News

As COP26 approaches, faith organizations across the world are intensifying their calls for bold action against climate change, also in light of the COVID-19 crisis.  Ahead of the UN summit due to convene in Glasgow, Scotland, from October 31 to November 12, hundreds of religious leaders from the five continents have signed a “Sacred People, Sacred Heart Statement”, urging a joint ...

On World Mission Day, which we celebrate each year on the penultimate Sunday of October (this year on 24th October 2021) we recall with gratitude all those men and women who by their testimony of life help us to renew our baptismal commitment to be generous and joyful apostles of the Gospel. ‘We cannot but speak about what we have seen ...

The International Day of the Girl Child (11th October 2021) focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights. Girls are breaking boundaries and barriers posed by stereotypes and exclusion, including those directed at children with disabilities and those living in marginalized communities. As entrepreneurs, innovators ...

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2021 is 17th October.  The theme for this year is: “Building Forward Together: Ending Persistent Poverty, Respecting all People and our Planet”. International days and dates have a purpose, in that they can focus our attention and determination to inform ourselves of the reality for our ‘brothers and sisters’ across the globe ...

The celebration of the past four weeks of prayer, activity and commitment to living so as to realise  “A home for all” – the theme of this year’s Season of Creation (1st September to 4th October 2021) has been a profound one, as we were pointed towards a better understanding of  the integral web of relationships that sustain the well-being ...

The 107th World Day of Migrants and Refugees is on Sunday, 26th September 2021. This year’s theme is ‘Towards An Ever Wider “We”’ moving the focus from ‘Me’ to ‘We’. In the Encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis expressed a concern and a hope that “Once this health crisis passes, our worst response would be to plunge even more deeply into ...

A global tragedy such as the Covid-19 pandemic has made the already existing inequalities and inequities gain momentum almost exponentially. Humanity seems increasingly shaken by processes of massification and fragmentation.  The tragic condition faced by migrants in all regions of the world shows how high and strong the barriers dividing the single human family still are.  Indeed, the Encyclicals Laudato ...

In the reality of today’s Afghanistan as the Taliban take power, a Taliban spokesperson told a BBC reporter that they will reimpose their version of Sharia (religious) law, which includes such things as stoning for adultery and amputation of limbs for stealing. The fate of women is uncertain. The spokesperson assured the BBC that women would be respected, allowed to ...

“For more than a year, we have all experienced the devastating effects of a global pandemic—all of us, whether poor or wealthy, weak or strong. Some were more protected or vulnerable than others, but the rapidly-spreading infection meant that we have depended on each other in our efforts to stay safe.” “No-one is safe until everyone is safe”. These observations ...

The 1st of September is upon us heralding a change of season leading us into the meteorological Autumn.  We know from our experience of the changing seasons that Nature and the Earth never ceases to bestow its gifts. However, the Season of Creation (SOC) is our opportunity to ‘recognise the good gift’ of creation and to sustain and develop our ...