“Papua has been living a nightmare of unimaginable violence for over half a century. “No one cares about the tragic fate of the Papuan minority, who suffer from the injustices of the ruling powers and the Indonesian military, who accuse them of being separatists,” said Father Alexandro Rangga. Speaking by phone from Jakarta, the 37-year-old Read more
The Catholic Worker Movement appreciates the opportunity to submit a response to the Local Government Bill (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies ) Amendment Bill. We do so on behalf of the Catholic Worker Movement (Ōtautahi), a branch of a world-wide organisation of the same generic name. Justice is built on love We Read more
The recent opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel’s occupation of Palestine drew little attention in Australia. The silence perhaps reflects Australians’ identification of law with enforcement. By these standards the judgement of the International Court was a mere opinion to which the United Nations General Assembly of the United Nations may Read more
In a significant move, the NZ Catholic bishops are promoting open and informed life discussion through a modernised and broadened document, Te Kahu o te Ora – A Consistent Ethic of Life. The modernisation seeks to fill a twenty-six-year gap and reflect some of the modern challenges. Dr John Kleinsman, director of the NZ Catholic Read more
They’ve done their time, paid for their crime and then they come out and they do another sentence. It’s called a silent sentence.” Tui Ah Loo is talking about the difficulties people face when they’re released from prison. “It is the sentence of judgement, stigma and bias.” As te tumu whakarae or chief executive of Read more
As long as there has been a war in Ukraine people have called for peace. Some propose peace simply defined as a halt to the fighting. They cite the suffering: More than 300,000 Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded, thousands of civilians have been killed, and more than nine million Ukrainians have Read more
Forgiveness is an age-old practice central to the teaching of many of the world’s religions. In Islam, forgiveness suggests alignment with Allah. In Judaism, acts of atonement — or Teshuva — are expected for wrongdoing. In Christianity, forgiveness is unconditional, by loving one’s enemies as oneself. Throughout human history, religion and science have often been framed as conflicting Read more
A group representing US Catholic priests has developed guidelines for informing priests of their canonical rights when they are accused of misconduct – including sexual abuse. Survivor advocates are critical of the move, saying providing guidance could help cast accused priests in an overly sympathetic light. The Association of US Catholic Priests (AUSCP) say the Read more
What began as a controversy over a judge’s decision to leave a young Maori girl in the care of her Pakeha foster-parents has touched off an extraordinary judicial scandal that threatens to shake public confidence in the integrity of the courts. Allegations made by lawyer Tony Ellis implicate New Zealand’s two most senior judges in Read more
By special arrangement and courtesy of Fr Frank Brennan SJ, professor of law, and Sydney’s Catholic Weekly: The Anatomy of a Travesty. It’s time to declare that George Pell is innocent of the preposterous charges he faced in the County Court of Victoria and to move on for the good of everyone, including bona fide Read more