Theology can help guide speculation about aliens, professor says

Fundamental theological principles provide the framework for any doctrinal questions over the discovery of extra-terrestrial beings, a theologian claimed in a lecture on June 5. While the Church does not have any specific teachings on extra-terrestrial life, theologians can speculate on the existence of these beings and their nature due to the “underlying principles” which…

Vatican Roundup

Room to improve for Vatican handling of financial crime Moneyval, the European financial watchdog committee, said that while the Vatican has made progress in combatting financial crimes, its investigations into potential crimes committed by senior officials needs more fine-tuning. The group, also known as the Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of…

Catholic ethos in schools deserves support

Dear Editor, Some national politicians have questioned why a Catholic ethos should be present in our schools. Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that the overwhelming majority of children are from a Catholic background and that their parents have a sneaking feeling that the Catholic ethos is the most compassionate, coherent and comprehensive available. These…

Tempest of the heart

The Sunday Gospel Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. About ten years ago we celebrated the Year of Faith and the logo chosen as a symbol of the times was the boat tossed about in a storm, today’s Gospel, Mark 4:35-41. In this series of Sunday Reflections, we have already referred to the problems of the…

Family News

Remote work here to stay as Facebook reopens offices Facebook has said it will give its employees the option of sticking with remote work for the long-term, going as far as to aid employees interested in moving to other countries. The social media giant told AFP that beginning June 15, it will let any employee…

In brief

Euthanasia deaths soared last year in Canada The number of Canadians who ended their lives by euthanasia and assisted suicide increased by 17% in 2020, the country’s health department announced on June 7. According to Abby Hoffman, assistant deputy minister of Health Canada, 7,595 people received “medically assisted deaths” last year, a figure which amounts…