Can humanity survive the digital age? The answer — according to an Institute for Human Ecology panel convened Sept. 17 at The Catholic University of America in Washington — is basically this: It depends. There are “two big questions that hang over human life in digital reality right now,” announced Ross Douthat, a media fellow Read more
The idea of a Catholic University has been foremost in my mind in recent days. Catholic means “universal”, but what makes a university Catholic? Greater intellects than mine have considered this question before. John Henry Newman — a saint of the Catholic Church and the patron saint of the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy at Read more
The age of individualism is passing. The past 50 years in the West saw a celebration of unfettered freedom. Citizens on both sides of the Atlantic were encouraged to liberate themselves from the relational constraints of family, history and even nature. Now Covid-19 has highlighted our mutual dependence on one another and a desire for community. President Read more
With so much of humanity sickened in soul and body by greed, self-centered indifference to suffering, inequality, polarization and violence, Pope Francis has wonderfully seized the moment by giving to our wounded world the balm of his new inspiring and challenging social encyclical letter titled Fratelli Tutti. Pope Francis warns that humanity is largely going Read more
Catholic laity are generally understanding about priestly indiscretion. We know that a hungry man cannot be judged for stealing a loaf of bread. But for some reason, many lay people believe that the tradition of celibacy for priests, goes back to the apostles. That is not so. Paul tells us that he apostles, including Peter, Read more
I commend Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern for condemning chemical warfare. Recently she stated, “New Zealand condemns any use of chemical weapons, whether it is in Syria or on the streets of the UK. “New Zealand believes all states must adhere to obligations under international law, including in respect of chemical weapons.” It is however inconsistent Read more
Suffering is an essential ingredient of our faith and humanity. One who doesn’t suffer with suffering brothers . . . must question himself on the sincerity of his faith and of his humanity, Pope Francis says. His comments were made in the context of the Rohingya minority, who are persecuted in Myanmar. Read more
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk got into a spat recently on Twitter with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg over the dangers of artificial intelligence. Musk urged a group of governors to proactively regulate AI, which he views as a “fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization.” “Until people see robots going down the street killing people, they Read more
A haggard and lonely Europe risks irrelevancy if it doesn’t recover its founding values, Pope Francis told European leaders in Strasburg on Tuesday. The Holy Father called on Europe to re-found itself by drawing, in part, on its Christian Legacy. “Where is your vigour?” he put to 750 members of the European parliament. “Where is that Read more