Pope Francis is the fourth pope in almost 50 years to visit Africa but his recent three-nation trip was the first by a pontiff from the global south, which meant he could speak both from his heart and from shared experience.
For 12 days starting Nov. 30 several dozen world leaders, joined by 50,000 delegates and lobbyists, will meet in Paris to craft a global treaty to dramatically reduce man-made greenhouse gas emissions. This zeal for an international consensus is certainly commendable but it misses the point.
Even as the world was reacting in horror to the slaughter in Paris on Nov. 13, Fr. John Walsh was moving past the how and what to asking why.
The Christian response to terror attacks
In response to the violent acts of terrorism which have recently shaken France everyone and his conservative grandmother has an opinion on how we ought to respond.
The recent terrorist attacks in Paris have sparked inevitable security worries and calls to slow down the plan to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by year’s end. That would be a mistake. The murder of at least 129 innocents in Paris underlines precisely why a massive refugee airlift is commendable and so urgent.
Last week, two vibrant Catholic voices spoke on the same night in venues across the street from each other in downtown Toronto.
Justin Trudeau’s promise to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by year end is implausible. Totally ridiculous. Absurd. So let’s roll up our sleeves and make it happen.
What is closer to home than the family? It is the blueprint of who we are and, often, what we hope to become. It is from the family that we derive our personal and social identity. Family shapes and moulds our moral values and disciplines our behaviour.
Most of Canada’s incoming parliamentarians were on the campaign trail in September and probably missed the inspiring address Pope Francis gave to U.S. Congress. If so, that’s a shame. His speech was made for America but a perfect fit for Canada.
The brutality of life on the streets could not defeat this ‘I used to be famous’ woman
There are evenings when I am walking the streets that deep theological insights come abruptly to my mind. This was one such evening.
In his closing address at the Synod of Bishops on the Family, Pope Francis said the meeting of Church leaders was never intended to solve all the problems that afflict modern families. The Synod, he said, was a forum to study the family and assess its many challenges “fearlessly, without burying our heads in the sand.”