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- Africa
  - Africa
    
    The world after the pandemic: A glimpse into the work of the Jesuit Justice and Ecology Network Africa
    
    Fernando C. Saldivar SJ - Mon, 16 November, 2020 0
    
    Increasingly we are beginning to see that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic extend beyond health. The prolonged shutdown of economies has hit poorer...
    
    Africa
    
    Church condemns attack on school in Cameroon’s restive region
    
    Sarah-Leah Pimentel - Fri, 30 October, 2020 0
    
    Church leaders have condemned the 24 October attack by unidentified gunmen on a school in Cameroon which left several children dead and others injured....
    
    Africa
    
    The Mozambican bishop on the frontline of a humanitarian crisis
    
    Sarah-Leah Pimentel - Fri, 11 September, 2020 0
    
    Armed insurgency has created a humanitarian crisis in northern Mozambique. The Catholic Church in the Diocese of Pemba — under the leadership of Bishop...
    
    Africa
    
    The audacity of corruption
    
    Anthony Aduaka SJ - Fri, 21 August, 2020 0
    
    The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the dark underbelly of many African societies, where nepotism, corruption, and authoritarianism deprive the citizens of their countries from...
    
    Africa
    
    Lessons under the tree: building a school in South Sudan
    
    Levinia Pienaar - Fri, 14 August, 2020 0
    
    The wanton vandalism of hundreds of South African schools during the current lockdown prompted Levinia Pienaar to reflect on the disregard for education in...
- Analysis
  - Analysis
    
    Medium Term Budget: Policy statement of despair
    
    Paulina French - Fri, 30 October, 2020 0
    
    Finance Minister Tito Mboweni delivered his Medium-Term Budget speech on 28 October 2020, painting a sober picture of South Africa's economic recovery prospects. Paulina...
    
    Analysis
    
    Education: Promises, promises… no delivery
    
    spotlight.africa - Fri, 19 June, 2020 0
    
    After much confusion, schools in South Africa reopened on 8 June for Grade 7 and 12 learners. The resumption of classes even though the...
    
    Analysis
    
    COVID-19 and the blame game
    
    Shrikant Peters - Tue, 26 May, 2020 0
    
    Shrikant Peters continues his series looking at the impact of COVID-19 on the country's medical resources. In this piece, he examines the statistical models...
    
    Analysis
    
    The influence of economics on health
    
    Shrikant Peters - Tue, 10 March, 2020 0
    
    Many South Africans had hoped that the 2020 Budget Speech on 20 February would provide greater clarity on plans for the National Health Insurance (NHI) plan....
    
    Church
    
    Farm workers’ struggle for dignified working and living conditions
    
    Stan Muyebe OP - Tue, 3 September, 2019 1
    
    Farm workers are among the most exploited of labourers in South Africa. Stan Muyebe OP explains the challenges around the precariousness of labour in our strained economy and shines a light on the efforts of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) Justice and Peace Commission to secure basic rights for rural farm workers.
- Church
  - Church
    
    Rest in peace good and faithful servant
    
    spotlight.africa - Sun, 17 January, 2021 2
    
    In a week that has seen the death of at least 11 senior church leaders to COVID-19 worldwide, South Africa also mourns the loss...
    
    Church
    
    The toll of COVID-19 on clergy
    
    Russell Pollitt SJ - Fri, 15 January, 2021 5
    
    Much has been written about the toll of COVID-19 on frontline workers, especially doctors and nurses. Russell Pollitt SJ issues a stark reminder that...
    
    Church
    
    Mercy conquers doctrine in the Catholic Church’s response to HIV/AIDS
    
    Sarah-Leah Pimentel - Thu, 10 December, 2020 1
    
    World AIDS Day is celebrated on 1 December each year. The Catholic Church has for decades been immersed in pastoral activities to care for...
    
    Church
    
    Pope Francis proclaims “Year of St Joseph”
    
    Vatican News - Tue, 8 December, 2020 1
    
    With the Apostolic Letter “Patris corde” (“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis recalls the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron...
    
