Church leaders praise Hawking for contribution to science, dialogue
The British-born theoretical physicist, cosmologist and popular author died March 14 at the age of 76. Read more
The Transformative Promise of Pope Francis, Five Years On
By some unexpected combination of character and conviction, Francis arrived on the scene with a relevance that the world grasped at once, perhaps recognizing this post-religious need in itself. Unlike his predecessors, the Argentine does not comes off as a throwback oddity, to be valued, if at all, like a gilded museum piece. Instead, for the past five years, he has taken full advantage of his position as the figurehead of what began as an incubator of Western culture, addressing that culture’s crisis by lifting up what made it precious in the first place. Read more
Why the Catholic Church Remains So Eurocentric
The election of the first Latin American pope was supposed to signal a turn toward a more global, less Eurocentric Catholicism. But, for reasons both ecclesial and geopolitical, this turn is taking much longer than expected. Read more
Pope Francis Is Beloved. His Papacy Might Be at Disaster
The conversation has become predictable. A friendly acquaintance – a neighbor, a fellow parent, our realtor – asks about my work. I say “I do not know so wonderful” or, “I must be an inspiring thing,” or “I have a friend who would love to read it. “And then eventually I find myself saying, uncomfortably,” To pause, puzzled and slightly crestfallen. “But you’re writing about the nice pope?” Read more
UN gets $100M in new funds for Palestinian aid after US cuts
The United Nations received pledges Thursday of nearly $100 million in new funding for the U.N. relief agency for Palestinians after the U.S. slashed its aid, but it is still facing a nearly $350 million shortfall this year. Read more
‘One God, One Humanity’: Seeking to Build Bridges Between Muslims and Catholics
Taking on the issue of religious prejudice, the National Muslim and Catholic Dialogue met for the third time at University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary 6-8 March. Read more
UN agencies, NGOs, and World Council of Churches join to end violence against children
Representatives of UN agencies such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have spoken of how religious communities and churches can play a key part in ending violence in early childhood. Read more
Saudi Crown Prince ‘commits to interfaith tolerance’ in meeting with Anglican leader
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has met the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and promised to promote interfaith dialogue as part of his domestic reforms, the office of the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion says. Read more