Posted on 04. Dec, 2014 in Christian Values, Church Teachings
In his interview with Jesuit journals in the Summer of last year Pope Francis famously described “the church as a field hospital after battle.” The image captures some of the urgency that is demanded of the church today: “You have to attend to the wounds,” he continued. “Then we can talk about everything else. Attend […]
Posted on 13. Nov, 2014 in Celibacy/Sexuality, Christian Values
Controversy regarding the Church’s approach to the acceptance of gay people arose at the recent Catholic Church Synod. A draft report issued halfway through the meeting had called for greater openness towards homosexuals and divorced Catholics who have remarried. But those paragraphs were not approved, and were not in the final text. The report will […]
Posted on 30. Oct, 2014 in Christian Values, Economy, Faith and Justice
Does the growth model of economics serve everybody? Sr. Aine O’Connor, Mercy Global action coordinator for the Sisters of Mercy at the United Nations, believes that it needs to be questioned closely. Her job is to question the impact of industries at a local level. They bring the voice of the local people in to […]
Posted on 30. Oct, 2014 in Christian Values, Church Teachings, Gospel Values
Fr. Robert Spitzer is a Jesuit priest, philosopher, educator, author, speaker, and retired President of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. He has written several books about the connection between reason and faith and gives talks on the issues of philosophy of science, metaphysics, theology, and ethics. Donal O’Sullivan from the Family and Media Association was […]
Posted on 16. Oct, 2014 in Christian Values, Church Teachings, Community, Family
The Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said before going to the Synod in Rome, that “The situation of Catholics who are divorced through no fault of their own, but were still denied Communion, should be among issues addressed by bishops.” He questioned “How you go about bringing a more merciful attitude to people who find […]
Posted on 16. Oct, 2014 in Celibacy/Sexuality, Christian Values, Church Teachings, Community, Education, Feminism/Women in the Church, Humane Vitae
The extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family has been looking at issues surrounding modern families and how to reconcile Church teachings with the reality lived by people on the ground. More than 250 participants, including 14 married couples from around the world are there. There are 190 voting members and over 60 non voting […]
Posted on 09. Oct, 2014 in Celibacy/Sexuality, Christian Values, Church Teachings, Gospel Values, Humane Vitae
The extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family kicked off in Vatican City on Monday, and we are beginning to see what frank and open dialogue may look like in the church at its highest level in 2014. Many Catholics are hopeful the synod will bring meaningful change to how the church ministers to the […]
Posted on 09. Oct, 2014 in Christian Values, Church Teachings, Economy, Faith and Justice, Poverty
Gustavo Gutierrez, founder of liberation theology gave it the central tenet of, “the preferential option for the poor” or “option for the poor” as it is often known. This service of the poor is also one of the clear guiding principals of Pope Francis’ theology. The phrase was also seen to have links with Marxism. […]
Posted on 25. Sep, 2014 in Christian Values, Church Teachings
Almost everyone is struck by the new approach that Pope Francis takes to theology. Here Gerry Whelan SJ explains to Pat Coyle how his approach can be understood by going back to his roots as a priest in Argentina. Using the terms inductive and deductive theology, he examines how Pope Francis takes culture and context […]
Posted on 18. Sep, 2014 in Christian Values
Former first minister of Northern Ireland, Ian Paisley, who died recently, aged 88, was a complex figure. He was one of the most uncompromising politicians throughout the Troubles and many will remember his mantra of “Never, never, never” to any Republican influence. However later in life, he committed the most spectacular change of direction, entering […]