    Church
    
    Kevin Dowling C.Ss.R — Pastor bonus
    
    Mike Pothier - Tue, 1 December, 2020 0
    
    On 25 November, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Kevin Dowling C.Ss.R, who has served the Diocese of Rustenberg for 30 years. Mike...
- Environment
  - Environment
    
    Skeleton in the closet: A closer look at the clothing industry
    
    Sarah-Leah Pimentel - Fri, 25 September, 2020 0
    
    During the month of September, many Christian churches celebrate creation and draw attention to the ways in which our consumption patterns are contributing to...
    
    Environment
    
    First rains as a sign of rebirth and new life
    
    Mahadi Buthelezi - Thu, 3 September, 2020 0
    
    Mahadi Buthelezi celebrates the start of spring by reflecting on some of the lessons that COVID-19 has taught us. Just as we have had...
    
    Environment
    
    Reconnecting with the world: The challenge of living with COVID-19
    
    Margaret Blackie - Wed, 2 September, 2020 0
    
    COVID-19 is here to stay for some time, but the good news is that doctors and scientists have learned a great deal about the...
    
    Environment
    
    Masks for all: Protecting one another
    
    Margaret Blackie - Wed, 1 April, 2020 0
    
    There are divergent views on whether the use of masks in public can help to slow the spread of COVID-19. Margaret Blackie looks at the example...
    
    Environment
    
    Coronavirus, a sign of the times?
    
    Chris Chatteris SJ - Thu, 19 March, 2020 0
    
    The spread of the coronavirus was exacerbated by air travel. The virus itself crossed over from animals to humans because of the unsanitary conditions...
- Human Rights
  - Human Rights
    
    NGOs struggle for survival as donor funds dry out
    
    Salesian Life Choices - Tue, 15 December, 2020 0
    
    Many of South Africa's most vulnerable groups rely on the non-profit sector for much-needed support, from food and shelter, to education and legal services....
    
    Church
    
    Popular movements as the catalyst for economic transformation
    
    Stan Muyebe OP - Fri, 6 November, 2020 0
    
    Commenting on a Vatican meeting with popular movements in late October, Stan Muyebe OP observes that economic justice and overcoming inequality are at the...
    
    Human Rights
    
    Small-scale farmers need much more than a bailout
    
    Stan Muyebe OP - Tue, 29 September, 2020 0
    
    The financial stimulus package for businesses in distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic is the South African Government's strategy to begin the process of...
    
    Human Rights
    
    Overcoming gender and race inequality in the business sector
    
    Mahadi Buthelezi - Tue, 15 September, 2020 0
    
    Mahadi Buthelezi drew attention to the gender pay gap during a 10 September webinar that advocated for greater gender equality for women. South African...
    
    Africa
    
    The Mozambican bishop on the frontline of a humanitarian crisis
    
    Sarah-Leah Pimentel - Fri, 11 September, 2020 0
    
    Armed insurgency has created a humanitarian crisis in northern Mozambique. The Catholic Church in the Diocese of Pemba — under the leadership of Bishop...
- In Depth
  - In Depth
    
    Uganda’s Church leaders struggle with impartiality as pre-election tensions rise
    
    Sarah-Leah Pimentel - Tue, 12 January, 2021 0
    
    President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power in Uganda since 1986, is gearing up for another election win on 14 January. He has...
    
    In Depth
    
    How do we save our Catholic schools from financial disaster?
    
    Mark Potterton - Mon, 18 May, 2020 0
    
    Catholic Schools Week celebrates the contribution that Catholic schools have made to education and society. Despite these successes, Mark Potterton addresses the very real...
    
    In Depth
    
    Homelessness and COVID-19: Political, institutional and theological capacities and priorities
    
    Stephan de Beer - Wed, 15 April, 2020 2
    
    Two weeks into the national lockdown, media reports have emerged about how various towns and cities in South Africa are responding to the needs...
    
    In Depth
    
    After 75 Years: The life, legacy and witness of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
    
    Anthony Egan SJ - Thu, 9 April, 2020 0
    
    9 April 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the death of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian and pastor executed by the Nazis as...
    
