July 2007

A problem prayer

An unfortunate off-shoot of Pope Benedict’s apostolic letter Summorum Pontificum on the Tridentine rite has been the negative reaction by Jewish commentators, who expressed concern that a...

Amy Winehouse – Back To Black

CD REVIEW Amy Winehouse does not quite live up to all the hype, and she is not a “soul sensation”. But this doesn’t mean that Back To...

The old Mass now

Pope Benedict’s moto proprio Summorum Pontificum may be seen as a pastoral masterstroke which will solve some thorny problem. But it might also create new predicaments. It would...

Ban Christmas? Why not?

Let us assume for a moment that in the spirit of the Vatican’s policy of engaging with other religions, we Catholics were instructed by the Holy See...

More than words

This week an opinion writer makes the pertinent point that calling out God’s name when God is not being addressed is a habit best dropped by Christians....

Is your joker a joker?

Here I am into TV commercials again. Who doesn’t know the line, “Is your tracker a tracker?” My question: “Is your joker a joker?” A humourist, a...

The rules of the road

Drivers in South Africa have a deserved reputation of being among the worst in the world, and road fatality statistics bear this out. The numbers likewise suggest...