News from the Vatican
A Catholic bishop in New Zealand has announced that he will celebrate Mass ad orientem during Advent, emphasising that the liturgy is directed towards God rather than centred on the personality of the priest. Michael Haynes reports on the bishop’s decision and his explanation of the spiritual significance of priest and congregation facing the same direction in worship.
The newly elected Democratic senator from Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, has drawn comparisons between Islamic sharia and Catholic canon law, prompting questions about the relationship between religious authority and civil government. Christine Rousselle examines his argument and explains why the distinction between the two legal traditions matters.
A relic of St Nicholas has been stolen from a basilica in France and allegedly destroyed, prompting dismay over the loss of an object of centuries-old Christian devotion. Corrie Douglas-Young reports on the incident and the circumstances surrounding the relic’s disappearance.
Young men are increasingly struggling with loneliness, alienation and a loss of purpose, yet their difficulties are too often overlooked or dismissed in contemporary public discourse. Patrick Neve argues that the Church must take these concerns seriously and offer young men the belonging, responsibility and spiritual direction they need.
Psychology and theology are sometimes treated as competing approaches to human suffering, but Catholic therapy need not choose between them. Dominic McCann makes the case for an approach that draws on both psychological understanding and the Church’s vision of the human person, recognising the importance of mental and spiritual wellbeing.
The newly elected Democratic senator from Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, has drawn comparisons between Islamic sharia and Catholic canon law, prompting questions about the relationship between religious authority and civil government. Christine Rousselle examines his argument and explains why the distinction between the two legal traditions matters.
A relic of St Nicholas has been stolen from a basilica in France and allegedly destroyed, prompting dismay over the loss of an object of centuries-old Christian devotion. Corrie Douglas-Young reports on the incident and the circumstances surrounding the relic’s disappearance.
Young men are increasingly struggling with loneliness, alienation and a loss of purpose, yet their difficulties are too often overlooked or dismissed in contemporary public discourse. Patrick Neve argues that the Church must take these concerns seriously and offer young men the belonging, responsibility and spiritual direction they need.
Psychology and theology are sometimes treated as competing approaches to human suffering, but Catholic therapy need not choose between them. Dominic McCann makes the case for an approach that draws on both psychological understanding and the Church’s vision of the human person, recognising the importance of mental and spiritual wellbeing.
31-35, F