    Church
    
    Querida Amazonia in Five Sentences
    
    Mike Pothier - Tue, 24 March, 2020 0
    
    Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation, Querida Amazonia, generated a great deal of commentary immediately after its publication in February. Mike Pothier argues that it is...
- International
  - International
    
    Stay home and all will be well
    
    Ncamiso Vilakati - Tue, 31 March, 2020 0
    
    Ncamiso Vilakati is a priest from eSwatini who is currently studying in Rome. He has witnessed the devastation of the coronavirus first hand. He...
    
    Human Rights
    
    The uncommon cold – a healthy response to the coronavirus
    
    Shrikant Peters - Mon, 17 February, 2020 0
    
    The recent outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has, understandably, created a lot of anxiety, especially among those whose immune systems may be weak. That,...
    
    International
    
    Amazon fires — political ploy to privatise public land
    
    Chris Chatteris SJ - Tue, 27 August, 2019 0
    
    The massive forest fires in the Amazon have reached unprecedented proportions. Chris Chatteris comments on the lack of political goodwill in putting an end to the...
    
    International
    
    Burning Amazon — World’s lung under threat
    
    Martin van Nierop - Mon, 26 August, 2019 0
    
    Martin van Nierop responds to the reports of widescale fires in the Amazon that have made headlines in the international media. He relates his experience of visiting the Amazon and the people who he met there. Nierop reflects on the direct consequences these fires have for those communities and the far-reaching impact on climate change in South Africa and worldwide.
    
    International
    
    Teen climate change activist challenges global economic model
    
    Chris Chatteris SJ - Mon, 29 July, 2019 1
    
    Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg has captured the imagination of climate change activists. Chris Chatteris SJ examines the environmental impact of a consumer economy on the future of the planet.
- News
  - Church
    
    Rest in peace good and faithful servant
    
    spotlight.africa - Sun, 17 January, 2021 2
    
    In a week that has seen the death of at least 11 senior church leaders to COVID-19 worldwide, South Africa also mourns the loss...
    
    In Depth
    
    Uganda’s Church leaders struggle with impartiality as pre-election tensions rise
    
    Sarah-Leah Pimentel - Tue, 12 January, 2021 0
    
    President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power in Uganda since 1986, is gearing up for another election win on 14 January. He has...
    
    Church
    
    Pope appoints new bishops for Rustenburg and Witbank dioceses
    
    Matthew Charlesworth SJ - Wed, 25 November, 2020 1
    
    At noon today it was announced by the Holy See's Press Office that the Holy Father Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop...
    
    News
    
    Catholic Business Forum joins civil society to promote moral renewal
    
    Mahadi Buthelezi - Tue, 27 October, 2020 0
    
    High-profile corruption cases reflect South Africa's need for moral regeneration. Mahadi Buthelezi reports on a joint initiative by the Catholic Business Forum and the...
    
    News
    
    Webinar — COVID-19: Faith and the crisis of capitalism
    
    spotlight.africa - Tue, 13 October, 2020 0
    
    An all-Catholic panel will host a webinar on 16 October, 2020 at the Jozi Book Fair. The panelists will discuss the response of faith...
- Opinion
  - Opinion
    
    Surviving the second wave is a matter of discipline
    
    Margaret Blackie - Wed, 13 January, 2021 0
    
    President Cyril Ramaphosa's most recent 'family meeting' on 11 January painted a sober picture of the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa....
    
    Opinion
    
    No man is an island
    
    Chris Chatteris SJ - Tue, 5 January, 2021 0
    
    2020 took us all by surprise. Chris Chatteris SJ says that the general response to last year's challenges proved that human beings are more...
    
    Opinion
    
    Life is more than dust devils
    
    Shrikant Peters - Tue, 29 December, 2020 0
    
    Shrikant Peters describes the emotional toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on healthcare workers in 2020. He reminds us that life is more...
    
    Opinion
    
    COVID-19: Christmas parties and beach holidays
    
    Margaret Blackie - Tue, 8 December, 2020 0
    
    2020 has been a difficult year and many are looking forward to a break and hope to spend Christmas and New Year with family...
    
