A shift in pastoral approaches is needed to keep up wih the transitions of modern society The church at the crossroadsWe are seeing a world in transition and the church in transition with society. There are essential things; there are accidentals. Spiritual wisdom is knowing what we can change and what we cannot change.
The global crisis of refugees is "a complex problem," Cardinal Tagle said, "but we can't close our eyes to some of the good things they are giving to the countries that receive them, if they are given a chance."
The Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) has published a book seeking to provide better understanding of what happens to children left behind by their migrant worker parents.
Pope Francis reveals how he shrugs off stress: 'I'm not on tranquilisers'. Pontiff tells how anxiety he sometimes experienced as bishop of Buenos Aires disappeared after his elevation to papacy.
Some 500 people living with HIV and their children attended a special fair for Tet, the Vietnamese new year in the compound of Dong Tien Church on Jan. 21. Archbishop Paul Bui Van Doc of Ho Chi Minh City also visited and gave his best wishes to attendees.
Father Totet Banaybal's goal is not to change local culture but show people the 'goodness of the church' Filipino Jesuit finds home in Cambodian mission. Totet Banaybal, a Filipino Jesuit student, had to learn a lot of things when he first went to Cambodia in 1994. "It was not easy," he recalls. Everything was unlike what he was used to back home, such as removing his shoes before someone’s home.
A statue of Our Lady of Fatima blessed by Pope Francis started its Asian pilgrimage with Hong Kong as its first stop to celebrate the centennial of the Marian apparition in Portugal. Pope Francis blessed six Centennial Pilgrim Statues of Our Lady of Fatima at the Vatican on Jan. 11 before sending them on tour in six continents. Hong Kong is the first place in the world where a statue landed.
Rehabilitation 'farm' is aimed at preventing drug users being killed in Philippine anti-narcotics campaign Manila Archdiocese to build rehab center for drug users. The Archdiocese of Manila is to build a rehabilitation center for drug dependents amid Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs in which more than 6,000 people have been killed.
How long will the night last? Man fears the darkness of the night and is heartened when he sees the first signs of dawn. Sentries scan the horizon, waiting for the dawn (Ps 130:6). Long are the nights of those who burn with fever, are troubled by nightmares and are in the state of tossing and turning up in the morning (Jn 7:3-4).
The urgent need for interreligious dialogue in Asia should be the highlight of the region's observance of the global "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity" taking place Jan. 18 to 25. Asia is the birthplace of most of the world's mainstream religions, including Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Judaism, and even Christianity.
What is important is to listen and discover where God wants to lead each one and “to live the vocation you have received” (Eph 4:1). “Angel of the Lord” is whoever supports the brother and helps him discern and continue along the path laid for him by God. To internalize the message, we repeat: “Lord, what do you want me to do? Help me to understand and to realize your plan of love.”
A global meeting on mercy, to be held in Manila later this month, is an "opportunity for healing" amid drug-related killings in the country. "It will be a healing for us, an opening that there is still hope for those whom we consider the least, the lost, and the last," said Bishop Ruperto Santos, coordinator of the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy.
Cardinal Tobin assumes his role in an uneasy time. He said that he hoped to lead with joy and transparency, and that he intended to encourage dialogue to bridge divisions. But he would go further if he believed that policies ran counter to the moral values that Jesus taught.
“If you’re there, you have to help me.” Those are the words that poet Sally Read said to an icon of Jesus in 2010. Read, a British poet and atheist, had stopped into a church in Santa Marinella, Italy. She felt burdened.
Reigning Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach has donated some personal items to Caritas Manila to contribute to the Catholic Church's program for the poor this Christmas. "We are all doing this out of pure love and good faith," said the 2015 international beauty queen after meeting Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila on Dec. 12.
“The Big Bang theory, which is proposed today as the origin of the world, does not contradict the intervention of a divine creator but depends on it. Evolution in nature does not conflict with the notion of Creation, because evolution presupposes the creation of beings who evolve,” Pope Francis explained.
