The school chaplaincy debate, Benedict and me
St Benedict affirms for me the great value of one who humbly strives to live out the guiding values of the community and is a witness rather than an expert,...
Where angels fear to tread
One of the significant and pressing pastoral theological issues currently dividing opinion among the hierarchy and among the laity of the Church, is the issue of divorced and remarried Catholics,...
Signs of hope in our Church and world?
When asked to name signs of hope in our Church and world, Good Samaritan Sister Mary McDonald saw very few in the Church, besides the “Francis factor”. So she began...
Religion, politics and the ‘consistent ethic of life’
We should question supposed Christian organisations concerned only with bioethical or so-called moral issues related to life, death and sexuality, without reference to equality, inclusion and a decent and meaningful...
A better way on asylum seekers
Is there a way through the present impasse on asylum seekers that is both humane and practicable, asks John Menadue AO.
Gathering from the grassroots
The consultation process for the 2014 Synod on the Family deserves our close attention because it may become a model for future synods, says Garry Everett.
Surprised by joy
Retired Bishop Pat Power says Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium”, is the most enriching and life-giving papal document he’s read since Vatican II.
Remembering our family saints
In November the Church reminds us that each person’s life story doesn’t just begin at conception and end at death, but starts before they are born and goes on into...
A light in the Vatican window
Pope Francis alone can’t succeed; he wants the whole Church, all of us, to change in the ways he exhibits, says Garry Everett.
Dying of wounds from a war she never saw
The woman in the pink dress gazed with loving concentration at her baby, urging her, willing her to live, to take another breath, writes Donna Mulhearn.
The value of atheists
Atheism shows us the log in our own eye, writes Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser.
On perception, tastes and priorities
We all judge those around us, but don’t judge until you know the whole truth, writes Taylor Mills.