    Opinion
    
    Advent and the wait for COVID-19 to be over
    
    Grant Tungay SJ - Fri, 4 December, 2020 0
    
    As the Church begins a new year, marked as usual with the period of Advent to prepare and wait for Christmas, Grant Tungay reflects...
- Personal development
  - Personal development
    
    Restorative justice offers some alternatives to addressing gender-based violence
    
    Mike Batley - Fri, 4 December, 2020 0
    
    The 16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women started on 25 November. The emphasis of this annual campaign is behavioural change to stop...
    
    Personal development
    
    A grandmother’s love begins a journey of healing
    
    Salesian Life Choices - Tue, 24 November, 2020 0
    
    Life Choices is a Salesian program that works with communities on the Cape Flats to help young people learn life skills that allows them...
    
    Personal development
    
    Lockdown encounters that reminded me to start living again
    
    Levinia Pienaar - Fri, 6 November, 2020 0
    
    Eight months after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, many us have begun to emerge from the lockdown experience and life...
    
    Personal development
    
    Lessons from lockdown: Searching for something more
    
    Kelsey Hauptfleisch - Thu, 9 April, 2020 0
    
    The forced time at home, following the declaration of the lockdown has brought Kelsey Hauptfleisch to surprising realisations about herself. By sharing them with...
    
    Personal development
    
    Enacting hope during COVID-19 pandemic
    
    Gloria Marsay - Thu, 2 April, 2020 0
    
    Times of great crisis often produce great despair. We cannot see beyond the uncertainty and confusion of the present. Many people are feeling this...
- Youth
  - Youth
    
    The Wise men, shepherds and the Judge: the story of the Class of 2020
    
    Mark Potterton - Thu, 17 December, 2020 0
    
    Controversy has raged over two leaked Matric exams. The Department of Education called for a rewrite, but the High Court have ruled against this....
    
    Youth
    
    School culture at the heart of shaping new education futures
    
    Mark Potterton - Fri, 23 October, 2020 0
    
    In a previous article, Mark Potterton described the educational potential of technology but cautioned against reducing learning to an online experience. In this piece,...
    
    Youth
    
    Can online teaching make for better education?
    
    Mark Potterton - Thu, 8 October, 2020 0
    
    Mark Potterton describes the online teaching experience of teachers at Sacred Heart College in Johannesburg during the COVID-19 lockdown. His observations form the basis...
    
    Youth
    
    Preventing US-style mass shootings in South African schools
    
    Mark Potterton - Wed, 9 September, 2020 0
    
    Statistics show that mass shootings in the United States have already killed 344 people so far this year. South Africa's context of violence provides...
    
    Youth
    
    Can computers really save our schools?
    
    Mark Potterton - Thu, 27 August, 2020 0
    
    The COVID-19 pandemic has showed the vast chasm in the access to education during the lockdown, mainly because students from poor communities lacked access...
REVIEWS
- Review
  
  Breaking the silence of abuse in schools
  
  Mark Potterton - Wed, 16 September, 2020 1
  
  The horrific account of sexual abuse at Parktown Boys is the subject of veteran journalist Sam Cowen's new book. Mark Potterton examines the merits...
  
  Review
  
  Thoughts on Guy Ferrer’s “T.O.L.E.R.A.N.C.E.”
  
  Matthew Charlesworth SJ - Wed, 16 September, 2020 1
  
  Matthew Charlesworth visited his former high school, where he encountered an artistic composition that prompted a deeper spiritual reflection. The artwork calls for greater...
  
  Review
  
  Cynicism is the lazy thinker’s theory for everything
  
  Chris Chatteris SJ - Wed, 12 August, 2020 0
  
  Rutger Bergman (2020) has published a new book in which he examines the inclinations of human nature and dismantles the pessimistic view of humankind....
  
