News in JPIC News

Thomas Aquinas on Justice

Thomas Aquinas on Justice

by: Giovanni Cucci, SJ in JPIC News,

The very root of the Greek word dikaiosyn? (justice), dik?, refers to a multiplicity of operational meanings that concern, first of all, the relationship with God and the government of the self that are expressed in operational terms through directives, orders and dispositions. Dike was the mythological daughter of Jupiter and Themis, goddess of laws and courts. She was depicted with a sword and scales, the image by which justice is still represented today.


Church and Slavery, Yesterday and Today

Church and Slavery, Yesterday and Today

by: Nuno da Silva Gonçalves, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in JPIC News,

A look at history shows us that, for many centuries, Christianity accepted slavery as a social and economic reality proper to most societies. Christian thought accepted slavery under certain circumstances, and when the Atlantic slave trade developed, the effort of theologians and jurists was to delimit the occasions involving legitimate loss of freedom.

Restorative Justice in Brazil: The Educational Method of APAC Prisons

Restorative Justice in Brazil: The Educational Method of APAC Prisons

by: Francesco Occhetta, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in JPIC News,

In the dark world of prisons, an experience exists in Brazil that is like a ray of light: there, prisoners are not numbers, rather they are referred to by name; they have tasks to carry out; they are imprisoned in places without bars and without guards; they do not wear uniforms. In these “alternative jails” run by prisoners – called recuperandi (recovering people) – there have been no riots or cases of corruption, while recidivism has been reduced from 85 percent to 15 percent.

The Love of the Lord for the Lowly

The Love of the Lord for the Lowly

by: Pietro Bovati, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in JPIC News,

 Psalm 136 recalls the Lord’s mercy in the actions of the Creator and the Savior as the sacred psalmist raises a joyful acclamation of praise for the eternal goodness of God. As we listen to the voice of God, our prayer must accompany every meditative path even when we approach biblical texts that are not actually formulas prepared for liturgical recitation.

Pro-reform German bishops warn against going too fast

Pro-reform German bishops warn against going too fast

by: Christa Pongratz-Lippitt - The Tablet in JPIC News,

“As bishop it is my job to preserve [Church] unity. This can be exceedingly challenging and I cannot and don’t want to deny that in recent months it has caused me sleepless nights,” Wilmer wrote in his resumée of the synodal path initiative’s meetings which he sent out to all the members of his diocese.

Cardinal condemns Spain abortion law reforms

Cardinal condemns Spain abortion law reforms

by: Bess Twiston Davies - The Tablet in JPIC News,

Cardinal Omella made the statement after the Spanish government announced last week a significant relaxation of the 2010 abortion laws. These abolish the current three-day “reflection” period obligatory for women contemplating an abortion. The Spanish bishops have signed an inter-religious statement protesting the reforms.

An education at Ampleforth and the hard lessons learned

An education at Ampleforth and the hard lessons learned

by: Edward Stourton - The Tablet in JPIC News,

The presence of the monks, once considered Ampleforth’s greatest asset, has become its greatest handicap, says a former head boy. The irony is that the college’s disastrous response to its abuse crisis was rooted in a distortion of the merits that in other ways made the place so special.

Justice: An uncomfortable virtue

Justice: An uncomfortable virtue

by: Giovanni Cucci, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in JPIC News,

 Among the cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance), the only one currently under philosophical investigation is justice, thanks mainly to its being proposed by a new contractualism. This is an attempt to present it without using a metaphysical and religious perspective, but identifying evaluation criteria that allow each person to decide as “a free and equal rational being.” It is a proposal for our complex society, where a shared vision of life is lacking.

The Disabled in the Life of the Church

The Disabled in the Life of the Church

by: Justin Glyn, SJ-La Civiltà Cattolica in JPIC News,

 As a young man, I was in a supermarket with my family on one occasion. A very concerned lady came up to my parents and said what a shame it was that the poor boy was blind. “What does he do all day?” she asked. “He practices law,” I answered. We in the Church have, unfortunately, often been in that position, unwilling to recognize the lives of disabled members as exactly that – the lives of equal children of God, laboring together according to a multitude of gifts and talents in the vineyard of the Lord. There is still widespread discrimination with regard to the disabled within the Church.

Dig a little deeper with Mary's Meals this Christmas

Dig a little deeper with Mary's Meals this Christmas

by: Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow - The Tablet in JPIC News,

Today in Turkana, two million children are already acutely malnourished. More than ever here, Mary’s Meals is a lifeline in communities where thousands of pre-school and primary school children eat our precious daily meals.It is the promise of these meals that draws them in and – along with the education they receive – keeps hope alive of a better future.

