Capitalism in crisis, a warning from history: Eighty years ago, a banking collapse devastated Europe, triggering war. Today, faith in the free markets is faltering again.
Nobody has lost anything; until they sell the mines are still mining, the oil wells are still drilling and pumping oil, the banks have not lost until Greece declares bankruptcy. This is still only on paper and is scare mongering that is why dealers in stocks will make millions. - Steve Jones
RE teachers say that religious education is being squeezed out of the school curriculum. Leaders representing Christians, Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists said they were "gravely concerned" about the "negative impact" that current government policies were having.
A growing number of people in the Horn of Africa are in need of food assistance in the wake of a hard drought and ongoing conflict in Somalia. The head of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today voiced concern over the plight of nearly 10 million people facing severe food shortages.
On World Refugee Day. The UN's World Refugee Day report shows that 80 percent of refugees are hosted by developing countries, not the richer nations that have the economic capacity to absorb and host refugees.
At the Champions League final there is likely to be evidence of faith, with players making the sign of the cross and other religious gestures. But does belief really boost sporting performance, asks Matthew Syed.
A prominent Brazilian conservationist and his wife have been killed in the Amazon region, police have said. News of the killings came hours before Brazil's Chamber of Deputies passed a law that eases deforestation rules. Environmentalists say the new law will undermine conservation efforts.
For the first time an international Pro-Life and Pro-Family event of this scale will take place in Russia. More than 1,000 participants are expected to take part in the Moscow Demographic Summit on June 29-30, 2011: 300 foreign guests, including top demography & family researchers, scientists and activists.
On Good Friday, the Bible says Jesus Christ said "forgive them Father for they know not what they do" as he was on the cross. We occasionally hear inspirational stories of victims and relatives who forgive abusers, murderers and even war criminals. But just how easy is it to forgive?
Archbishop Nichols said there was a worrying tendency for the poorer sections of society to be worst affected by cuts and accused the banks of failing to contribute their share to helping the victims of the economic crisis.
Wherever you look today, religion matters. Faith motivates. Understanding faith, its adherents, its trends, its structures, can be as important as understanding a nation’s GDP, its business, its resources. “Globalization is accelerating all these trends. We adjust or we are swept away,”
Pope Benedict XVI’s words last weekend need to be heeded. He said: “I am becoming progressively more concerned about the wellbeing and safety of civilians.” He went on to plead for a ceasefire and a negotiated solution to the conflict.
Understanding the role and nature of religion, culturally, socially and historically, in the Middle East is vital if the West is to play any meaningful part in helping to stabilise the region, with interfaith dialogue demonstrating a deep respect for Islam, argues the former Prime Minister.
Modern parents are under pressure with long working hours, childcare dilemmas and family break-ups. But what is the impact on children and what can be done about it?
Archbishop Nichols in his lecture says that a mature and enlightened public square will 'echo to the sound of many faiths' The financial sector has “failed to wake up to the moral responsibility” it has to serve society, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster has said.
The popular revolutions now sweeping the region are long overdue. Yet in some ways, they could not have come before now. These are uprisings whose sons and daughters are well educated and idealistic enough to envision a better future, yet realistic enough to work for it without falling into despair. These revolutions are led by the Internet generation, for whom equality of voice and influence is the norm.
Authoritarian rulers in the Arab world, like Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, Tunisia's Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Libya's Moammar Gadhafi, have long justified their repressive governments by warning the United States and Europe that the alternative to their governments was "chaos" and an Islamist takeover. The new generation of Arab youth and their supporters, however diverse and different, is united in its desire to topple entrenched autocrats and corrupt governments.
Convicted Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff, in a jailhouse interview published Wednesday, said banks and hedge funds were "complicit" in his multi-billion dollar fraud."They had to know," Madoff told New York Times reporter Diana B. Henriques, who is working on a book about the case. "But the attitude was sort of, 'If you're doing something wrong, we don't want to know.' "
Against all odds, southern Sudan’s fragile government called on its people—scattered and benumbed by generations of war—to cast a credible vote on an historic measure in the span of a week. Against every rational forecast, they did so not only without physical violence, but without grumbling.
Fr Steve Assistant Director of Word on Fire, takes a closer look at the recent upheaval in Egypt, offering his perspective on the status of Mubarak's transition out of power as well as the intertwining of political and theological realities in a cultural situation that is outside of a "western" frame of reference.