  Church
  
  Tradition as an antidote to liberalism and clerical abuse
  
  Patrick Giddy - Tue, 28 July, 2020 0
  
  Reflecting on a new book by Michel Camdessus and others entitled "Transformer L'Eglise Catholique" , Patrick Giddy explains how individualism fuels clericalism. A different...
  
  Review
  
  REVIEW — Utopia for Realists
  
  Chris Chatteris SJ - Tue, 7 July, 2020 0
  
  Published almost two years ago, Rutger Bregman’s ‘Utopia for Realists’ is timely now. Bregman’s vision is worth paying attention to when our world needs a fresh understanding of justice and how it might be meted out across nations and people, writes Chris Chatteris SJ.
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Home Church

Church

Rest in peace good and faithful servant

spotlight.africa - Sun, 17 January, 2021

Church

The toll of COVID-19 on clergy

Russell Pollitt SJ - Fri, 15 January, 2021

Church

Mercy conquers doctrine in the Catholic Church’s response to HIV/AIDS

Sarah-Leah Pimentel - Thu, 10 December, 2020

Church

Pope Francis proclaims “Year of St Joseph”

Vatican News - Tue, 8 December, 2020

Church

Kevin Dowling C.Ss.R — Pastor bonus

Mike Pothier - Tue, 1 December, 2020

Church

Pope appoints new bishops for Rustenburg and Witbank dioceses

Matthew Charlesworth SJ - Wed, 25 November, 2020 1

At noon today it was announced by the Holy See's Press Office that the Holy Father Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop...

Church

In Gratitude: RIP Fr Emil Blaser OP

Russell Pollitt SJ - Fri, 20 November, 2020 1

Tributes have been pouring in for Fr Emil Blaser, a pillar of Catholic media in South Africa, who passed away on 16 November. Russell...

Church

The Three Popes: Examples of faith, hope and love

Patrick Giddy - Thu, 19 November, 2020 3

The last four decades have seen the Catholic Church guided by three different popes. Each brought a different gift to the Church. Patrick Giddy...

Church

Popular movements as the catalyst for economic transformation

Stan Muyebe OP - Fri, 6 November, 2020 0

Commenting on a Vatican meeting with popular movements in late October, Stan Muyebe OP observes that economic justice and overcoming inequality are at the...

Church

To sing or not to sing?

Cameron Upchurch - Wed, 28 October, 2020 0

COVID-19 prevented Catholics from regularly attending Mass. Parishes are reopening but safety measures have affected parts of the liturgy. Singing is one of these....

Church

Pope announces a consistory for the creation of 13 new cardinals

Vatican News - Sun, 25 October, 2020 0

During the Angelus on Sunday, 25 October 2020, Pope Francis announced that he was going to create 13 new cardinals. Vatican News reports that...

Church

“Homosexual people have a right to be in a family… nobody should be thrown out,” says Pope Francis

Matthew Charlesworth SJ - Thu, 22 October, 2020 0

Pope Francis is in the headlines again after a documentary film by the Russian Jew, Evgeny Afineevsky, was premiered at the Rome Film Festival...

Church

Pope Francis: Get your priorities right!

Anthony Egan SJ - Fri, 9 October, 2020 1

Commenting on Fratelli Tutti, Anthony Egan observes that the parable of the Good Samaritan cannot be left to talk only to political elites, but...

Church

New Apostolic Letter highlights St Jerome’s love of Scripture

Vatican News - Wed, 30 September, 2020 0

Pope Francis has written an Apostolic Letter for the 1600th anniversary of the death of Saint Jerome the “great doctor and father of the...

Church

Putting the Church’s Pastoral Plan into action

Mahadi Buthelezi - Thu, 24 September, 2020 0

Nine months have passed since the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference launched its new Pastoral Plan. Since then, there has been very little information...

Church

What the Catholic church can learn from Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Grant Tungay SJ - Tue, 22 September, 2020 1

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman in the history of the United States to be appointed to the US Supreme Court, and at...

Church

Mourning the loss of human touch

Sean van Staden SJ - Thu, 27 August, 2020 0

Reflecting on the restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sean van Staden comments on the importance of human touch and personal contact to foster our relationships with one another and with God.

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