Peace is more than just the avoidance of conflict or the absence of a feud, or on a more grand scale, war. Peace is the work for justice and the output of charity. The Church preaches peace because peace is a sign and fruit of the promise of Christ, the Redeemer. Peace is more than Read more
Sometimes you need to catch your breath when a Vatican official’s speaking echoes a theologian’s writings. Which way is this going to go? Not long ago, the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, echoed a 50-year-old passage from a book by … wait for it … Swiss theologian Hans Küng. Speaking on Spain’s church-owned Read more
New Zealanders have long grappled with an obsession with criminal justice expansions, even though crime rates are on the decline. We tell ourselves: “Just another thousand police officers. Just one more prison. It’ll be fine after that. We promise we’ll stop there. They’ll be better. We won’t need any more.” Of course, the impacts of Read more
Preachers, politicians and family members of Black people who had been killed or shot by police gathered on the National Mall on August 28, the anniversary of the March on Washington. They called for new legislation to address racial inequities in the country. And they urged people to vote. Among the speakers Friday was a Read more
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” And the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth Read more
The Catholic parishes in Palmerston North, comprising the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Palmerston North, Our Lady of Lourdes and Foxton intended to live-stream Sunday Mass from the Cathedral. Under the current law, up to 10 people are permitted to make up the church service. With such a limitation, it became abundantly clear that the parishes would Read more
A court in Bihar’s Nalanda district has pardoned a 16-year-old boy, detained for snatching a woman’s purse, after it was found that the accused had stolen to feed his brother and mentally-challenged mother, who were hungry for several days due to the nationwide lockdown. Juvenile Justice Board Principal Magistrate Manavendra Mishra also directed the officials Read more
One of the strange constants of the tumultuous persecution/prosecution of Cardinal George Pell was that, no matter the latest fantastical development, the Holy See Press Office would always express its “utmost respect” for the Australian justice system. At first, this seemed like the routine lies that press offices tell. During the recent visit of the Read more
Some Australians, including many victims of child sexual abuse, revile George Pell. Others hold him in high esteem. Neither of these groups will have their minds changed about Cardinal Pell, regardless of what any court might determine. The majority of Australians fall into neither camp. Victorian Police In the midst of controversy and with allegations Read more
Catholic groups and organizations are striving to not only acknowledge the sins of the past but also do something to atone for them. Network, a Catholic social justice lobby, issued a Lenten study guide last year, “Recommit to Racial Justice.” It has proved so popular that more copies of the six-week program need to be Read more