A multifaith celebration of Year of Mercy was held last week in Wellington. It was a joint initiative of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Committee for Interfaith Relations and the Wellington Abrahamic Council of Jews, Christians and Muslims. The first part of the event was a panel presentation by three speakers. JoEllen Dukkor (Jewish), Sister Read more
A suspect who allegedly received orders from ISIS to attack the Vatican and Israel’s embassy in Rome is among several extremists arrested in Italy. The arrests were made in Lombardy and Piedmont late last month. They came as the result of a joint operation co-ordinated by Milan’s district attorney and the Italian anti-terror agency. Authorities Read more
Amid the controversy surrounding Pope Francis’s recent apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), one extraordinary section has been all but overlooked. In chapter 4, “Love in Marriage,” the Holy Father offers a moving exegesis of that popular wedding reading, St. Paul’s ode to love from 2 Corinthians. It’s about more than marriage, though; Read more
Pope Francis has reportedly promised to extend indefinitely his recognition of Confessions heard by priests of the traditionalist Society of St Pius X. Last September, Francis decreed that during the Holy Year of Mercy, anyone who confesses their sins to an SSPX priest will be considered validly forgiven. Now, SSPX superior Bishop Bernard Fellay has Read more
No one doubts Pope Francis’ pulling power, whether in St Peter’s Square or on Instagram. But the fact that people want to see and hear Francis doesn’t tell you much about the impact he is having on them, or on the wider Church. To assess the success of a pope, you have to first identify Read more
If Pope Francis wanted a single image to illustrate the special Year of Mercy that is the current focus of his ministry and, indeed, the theme at the heart of his pontificate, he could do no better than choosing an underappreciated masterpiece by the thrilling Italian artist known as Caravaggio. In fact, the 400-year-old canvas, Read more
Pope Francis marked his third day as pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church by distributing 40,000 copies of the Gospel of Luke in St. Peter’s Square. During his weekly blessing on Sunday, Pope Francis reinforced his message of mercy by telling the faithful about the Biblical story of the adulterous woman whom Jesus refused to Read more
Those who survived Auschwitz called the man in charge an “animal.” Rudolf Höss presided over the extermination of some 2.5 million prisoners in the three years he was commandant of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Another half a million died there from disease and starvation. A year after his tenure came to an end, he returned Read more
Pope Francis has appealed for an international consensus to abolish the death penalty. Speaking at St Peter’s Square on Sunday, the Pope said “Thou shalt not kill applies to the guilty as well as the innocent”. The Pontiff said the commandment has “absolute value”. He asked politicians around the world to “make a courageous and Read more
Expat Kiwi, now Australian Jesuit priest, Fr Richard Shortall was commissioned a Missionary of Mercy by Pope Francis on Ash Wednesday. In his letter announcing the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis reflects on the need for some priests to take on a more significant role in extending God’s mercy to the people. The Holy Father is Read more