the Congregation Read more
The relator of the synod on the family says it is possible to find radical ways to address difficult pastoral problems and not infringe Church discipline. The Crux website reported Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo saying the synod is a place for an honest discussion over the difficulties families face. The cardinal said that legal and Read more