Pietro Parolin

At a recent convocation ceremony, I closed my commencement address with a reference to one of my favourite stories: that of the famed astronomer Harlow Shapley and his discovery that Argon atoms, which make up one per cent of our atmosphere, never fade. They recirculate indefinitely.

The unity of the Catholic Church's bishops is fundamental in correcting past wrongs and in confronting challenges today, Pope Francis said.

Lead on, Milloy

Kudos to John Milloy for his July 10-17 column “Building a consistent culture of life.”

Whether Pope Francis proves correct that the Indian residential school system constituted “genocide,” he erred three times during the concluding media conference for his otherwise near-flawless penitential pilgrimage across Canada.

Pope Francis will lead a consistory to install new cardinals on Aug. 27. The 16 new cardinal electors, eligible to vote in the next election of a pope, come from surprising places, and many are involved with people on society’s margins. As observers note, the men this Pope has named princes of the Church often have no pretensions to royalty. They are God’s servants in the vineyard of life.

I don’t need to tell you that gender confusion is rampant among our youth today. Only 10 years ago, when I would ask an audience of adults or youth, everyone knew someone who was same-sex attracted, but no one knew someone who was experiencing gender dysphoria or identified as “trans.” Now everyone knows some young person fairly close to them in that situation: a son, daughter, nephew, niece, grandchild. Why?

Like many internationally trained health-care professionals who immigrate to Canada, Dr. Sahar Zohni struggled to find a clear pathway into the Canadian medical system.

While with students at a local park during a summer day camp for newcomers and their families, English as a Second Language (ESL) resource teacher Christine Ignas was handed a cell phone. It was the father from one of the families in the camp who wanted to speak with her. 

It’s unclear as to whether an Ontario nurse who received a religious exemption from COVID-19 vaccination based on Catholic faith will set a precedent for others arguing on similar grounds. 

Standing out from the final day of Pope Francis’ penitential pilgrimage to foster reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous peoples was his remarks to Inuit youth in Iqaluit.