Mentality of Arrogance
The report that British officials turned down asylum applications by Christians from Iran by mocking their faith is symptomatic of the increasing lack of respect given to people of faith in secularised countries. An...
Category: Editorials 2019
The Ideal Politician
As South Africans prepare to vote on May 8, they will survey the promises, ideologies and track-records of the various parties and the candidates they are fielding for election. By and large, they will...
THAT is the Church
Those people who regard the Catholic Church as a body in ruins after all the scandals and betrayals don’t know the Church. Of course, the institution has been devastated by failures of its own...
The Pius XII Files
The announcement by Pope Francis that documents in the Vatican Secret Archives relating to the pontificate of Pope Pius XII between 1939 and his death in 1958 will be opened to scholars next year...
No More Fudging!
Whatever the Catholic Church does in addressing the abuse scandal, it will never be seen as being good enough. And given the dimensions of the scandal, how could it ever be? Still, it is...
The End of Clericalism
It is not easy being a Catholic priest at a time when on various fronts they are being criticised. One of the many tragedies of the abuse scandal is that it has cast a...
Why Defending Pell is a Problem
On Wednesday, Cardinal George Pell was taken into custody after having had his bail revoked pending sentencing for his conviction of sexual abuse in a Melbourne court. Since his conviction, the Internet and Catholic...
Fruits From a Summit?
This week’s Vatican abuse scandal summit, which ends on February 24, may be expected to produce big solutions to the Church’s greatest crisis since the Reformation, but those who entertain such hopes will be...
The Church: Inside and Out
Guest editorial: Michael Shackleton – Like a coin, there are two sides to the Church. One side faces the world around it. The other side is seen and experienced by its faithful people in...
World Youth Day in South Africa?
The announcement that the next World Youth Day, in 2022, will be held in Lisbon, disappointed many Africans who are still waiting for the event to be hosted on their continent. There are indeed...
God Cannot Be Cheated
Guest Editorial By Michael Shackleton – Corruption is the catchword of the day. It is not a new word. It has appeared in many history books describing the perennial dishonesty and downfall of empires...
Abortion Rates Point to a Crisis in Society
Earlier this month a young man who should never have been born died aged 21. In July 1997, the young man, known only as Tim — or the “Oldenburg Baby”, after the city of...
