LGBTQ pilgrims at a special Mass organised for them at World Youth Day (WYD) last Thursday found themselves facing a group of ultra-traditionalist Catholic protesters. Earlier that same day, Pope Francis spoke at three different venues, telling the half a million WYD pilgrims that the Church must be a home for everyone. Despite the Pope’s Read more
In text messages released this past May, the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson described watching an online video of some Trump supporters beating a protestor around the time of the January 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. “It was three against one, at least … jumping a guy like that is dishonourable, obviously. “It’s Read more
Natural law has been used to restrict LGBTQ people, according to Fr James Alison, an influential Catholic priest, theologian and writer. Alison (pictured) commented in a recent virtual conversation on the website ‘Outreach’ in its monthly series of virtual talks ‘Outspoken.’ In the conversation with Fr James Martin, SJ, Alison discussed natural law and conscience, Read more
Flashes of Insight looks at the sexual abuse crisis from the perspective of restorative justice; restoring what, to whom, in what manner and with what effect. This 11 minute Flashes of Insight conversation asks whether the experience for Church ministers is an opportunity for the theology of reconciliation to grow into change. It considers restorative Read more
As a Catholic, the horror of sexual abuse is not that the Church is being scapegoated by the media, it’s the horror that ordinary Catholics feel conned. The comments were made from Wales by Professor Thomas O’Loughlin in “Scapegoating: The Church’s fall from grace”, a Flashes of Insight conversation with Dr Joe Grayland, Dr James Read more
One reading of the Vatican’s same sex blessing statement is it has back-fired according to theologian Dr James Alison. “I’ve been rather encouraged, and particularly surprised how much more unworriedly critical a vast number of people, including cardinals and bishops have been”. He’s calling the Vatican’s same-sex blessing statement “a shot in the foot”. James Read more
Imagine that someone deliberately locks themselves into a small room. They then let it be known that they can’t discuss something with you … because they are locked in a small room. And their justification takes the form: “Can’t because we say we can’t because we said we can’t”. This act of communication is called Read more