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May 2021

May 12

Former students testify at Vatican trial on abuse in minor seminary

May 12, 2021

VATICAN CITY - Four former students at the minor seminary located in the Vatican testified May 12 at the ongoing trial of Father Gabriele Martinelli, who is accused of sexually abusing a younger student at the St. Pius X Pre-Seminary.

In Gaza, tiny Catholic community tries to stay in touch during airstrikes

May 12, 2021

Since early May 11, Israeli bombs have been falling around the Rosary Sisters school in Gaza, which sustained light to moderate damage inside and outside the compound -- including to the front door and solar panels used for electricity.

May 13

Polish pilgrims mark anniversary of attempt to assassinate St. John Paul

May 13, 2021

VATICAN CITY - An elderly man stood alone in St. Peter's Square May 13, using his wooden rosary beads to pray by a simple plaque marking the place where St. John Paul II was shot exactly 40 years earlier.

Editorial: A conscience solution

May 13, 2021

Canada has been riding the fast track on assisted suicide for almost five years, yet it still hasn’t put in place effective protection for health care providers who do not want to play any part in ending a life this way. It’s called conscience rights and it is one of the freedoms specifically mentioned in Canada’s Charter.

Pride flag to fly at schools

May 13, 2021

The Pride flag will be flying over Ontario Catholic schools in a number of jurisdictions, including Toronto, in the month of June.

As COVID-19 spikes, Indian church officials look for ways to help

May 13, 2021

NEW DELHI - Catholic officials in India are working to help citizens get help during the second wave of COVID-19 and the accompanying lockdown.

May 14

Borders an opportunity to encounter the other: Pope Francis

May 14, 2021

In a world of 79.5 million forcibly displaced people, 26 million of them officially designated refugees, Pope Francis wants us thinking and praying about our borders in moral, ethical and spiritual terms.

Bill 21 ruling headed to Quebec Court of Appeal

May 14, 2021

OTTAWA - Two organizations trying to have Quebec’s secularism law Bill 21 — which bans public sector workers from wearing religious symbols at work — overturned by the courts will be joining the provincial government in appealing an April 20 court decision that upheld most of the controversial law.

Hundreds ignore restrictions to join March for Life

May 14, 2021

OTTAWA - The ongoing COVID pandemic could not silence Canada’s pro-life movement as hundreds marched through the streets of the nation’s capital May 13 while thousands more gathered online for the annual March for Life.

Alberta churches dealt harshest COVID-19 measures in a year

May 14, 2021

Houses of worship were among the many sectors of Alberta society hit with the most stringent COVID-19 capacity guidelines since the first wave of the virus last spring. New regulations are limiting in-person worship services to 15 people in high case areas, down from the 15 per cent of building fire code capacity.

Biden call fuels vaccine effort for poor nations

May 14, 2021

After U.S. President Joe Biden’s surprise turnaround in favour of temporarily suspending patent protection for COVID-19 vaccines, Church leaders are redoubling their lobbying, hoping a World Trade Organization agreement will get vaccines into arms south of the equator.

Gerry Turcotte: Waiting in the lobby

May 14, 2021

It has become commonplace to speak of our current reality as “a time like no other.”

Sr. Helena Burns: Faith can deal with today’s ‘revolutions’

May 14, 2021

I recently gave a virtual commencement speech at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College in Barry’s Bay, Ont. Incidentally, OLSW (as it shall henceforth be abbreviated) is one of only two Canadian Catholic colleges or universities on the prestigious Newman Guide of the Cardinal Newman Society.

May 15

Feds’ daycare plan falls short, says Cardus

May 15, 2021

OTTAWA - The federal government’s much-hyped national daycare plan will cost up to four times the price tag the Liberals promised in its recent budget, according to the religious think tank Cardus.

Glen Argan: A thriving world starts with path of truth

May 15, 2021

Despite plenty of reasons to believe otherwise, Christianity remains the greatest force in the global push for human equality, human rights and the dignity of the human person.

Family, colleagues shape Daly’s trustee service

May 15, 2021

A well-known face in the corridors of Ontario Catholic education, Patrick Daly credits the support of family and colleagues for his effectiveness and longevity as a leader.

Bishop Robert Barron: Should suffering shake our faith?

May 15, 2021

Premier Christian Radio in the UK just sponsored a survey that investigated how the COVID crisis has affected religious beliefs and attitudes. There were three major findings — namely, that 67 per cent of those who characterize themselves as “religious” found their belief in God challenged, that almost a quarter said the pandemic made them more fearful of death, and that around a third of those surveyed said that their prayer life had been affected by the crisis.

Sisters seek removal of Mike Harris from Chartwell board

May 15, 2021

The Loretto Sisters want some answers and some accountability from Canada’s largest for-profit operator of retirement homes and private long-term care facilities.

May 16

God's Word on Sunday: We must allow the Spirit to do its work

May 16, 2021

Pentecost Sunday, May 23 (Year B) Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104; 1 Corinthians 12: 3b-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23 What would the Spirit find if Pentecost occurred today? It would find a divided and broken world at war with itself.

Social justice at the core of new Brescia president

May 16, 2021

The new president of Brescia University College is a political scientist who wants to liberate social justice from politics and an educator who wants to free teaching from the classroom. Lauretta Conklin Frederking has been named the 13th principal and the new president of Canada’s only Catholic women’s college. The London, Ont., college was founded by the Ursuline Sisters in 1919. Its 1,500 students also attend Western University.