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January 2016

January 28

For the irrational, there will always be a never-ending battle

January 28, 2016

I was surprised recently to read that defunding Catholic schools was the leading piece of advice the Ontario Government had received so far in its budget consultations. And I couldn’t help thinking that just because you have a thought, an idea, a proposal, it doesn’t mean you have to say it out loud. And even if you feel compelled to utter it, forcing the rest of us to listen, it doesn’t mean we have to pay serious attention.

Germany, Austrian bishops say keep doors open to refugees

January 28, 2016

BERLIN - Catholic bishops in Germany and Austria have urged their countries to continue accepting refugees, despite demands for new restrictions after New Year's Eve violence in Cologne and other cities.

Catholic broadcasters face big changes in coming months

January 28, 2016

TORONTO - Opting out of the stations you never watch or buying just the channels you do watch on cable isn’t the biggest worry Canada’s Catholic broadcasters face. The advent of the “skinny basic” cable packages — which cable companies must offer starting in March — and pick-n-pay menus that allow viewers to purchase only the stations they want by the end of 2016, are only a small part of bigger changes in how people watch television, broadcasters told The Catholic Register.

God does the extraordinary through the most ordinary people

January 28, 2016

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Feb. 7 (Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11) How would we react if we suddenly found ourselves out of our element and where we had no right to be? Fear, embarrassment and a sense of vulnerability all come to mind — and Isaiah experienced them all. No one could be in God’s presence and live to tell the tale — and there Isaiah was, in the midst of the heavenly court. This was a vision, not an actual physical journey, but no less powerful and frightening.

Tectonic change around sex in our culture

January 28, 2016

No generation in history, I suspect, has ever experienced as much change as we have experienced in the past 60 years. That change is not just in the areas of science, technology, medicine, travel and communications, it is especially in the area of our social infrastructure, of our communal ethos. And perhaps nowhere is this change more radical than in how we understand sex. In the past 70 years we have witnessed three major, tectonic shifts in how we understand the place of sex in our lives.

Bennett uncertain about religious freedom office’s future

January 28, 2016

OTTAWA - Andrew Bennett remains uncertain whether his three-year term as Canada’s Religious Freedom Ambassador will be renewed, but says he will continue to fight for religious freedom even if his position is eliminated.

Covering nude statues in Rome for Iran head draws Catholic leader’s scorn

January 28, 2016

ROME - Controversy over Italy’s decision to cover nude statues during the visit of Iran’s president continued to spark debate as the leader of the Syrian Catholic Church criticized the episode, saying it pains persecuted Christians in Syria who feel forgotten.

January 29

In defense of faith and reason

January 29, 2016

The spring of 1633 was a time of controversy in the Catholic Church. The Inquisition had decided to bring a Florentine scientist named Galileo Galilei to trial for authoring a book that declared the heliocentric model of the universe as unequivocally correct, which contradicted the Church’s teachings at the time.

Youthful exuberance a sign of hope at New Waterford parish

January 29, 2016

NEW WATERFORD, N.S. - He has been called a ray of sunshine, a sign of hope and messenger of peace. But little Aidan Oliver says he just wants to make people happy.

Hindu girl gets Christian unity

January 29, 2016

TORONTO - Sometimes, it takes an outsider to speak the truth about our faith.

The spiritual house of God

January 29, 2016

Here is the winning entry in the annual essay contest for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity sponsored by The Catholic Register and the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement-Graymoor. Sharanya Tiwari, 16, is a Grade 11 student at St. Augustine Secondary School in Brampton, Ont.

Restricting physician-assisted death to adults may not pass court challenge, says expert

January 29, 2016

OTTAWA - Physician-assisted death legislation could include competent children under the age of 18, a legal expert told a Parliamentary committee Jan. 26.

Jesuit makes a name for himself studying lichen

January 29, 2016

For gymnasts it might be a twisting tumble, for astrologers a star, for politicians a sandwich. But for Jesuit ecologist Fr. John McCarthy that ultimate accolade — confirmation of a lifetime of scientific research — is to have a lichen named after him.

Homeless count aims to find solutions to national problem

January 29, 2016

York Region sent volunteers to canvass the streets and shelters to tally the homeless population as part of a federally funded initiative aimed at tackling homelessness nationwide.

January 30

DiCaprio gets a papal audience ahead of Oscars

January 30, 2016

VATICAN CITY - Possibly hoping for divine intervention ahead of next month’s Academy Awards, Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio met with fellow environmentalist Pope Francis.

Pier Giorgio di Cicco and the story of a life

January 30, 2016

Fr. Pier Giorgio Di Cicco immediately seizes the reader’s attention with his strong personal voice, the connecting feature of his new poetry collection Mystic Playground.

Biopic about black preacher is toast of Sundance

January 30, 2016

Reserve the hashtag #Oscarssoblack for next year’s awards.

Alexandria-Cornwall may join Ottawa archdiocese

January 30, 2016

OTTAWA - A decision on the future of the Alexandria-Cornwall diocese and whether it will remain a separate entity or become part of the Ottawa archdiocese is expected to be resolved by June or July 2017, says Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast.

January 31

So many get it so wrong

January 31, 2016

When it comes to misreading the lectionary on Sunday morning, there’s lots of ways of going wrong.

Interpreting the Bible through nuance

January 31, 2016

TORONTO - Chances are you’ve never heard a homily preached on Deuteronomy 20:10-18. It’s kind of difficult to apply these God-given rules of war to daily life in the 21st century.