Michael Swan, The Catholic Register

Michael Swan, The Catholic Register

Michael is Associate Editor of The Catholic Register.

He is an award-winning writer and photographer and holds a Master of Arts degree from New York University.

Follow him on Twitter @MmmSwan, or click here to email him.

Single, married and even nuns, Jean Vanier abused at least 25 adult women over six decades even while he founded the international movements of L’Arche and Faith and Light, and inspired millions of Catholics around the world with his insight into the Christian life.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet’s long career in the highest ranks of Church leadership is coming to a close. Pope Francis has accepted his resignation, sending him off into retirement.

Lots of people read Aquinas and ignore horror movies. Lots of people watch horror movies and ignore Aquinas. The opportunity we have is to bring these things together.

If you know you’re risking cancer, if what you’re doing damages cells throughout your body and degrades your DNA — that basic building block of life that scientist Francis Crick, head of the human genome project, called “the language of God” — would you keep doing it?

As the Ontario government rolls out plans for more surgeries outside of hospitals in “independent clinics,” Catholic health-care providers are eyeing the opportunity to expand services and revenue streams, yet remain cautious of warnings that private, for-profit care is a moral minefield persist.

Boring, pro-forma, rote recitations of land acknowledgements before every school board meeting, at the start of every school day and at every event just annoy Arriane Chua. 

Spending $19 billion now and $70 billion over the next 40 years to buy 88 F-35 fighter jets is not wise, moral or even democratic in the eyes of peace activist and Sister of Service Mary-Ellen Francoeur.

Though publisher Pearson Canada Ltd. has stopped printing the textbook and will cease hosting its material online in March, the Fully Alive family life program for Grades 1 through 8 will continue to be taught in Ontario Catholic schools.

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has tossed out an attempted Charter challenge to publicly funded Catholic schools in Ontario.

Having passed away Dec. 31, Pope Benedict XVI will be remembered as one of the most important teachers, servants and leaders in modern Church history. Read our full obituary.