The Archdiocese of Indianapolis has announced that a local Jesuit high school will no longer be recognised as a Catholic school, due to a disagreement about the employment of a teacher who is in a same-sex marriage. “All those who minister in Catholic educational institutions carry out an important ministry in communicating the fullness of…
Our society demands productivity, but we can’t let our faith conform to this, writes Ben Swanson A little while ago I found a little golden ring. I was going up the stairs in my house and it was there sitting on one of the steps. It was thin, it had a break in it, and…
Australian bishops have written a pastoral letter denouncing Victoria state’s “new, and deeply troubling chapter of health care”, as voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide became legal last Wednesday. The Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 took effect on June 19. In a letter earlier this month, the bishops of Melbourne, Ballarat, Sale, and Sandhurst wrote that “we…
Mary Jenning If you are not a runner (yet), you may wonder what the attraction is. From the outside running must seem like a very boring hobby indeed. Constantly putting one foot in front of another for minutes and possibly even hours? How is that in any way exciting? But talk to any runner…
The California Catholic Conference commemorated the fourth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical ‘Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home’ by issuing a pastoral statement calling for heightened attention to ecological issues in the state that could affect future generations. The document from the conference, which includes all of California’s bishops, focused on the encyclical’s…
Burundi’s Catholic bishops have expressed their concern at rising political intolerance in the east African country. “We are worried about the progressive increase of political intolerance which, in different parts of the country, provokes clashes,” the bishops said in a statement at the end of their four-day plenary meeting in the capital, Gitega. Burundian authorities…
Mindful Living Dr Noel Keating We have seen that meditation is a universal practice which has a particular expression and meaning in the Christian tradition. Many who practice meditation have been drawn to do so because of its pragmatic benefits. Indeed, the spread of mindfulness as a secular practice in health and other secular…
The Irish priest who deals with cases of clerical sex abuse worldwide for the Vatican has described how the work has impacted adversely on him and his colleagues. Fr John Kennedy has headed the discipline section of the Vatican’s Congregations for the Doctrine of the Faith since 2017. He said that the issue of abuse…
Hannah Harn learns about the history of the Jews of Iraq As of 2016, Ireland was home to fewer than 3,000 Jews. “In the region of Munster, we have about 95 people on a day to day basis and we’ll meet up occasionally,” said Aida Phelops of West Cork. Ms Phelops is a speaker…
The Government has said it is investigating a hospital which is refusing to provide abortions. Four consultant obstetricians at St Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny, wrote to GPs in the area to advise that abortion services are not available in the hospital. The letter said it was “decided unanimously that the hospital is not an appropriate location…