Advent appeal launched by Caritas Salford

Advent appeal launched by Caritas Salford

by: Ellen Teague - The Tablet in JPIC News,

Caritas Salford has launched an Advent appeal to support local people facing acute crisis. Caritas Salford, a member of Caritas Social Action Network – the bishops’ agency promoting domestic social action – has made alleviating the impacts of the cost of living crisis a priority.

Mexico, Two Jesuits Killed in Church while Defending a Parishioner

Mexico, Two Jesuits Killed in Church while Defending a Parishioner

by: La Civiltà Cattolica in JPIC News,

Two Jesuit priests, Father Javier Campos Morales and Father Joaquín César Mora Salazar, were killed on Monday, June 20, in Mexico, in the church of Cerocahui, a remote village in the Sierra Tarahumara in the northern state of Chihuahua. The two religious are said to have attempted to give refuge in the local community church to a parishioner being pursued by a gunman, who then opened fire in the sacred place, killing all three people.

Beijing clamps down on Christian proclamation

Beijing clamps down on Christian proclamation

by: Christa Pongratz-Lippitt - The Tablet in JPIC News,

Proclaiming the Christian faith in China is becoming more and more difficult, even on the internet, according to Bishop Bertram Meier, responsible for World Church affairs in the German bishops’ conference.“Already in 2020, under the pretext of fighting the Covid pandemic, proclaiming the faith was made noticeably more difficult, but in the past year, the dynamic of oppression of religion in China has again increased perceptibly,” he said.

Has peace a chance? Vatican diplomacy and the war in Ukraine

Has peace a chance? Vatican diplomacy and the war in Ukraine

by: Christopher Lamb - The Tablet in JPIC News,

Amid the darkness, Pope Francis may offer a glimmer of hope. Last Sunday, speaking to the crowds in St Peter’s Square, he said the Holy See is “ready to do everything” to bring about peace. The Pope’s offer is being taken seriously. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin and Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, spoke by phone.

The Italian Parliamentary Debate on ‘Assisted Suicide’

The Italian Parliamentary Debate on ‘Assisted Suicide’

by: Carlo Casalone, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in JPIC News,

It seems paradoxical that at a time of pandemic, when the collective commitment is largely aimed at protecting the health of citizens, there are discussions about making it legal to help people take their own lives. This paradox highlights an issue  gripping the medical world. If the biomedical enterprise has the task of dominating biological processes and responding to the desire of health for everyone, then it seems plausible to ask it – when it fails in its objective and suffering is deemed intolerable – to shorten life. It is the last step in the exercise of control.

Dominican priest murdered while hearing confessions in Vietnam

Dominican priest murdered while hearing confessions in Vietnam

by: UCA News reporter, Ho Chi Minh City in JPIC News,

A young Dominican priest who was devoted to serving ethnic groups in Vietnam’s Central Highlands has been killed in a knife attack. An informed source from Kontum Diocese said Dominican Father Joseph Tran Ngoc Thanh, who provided pastoral care for Sa Loong Subparish in Kon Tum province, was stabbed many times while he was hearing confessions in the church on Jan. 29.

Catholic religious question silence of Indian Church on violence

Catholic religious question silence of Indian Church on violence

by: UCA News reporter in JPIC News,

Catholic Bishops' Conference of India urged to take up the issue of Christian persecution with PM Modi. A group of progressive Catholic religious in India have questioned the silence of the official Catholic Church over the continued violent attacks on Christians and other minority communities across the country. They want the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) to take up the issue with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure immediate action against the perpetrators of hate crimes against minorities.

China upholds 7-year jail term for Christian bookstore owner

China upholds 7-year jail term for Christian bookstore owner

by: UCA News reporter in JPIC News,

An appeal court in China has upheld a seven-year jail term for a Christian online bookstore owner who was sentenced in 2020 on charges of selling Christian religious books illegally. Linhai City Court in Taizhou in Zhejiang province of eastern China dismissed the appeal and confirmed the sentence against Chen Yu, the head of Wheat Bookstore in Taizhou, Bitter Winter reported on Jan. 11.

Sir David Amess – 'public servant of the highest principles'

Sir David Amess – 'public servant of the highest principles'

by: Christopher Lamb - The Tablet in JPIC News,

The Vatican’s foreign minister has paid tribute to Sir David Amess describing him as a “public servant of the highest principles” who worked with “devotion and enthusiasm” for UK-Holy See relations.  Following the news that Sir David had been stabbed to death while meeting his constituents on 15 October, Archbishop Paul Gallagher wrote to Sir Edward Leigh, the chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Holy See, to express his “profound shock” at the killing.