Dr Jane Goodall, the pioneering conservationist who revolutionised the study of animals, has been awarded the 2021 Templeton Prize. Dr Goodall, who was raised Christian, developed her own sense of spirituality in the forests of Tanzania, and has described her interactions with chimpanzees as reflecting the divine intelligence she believes lies at the heart of nature. The prize recognises her scientific and spiritual curiosity.
Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick has urged people to be vigilant as legislation allowing for euthanasia is “weaving its way” through the Oireachtas, adding that people had seen throughout the Covid pandemic what could be achieved when people said “yes” to life. Going forward, “we cannot be indifferent to the cries of the off- the-radar homeless, the bewildered addicts, the unborn who may be denied life, the vulnerable elderly,” he said.
The Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) has asked the Irish bishops to engage in a conversation about the Church’s treatment of gay Catholics and the need for a sensitive and respectful pastoral outreach. In its letter, the ACP, which represents over 1,000 Irish clergy, said this had been underlined recently by the “insensitive and unnecessary intervention” of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in its document on the blessing of same-sex unions. It noted that only one Irish bishop “had the courage to respond to the CDF statement and his words were deeply appreciated”.
The Iona Institute, the pro-faith and pro-family think tank, has said the findings of a new study indicate that family structure makes a difference to the lives of children. An Economic and Social Research Institute study into risk factors in adolescent behaviour identified “poorer behaviour across all domains for those in lone parent families or families that experienced separation during the young person’s adolescence”. According to the institute, the report “doesn’t straightforwardly say having two parents helps to protect adolescents from certain risks, but it is the only possible conclusion to draw”.
The National Justice and Peace Network is urging people to sign up to a network offering hospitality to climate activists visiting Glasgow for COP26. Glasgow Churches Together is appointing an administrator to focus on accommodation.
The ecumenical group Church Action on Poverty (Cap), based in Manchester, has published a new report which lays the foundation for Cap’s vision and strategy for the next five to 10 years. “Building dignity, agency and power together: practical steps to building a grass-roots social movement to challenge poverty” stresses that poverty is not only deprivation of economic or material resources but a violation of human dignity. Central to Cap’s strategy is listening to people experiencing poverty, who have a deep understanding of what needs to change.
“Israel’s security cannot be based on the permanent inequality and disenfranchise- ment of Palestinians,” the Bishop of Clifton, Declan Lang, and the Anglican Bishop of Southwark, Christopher Chessun, said this week in an ecumenical statement. The bishops urged the Government to take a rights-based approach to peacemaking in the region, warning that otherwise “Israel’s control of the occupied territories will become ever more entrenched, Palestinian rights further encroached upon and outbreaks of fighting increasingly likely”.
Tablet correspondent Ellen Teague was presented with a Pax Christi Peace Award during the organisation’s AGM last week. Recognising her hard work, skill and honesty, particularly when it came to speaking out over injustice, Pax Christi said: “Others may share our view that Ellen has done more than any other individual to bring together the strands of justice and peace.” Peace educator John Williams was also presented with a Peace Award.
The relics of Bd Carlo Acutis, who died of leukaemia aged 15 in 2006, were received in London this week by Cardinal Vincent Nichols. Acutis, who was born in London but spent most of his life in Milan, used the internet to evangelise.
Loading ...
