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April 5, 2013
A colleague drove me home, a long trip across the city. I volunteered directions. He, absorbed in the dulcet tones and colourful maps offered by his GPS (Global Positioning System), didn’t listen. The computer knew better than I did where I lived and how to get there. “Her” regularly interjected directions were the influential force of that journey.
In the award-winning film Lincoln, the American president and his wife are seen riding in a carriage discussing their relationship and dreams for the future. At one point Lincoln looks off into the distance and muses about visiting the Holy Land and walking in the footsteps of David and Solomon.
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis reaffirmed the importance of responding decisively to the problem of the sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy and called on the Vatican office dealing with suspected cases to continue carrying out its mandate.
Some years ago, I was at a religious conference where one of the speakers, widely known and respected for her work among the poor, made this comment: “I’m not a theologian, so I don’t know how this plays out theologically; but here’s the base from which I’m operating: I work with the poor. Partly I do this out of my humanity, out of natural compassion; but ultimately my motivation is Christ. I work with the poor because I’m a Christian. However, I can go for two or three years on the streets and never mention Christ’s name because I believe that God is mature enough that He doesn’t demand to always be the centre of our conscious attention.”
Third Sunday of Easter (Year C) April 14 (Acts 5:28-32, 40-41; Psalm 30; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19) It is well known that dictatorial or totalitarian regimes rule by fear. The oppressed know that they must keep silent at the least and maybe even mouth the party line. The consequences for not doing so are fearsome. Even so-called democratic cultures and societies also use a form of fear to coerce people — the fear of ridicule, exclusion or labelling. The message is clear: do not challenge the status quo or the powers that be, even if they are somewhat benign.
Toronto native Wanda O’Brien landed in India at the start of this year, ready to begin a new international adventure.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Rafaela Gonzalez spent the wee hours of March 19 watching the installation of the first Argentine pope on the big screens outside the city's cathedral. She spoke with admiration about Pope Francis, with disdain for the country's political picture and with concern for the church in a country with an overwhelmingly Catholic population, but a flock moving further from parishes, priests and church practices.
April 7, 2013
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — By Easter Monday, it would be the shot seen around the world.
April 8, 2013
ROME - Celebrating his first Mass in the cathedral of Rome, Pope Francis called on Christians to trust in God's endless patience and mercy.
LIVERPOOL, England - The Catholic bishops of England and Wales offered prayers for the soul of Margaret Thatcher, the former British prime minister who died at age 87 following a stroke.
VATICAN CITY - In his first appointment to the curia, Pope Francis named the superior of the Franciscans as secretary of the Vatican office that oversees the world's religious orders.
April 9, 2013
VATICAN CITY - Recognizing the important role each other plays on the global stage, Pope Francis and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met at the Vatican April 9, discussing common efforts to promote peace and protect human dignity.
April 10, 2013
OTTAWA - Canada’s Catholic bishops are calling on the laity to reflect, discuss and act on the Church’s environmental teachings.
LIMA, Peru - In his first weeks as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has echoed many of the concerns that he and fellow prelates raised in a conference of Latin American bishops six years ago.
OTTAWA - Many social conservatives, especially the new leaders in the pro-life movement, are openly considering punishing the Conservatives for quashing MP Mark Warawa’s Motion-408 that would have condemned gendercide.
OTTAWA - Despite demographic changes, increased secularization and the rise of women in the work force, religion is here to stay, says Reginald Bibby.
VATICAN CITY - A Christian isn't a person who simply follows some commandments, but is a person who tries to think like Christ, "act like him, love like him," Pope Francis said at his weekly general audience.
OTTAWA - Conservative MP Mark Warawa has added a new cause to his campaign against female gendercide — the right of Members of Parliament to represent their constituents.
April 11, 2013
VATICAN CITY - A major European regulator will conduct an expanded evaluation of the Vatican's latest efforts to prevent money laundering and the funding of terrorism.
DUBLIN - The Irish cannot afford to be complacent about violence, even though they have lived with a peace agreement for 15 years, said Ireland's most senior Catholic leader.