With the upcoming Amazon Synod, some people are only focused on whether it will recommend that the priesthood be opened to the ordination of married men, but there is a lot more at stake. True, the synod will discuss the possibility of ordaining married men because there is a shortage of priests to serve such Read more
The dispute currently being played out at Ihumatao will take Solomon-like wisdom to resolve. Given that all major parties involved, Fletcher Construction, the kaumatua who negotiated a deal with Fletchers, and the “protectors of the land” led by Pania Newton, are all acting legally and are all making reasonable claims concerning their interest in the Read more
Shortly before Christmas, Pope Francis declared in response to the sexual abuse crisis that “the church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes.” He promised that “the church will never seek to hush up or not take seriously any case.” For decades, people Read more
The Australian royal commission is over, but there is still a long way for us to travel so that we might stand together in solidarity committed to justice, truth and healing for all, for the living and for the dead. We are unlikely as a Church or as a society to get this right for Read more
Travel clears the head, offering a new perspective on some of our troubled U.S. institutions. In this case a visit to New Zealand made me ponder our US criminal justice system, too often dominated by punitive retributive thinking. A tall Maori man, with a heavy build, stood in the criminals’ box in Blenheim, New Zealand, Read more
Loving wealth destroys the soul, and cheating workers of their just wages and benefits is a mortal sin, Pope Francis said. Jesus did not mince words when he said, “Woe to you who are rich,” after listing the Beatitudes as written according to St. Luke, the pope said in a morning homily. If anyone today Read more
Ignoring Bashar al-Assad’s crimes will not lead to peace. Mazen Darwish, who is a Syrian lawyer and Director of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, says Assad’s victims deserve justice. “To deny them justice is to make a mockery of all that they have suffered. We must realize the extent of what’s Read more
On Monday, Philippine authorities arrested and detained a 71-year-old Australian nun because she had allegedly violated the conditions of her visa by engaging in illegal political activities. There is a possibility that she will be deported as an “undesirable alien”. Sister Patricia Fox, Philippine superior of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion, was arrested at Read more
Churches must be ready to challenge village councils when leaders act unjustly says the Archbishop of Suva Peter Loy Chong. He was speaking after a Justice and Development Commission Seminar entitled “Reading the Signs of the Times in Fiji – Catholic Social Teaching and Socio-Political Issues”. “There are times when the church will tell village Read more
The seven women bishops of the Provinces of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia and the Anglican Church of Australia met last month to focus on issues of gender justice and women’s leadership in the Anglican Communion. It is the first time the women bishops, who have served in the Anglican Episcopate Read more