Michael Swan

Day 3: Drawing attention to the occupation

May 15, 2014

The graffiti which has appeared on the walls of some Jerusalem churches in advance of Pope Francis' visit is nothing new. Which makes in no less ugly and no less crazy.

Day 2: Religion a reality in little town of Bethlehem

May 14, 2014

Below me the Bridgettine Sisters are chanting the office and it echoes through their guest house built into the hillside entirely out of stone, steel and tile. Outside the muezzin calls Muslims to prayer through giant loudspeakers.

Pope Francis' pilgrimage for unity

May 12, 2014

Catholics sometimes forget what the Pope's job is. It's not hard to mistake the Masses, meetings, audiences, addresses, encyclicals, photo opportunities and tours of St. Peter's Square in the popemobile for the Pope's job.

Pro-life Liberal McKay has dilemma on hand with Trudeau pro-choice stance

May 12, 2014

Toronto pro-life Liberal MP John McKay says he’s no less a Liberal for his stand against open-access, unregulated abortion.

Day 1: Arriving in Bethlehem

May 11, 2014

I was in Bethlehem for one day in 2007, about this time of the year. There was an unnatural calm to the place. Streets were empty. Olive-wood carvings were piling up in the workshops in hope of a return of the tourists. But most shops weren't betting on it. Most were locked tight behind heavy metal doors.

Program aims to demystify salvation

May 10, 2014

TORONTO - Salvation’s not cheap. It’s free — a gift of God. But what exactly is salvation? Salvation from what? Salvation for what?

French Mass survives CBC cuts

May 3, 2014

CBC budget cuts in April that will cost more than 600 employees their jobs left the weekly Mass in French relatively unscathed.

Talking Green Spirit

May 3, 2014

When Canada’s Catholic bishops last year spoke out yet again on the environment they were hoping they wouldn’t have the last word on the subject. Now a Catholic video production company along with several parishes and religious orders are hoping to get Catholic students and parishioners talking with the launch of Green Spirit TV.

Medical association takes the debate on end-of-life care across Canada

May 1, 2014

Doctors don’t think Canada should mess with the rules that govern how they care for the terminally ill without a serious national debate. Therefore the Canadian Medical Association has been sponsoring town hall meetings across Canada.

Register columnist Joanne McGarry was a tireless worker for the Church

April 28, 2014

TORONTO - A voice committed to faith and fairness has been silenced. Catholic Register columnist and executive director of the Catholic Civil Rights League Joanne McGarry succumbed to pancreatic cancer April 28. She was 60 years old.