Recent reports of the approval of a new miracle attributed to Bl John Paul II gave rise to overexcited announcements on the social media that the Polish-born pontiff would be canonised on October 20. No official announcement to that effect had been made and reports of the date of a canonisation were premature. However, the [...]

Medical staff at prisons may well tell you that at the sight of a hypodermic needle, many a hardened gangster, bearing multiple scars of stabbing and gunshot wounds, cries out for his mother. It is a natural instinct to seek sanctuary from pain and fear in the person whose womb once provided the perfect shelter. [...]

In recent weeks several Church leaders have indicated that they might not oppose legislation that would extend civil union rights to same-sex couples, with the legal prerogatives that apply to traditional marriages, but without characterising such unions as marriages.