The biggest news to come out of the bishops’ synod in Rome so far is the acknowledgement that when it comes to talking about issues of family and sexuality, language matters. Among the examples of “harsh” rhetoric that bishops discussed as doing more harm than good in terms of “inviting people to draw closer to Read more
An American Jesuit who spent his last two years under restricted ministry after taking part in a eucharistic liturgy with a woman priest has died. Fr William Brennan, 94, died in a rest home in Wisconsin. A Jesuit for 75 years and a priest for 63 years, he was a former missionary in Belize and Read more
Floribeth Mora Diaz fought back tears on Thursday (April 24) as she claimed that the late Pope John Paul II had saved her from an inoperable brain aneurysm three years ago. Mora will be on hand at Sunday’s historic ceremony in St Peter’s Square as Pope Francis canonizes both John Paul and Pope John XXIII, Read more
A young man has been crushed to death after a 30-metre high cross built in northern Italy to honour Pope John Paul II fell down. The tragedy at Cevo, near Brescia, happened only three days before the late pope was to be canonised as a saint in Rome. The victim, Marco Gusmini, aged 21, was Read more
‘Holiness, a message that convinces without the need for words, is the living reflection of the face of Christ’. Pope John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte (At the Beginning of the New Millennium). These words have always appealed to me, challenged me and inspired me to try to be a ‘living reflection of the face of Christ’. Read more
Every spring in Rome, the big production is normally the Easter Mass celebrated by the pope. This year Easter remains the spiritual linchpin, but in popular terms it’s more like a warm-up act for next Sunday’s double-play canonisations of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II. This will be the first time two popes have Read more
The New Zealand branch of St Pius X is asking what the hurry is about in canonizing John Paul II. In a letter to all New Zealand priests, the Society acknowledges the popularity of John Paul II. It concedes John Paul II strongly defended the unborn and family life. However, the Society’s concern is the speed of Read more
Already plans are well underway inNew Zealand’s cathedral churches to mark the canonisation of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II . The canonisations will take place at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome at 10am on 27 April, the Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday). The corresponding time here in New Zealand will Read more
This week we celebrate the first anniversary (13 March) of the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis. But it is next month that we will witness an event that says more about what to make of him and what to expect in his Pontificate. In April, Pope Francis will beatify on the same day Read more
In 1971 the document Justice in the World, issued by the Synod of Bishops, represented a major step in the development of Catholic teaching on the environment. Barbara Ward-Jackson was a consultant before and during the synod and undoubtedly had a considerable influence on its outcome. This document emphasised the close link between ecology and Read more