The Future of Sex Work
When Jesus ministered to and even socialised with prostitutes, he gave his followers a mandate to aid these most widely reviled women in society.
Category: Editorials
The War on the Pope
In his First Letter to the Corinthians, St Paul takes angry issue with evident division among that community’s Christians (1:10-15). “Every one of you is declaring, ‘I belong to Paul’, or ‘I belong...
The Morality of Dagga
The Constitutional Court’s decriminalisation of the possession of marijuana for private use by adults will raise questions about whether private cannabis-consumption is morally acceptable for Catholics. With the element of legality effectively no longer...
Why Confession Seal Cannot be Broken
Calls are getting louder for the seal of the confessional in the sacrament of reconciliation to be loosened to compel a priest to report confessions of sexual abuse to the civil authorities. The Catholic...
A Truth Commission Is Needed
Some Church leaders still find it difficult to acknowledge that the greater scandal in the distressing history of clerical abuse is the cover-ups and failure of diligence among bishops, the Vatican and other...
Celebrating Our Lady’s Birthday
The celebration of the feast of the Nativity of Our Blessed Lady occurs every year on September 8. Oddly, despite the Church’s huge respect and veneration of Mary and her indispensable role in Christian...
Prayers of the Faithful
Guest editorial Michael Shackleton – When the Western Cape and other affected areas recently confronted the prospect of a devastating regional drought, it seemed natural for people to pray for rain. Religious leaders of all...
In Crisis, Keep Hope
As Catholics are hit by wave after wave of old and new abuse scandals, many people are facing a crisis of faith: How can all this evil be reconciled with the Good News of...
God Alone Must Judge
The Catholic Church’s immutable belief in the sanctity of life found renewed expression this month when Pope Francis amended the Catechism to declare capital punishment “morally inadmissible”.
A New Scandal
In recent weeks, religious Sisters from a congregation in Chile told national television their stories of abuse by priests and other nuns — and how those in authority knew but failed to protect them. In India, a nun filed a formal charge against a bishop whom she accused of having raped her.
How We Should Mark Woman’s Day
While it is indeed commendable for men to show appreciation for women — preferably also on the other 364 days in the year — the commercialisation of Women’s Day as a glorified Mothers’ Day is an unwelcome subversion of the meaning of this public holiday.
Suicide and the Church
Few family tragedies leave as many lasting scars as the suicide of a loved one. Those left behind not only are faced with the grief that accompanies all bereavements, but they inevitably will inquire...
