Pope Francis seems to be recovering nicely from his July 4 surgery, when the 84-year-old pontiff underwent a three-hour procedure for diverticular stenosis. But even with the best prognosis, age is catching up to Francis. Barring a miracle, he will only be expected to continue as pope for five or six years. We may look Read more
In four years participants in a Caritas campaign have logged about 600,000km in symbolic solidarity walks with migrants and refugees. The global “Share the Journey” campaign aims to build “bridges of hope between islands separated by fear,” says Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, president of Caritas Internationalis. Although the campaign has formally ended, its message continues. Read more
A New Zealand religious leader is calling on members of his congregation to focus on what is necessary for life rather than being caught up with pious denials; particularly during Lent. He says he was cheered by a recent reading at Mass where a group is bewailing the fact that their “good deeds” go unnoticed Read more
Pope Francis Social Encyclical: ‘Fratelli Tutti’ was launched at the Vatican, Sunday 4 October, 2020. The document focuses on fraternity and social friendship as the ways to build a better, more just and peaceful world – with the contribution of all: people and institutions. The official summary follows, with a link to download the full Read more
October 4, Pope Francis signed his new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti during a visit to Assisi. The encyclical calls for a new kind of politics and emphasises social friendship as a way to build a more just and peaceful world. It encourages the contribution of all people and institutions and seeks to build a global movement Read more
A cartoon about the Samoa measles epidemic has led some to ask if much has changed in New Zealand. New Zealand does not have a great track record in its relationship with Samoa: The influenza epidemic killed over 22% of Samoa’s population in 1918, a disease that was introduced to Samoa by sick passengers on board a ship from Read more
Calling us to create a ‘culture of encounter,’ Pope Francis asks us to reach out with open arms to migrants and refugees around the world and in our communities. In 2017, the Pontiff launched Caritas’ Share the Journey (STJ) international campaign from St Peter’s Square in Rome. Last Sunday marked the launch of a key Read more
New figures show the government has slashed resident visa numbers to the lowest seen in the last two decades. The decrease in resident numbers in the last year is largely because of delays in processing. “It’s not clear whether that is part of the way they’re bringing the numbers down because they have a target Read more
Pope Francis has been bombarded with insults after urging Catholics to pray for migrants. “Migrants are first of all human persons, and they are the symbol of all those rejected by today’s globalised society,” he tweeted on Monday. However, Italian Twitter users were unimpressed with his views. Some responded asking Francis to think instead of Read more
The devastating picture of Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his 23-month-old daughter, Valeria, lying face down in the muddy waters of the Rio Grande jolted the nation. We could no longer look away. The tragedy of a father and daughter from El Salvador drowning while he tried to save her from being swept away by Read more
