On July 7, 2018, in Bari, Italy, at an important ecumenical gathering of all Christian leaders from the Middle East, Pope Francis made a jarring reference to a Middle East without Christians.
Some questions for the average Catholic in the pews: Do you know what the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development is? How about the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops? Have you ever heard of the Social Affairs Commission of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario?
Dignified death
Re: Faith shouldn’t have to bend to survive (Aug. 11-18):
Excellent article by Charles Lewis. But I wonder what euthanasia has to do with palliative care.
In some respects, the Oct. 21 federal election will be a referendum on tolerance.
Early in his book, Biography of Silence, Pablo d’Ors notes some of the many experiences he cultivated in his life as a young adult — travelling, reading voraciously and having numerous romances. “Like many of my contemporaries, I was convinced that the more experiences I had and the more intense and stunning they were, the sooner and better I would become a complete person.”
At Montreal’s Concordia University, where I study the wonders of Ireland north and south for several hours each week, a large sign asks students how they feel about climate change.
There is a truth about great journalists that long after their columns have faded into the ghosts of time, their words still come back to haunt or to comfort.
Way back in Grade 10 religion class at Michael Power High School, Sr. Virginia had us read Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. In this memorable book about the Holocaust, Frankl writes about why some of his fellow prisoners survived the concentration camps, while many didn’t.
In a few weeks, his many admirers will celebrate the 30th priestly anniversary of Fr. Paul Pearson of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Toronto.
Self-imposed silence
Re: Archdiocese gears up for federal election (Sept. 1):
The Church and the large Catholic community of Toronto has much to offer Canadians, especially, as the article suggests, by using the wisdom of Catholic social teaching in formulating government policies.
In the words of Pope Francis, to give the best of oneself in sports is also a call to aspire to holiness.