News in World Issues

In whose best interests? Medical ethics and the Alfie Evans case

It is not clear to me that the risk to Alfie’s health of being transported to Rome in an air ambulance in order to receive continued treatment was so great that to have decided to try it would have been gravely unreasonable.  When parents with reasonable disagreements with their child’s doctors have no right to take their child to other doctors for treatment, and when medical guidelines allow doctors and judges to make judgements on the worth of a life, the sad reality is this: that bad laws make hard cases.

Parents of Alfie Evans set to appeal against High Court’s ruling that he cannot travel to Italy for treatment

The parents of sick toddler Alfie Evans will today appeal against a High Court decision preventing him from being taken to Rome for treatment, lawyers have confirmed.

Why Syria's patriarchs back Assad

Three patriarchs — two of them Orthodox and the other Catholic — have co-signed a statement strongly condemning the Western air strikes against Syrian government positions while reasserting their support for the Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian allies.

The Attack on Overseas Aid: Oxfam crisis

That first Times story – one in no fewer than 50 anti-Oxfam articles it published over just 10 days – came just as the new darling of the Conservative right, the prominent parliamentary Catholic, Jacob Rees-Mogg, presented a petition to Downing Street on behalf of a Daily Express “crusade” entitled “Stop the foreign aid madness” – a sentiment which runs counter to decades of Catholic Social Teaching on aid endorsed by popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Cardinal Tagle: everyone has a little migrant in their soul

A day before visiting CRS, Cardinal Tagle spent time visiting officials throughout Washington discussing the church’s view on migration and immigration and the need for a compassionate response for people on the move.

Vatican Adviser says Catholics must take Seriously the Biblical Promises to Israel

In evangelical thought the Jerusalem decision is in keeping with God’s biblical promise of the Holy Land to the Jewish people while the coalescing of Jews in Israel is, to evangelicals, a sign of the end-times when Christ will once again reign on earth. Catholics, the largest religious denomination in the United States, are wary of this fusion of Christian Zionism and apocalyptical theology and Pope Francis and the Vatican have been critical of President Trump’s Jerusalem move.

Jerusalem: The vocation of a city

The holy places of the three great monotheistic religions – the Western Wall of the Temple, the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher and the Esplanade of the Mosques – are located only meters apart.This is why the city has “a special vocation for peace,” as Pope Francis stated on Wednesday morning, just a few hours before Donald Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Divided It Falls: The Crisis in Catalonia Has Opened Up Old Wounds That Will Take Generations to Heal.

It gives me great pain to watch as the pluralist, tolerant, hospitable, creative society that Catalonia had become is being destroyed – from within and from without. It is a heartbreaking tragedy for Catalonia, for Spain, and for Europe. A “silent majority” of Catalans, proud of their culture but wanting to remain part of Spain and of the EU, is caught in the crossfire. Whatever the outcome of the current crisis, deep wounds have been opened up that will take another generation to heal.

The Catalan crisis is a European crisis

The Catalan crisis is a European crisis. Guillermo Íñiguez explains why the troubles facing Catalonia in the wake of the independence referendum should concern citizens across the continent. Tolerating or even normalising the current Catalan secessionist plan could set a very dangerous precedent in Europe.

Pope pledges church commitment to fight child abuse online, offline.

"As all of us know, in recent years the church has come to acknowledge her own failures in providing for the protection of children: Extremely grave facts have come to light, for which we have to accept our responsibility before God, before the victims and before public opinion," the pope said Oct. 6.

Spanish Cardinal condemns 'sedition and fraud' by secessionists, as politicians in Catalonia debate independence

"Many of us feel intense pain, as if a dagger had been thrust into our guts," said Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera of Valencia. "What has happened is very serious -- an act of sedition, fraud and betrayal, a coup against the rule of law and a violation of the nation's constitutional order and the coexistence in freedom of all Spaniards."

Philippine lawmakers cripple human rights commission

Aung San Suu Kyi should speak out for Rohingya

Cardinal Charles Mayng Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, has urged Aung San Suu Kyi to speak out in defence of the tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar, but at the same time he condemned the “stigmatising” of the country’s de facto leader.

Pope Francis: Welcoming, Protecting, Promoting and Integrating Migrants and Refugees

At the United Nations Summit held in New York on 29 September 2016, world leaders clearly expressed their desire to take decisive action in support of migrants and refugees to save their lives and protect their rights, sharing this responsibility on a global level. To this end, the states committed themselves to drafting and approving, before the end of 2018, two Global Compacts, one for refugees and the other for migrants. 

Pope Offers Prayers for the Victims of Terror Attack in Barcelona.

"As we stand in solidarity with the people of Spain, I pray that God may restore peace and strengthen and sustain all people of goodwill in our resolve to stand united in the face of evil," Cardinal Vincent said in a statement released 18 August.

Danger to Peace Deal: The Irish dimension to Brexit is crucial

Two parallel conversations are going on about Brexit, with little connection between them. One is about the United Kingdom’s future relationship with the remaining 27 nations of the European Union. The other is about relations between the north and the south of Ireland. Neither of these conversations can be concluded without the other. But London insists on proceeding as if there might be two separate solutions.

Modi launches corruption, poverty, free India movement

“In this month of August, we have to come together and resolve: Filth — Quit India; Poverty – Quit India; Corruption – Quit India; Terrorism – Quit India; Casteism – Quit India; Communalism – Quit India,” Modi said.

Religious leaders worried about world peace

Religious leaders have met in Japan to pray for peace in the world and as a response to Pope Francis asking them to foster dialogue, friendship and peace. Representatives of Buddhism, Shintoism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Zoroastrianism came together in Japan at an inter-faith "Interreligious Gathering of Prayer for World Peace" held from Aug. 3 to 4.

Catholic bishops appeal to Virgin Mary amid controversial Venezuela vote

The Bishops’ conference president Archbishop Diego Padron Sanchez, accused the government of trying to install a “military dictatorship, socialist, Marxist and communist”. Venezuela’s bishops have backed opponents of the move, calling it illegitimate, unnecessary and “damaging for the Venezuelan people".

Daniel Barenboim calls for European unity in Proms speech

Pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim gave an impassioned speech at the BBC Proms, calling for European unity and warning against the dangers of nationalism and “isolationist tendencies”. Barenboim was directing Orchestra Staatskapelle Berlin on Sunday night at the Royal Albert Hall and ended the evening with a speech expressing his fears about the political climate across Europe.