Pope Francis giving a TED talk.
TED Conference
What Pope Francis did in his surprise TED talk was to relate the social message of Catholicism to people’s real lives.
In the 1950s, Reggio Calabria on the toe of Italy, was a dangerous place to grow up.
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When floods hit the toe of Italy, children were sent away, often for years.
More than 4,400 claims of child sex abuse have been made against Catholic institutions in Australia.
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Last week’s hearing into the Catholic Church’s response to child sex abuse made for grim listening, and showed there is still much reform work to be done.
EPA/Claudio Onorati
We are living in a world war fought piecemeal. It is everyone’s responsibility to fight for peace.
A woman waits behind a Cuban flag for the arrival of Fidel Castro’s funeral procession in Esperanza, Cuba.
AP Photos/Natacha Pisarenko
Under Fidel Castro, Cuba declared itself as an atheist state. Castro’s relationship with religion, however, was far more complex. It left a deep impact on the religious identity of Cuba.
Hard times.
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50 years after Time magazine’s famous ‘Is God Dead?’ cover, Church attendance numbers are tumbling. But that doesn’t mean Christianity is on the way out.
Mixed response to May’s faith school plan.
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Allowing new faith schools to religiously select 100% of their pupils is not only problematic in terms of social integration, it is simply unfair.
EPA/Maurizio Brambatti
The two church leaders want to promote togetherness between Catholics and Anglicans, but their own churches are bitterly divided.
Piyal Adhikary/EPA
Called a saint in her lifetime, it has not been a straightforward process to canonise Mother Teresa.
Medical experts are rarely quoted in TV news stories about contraception.
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TV news stories often frame contraception as a political or social issue, rather than a medical issue, depriving the public of vital health information.
EPA/Nawras Aamer
Islamic State lost ground, Colombia got a chance at lasting peace, and the Pope sounded a liberated note on homosexuality.
How much tax – if any – do religious organisations pay in Australia?
Is it true that religious organisations are exempt from paying tax and from standard accounting and record-keeping obligations?
A year after Pope Francis called for action to protect the environment, Australian Catholic groups have announced plans to divest from fossil fuels.
AAP Image/Newzulu/Fabrizio Belluschi
A year ago Pope Francis called for better protection for the environment. Now Catholic institutions look poised for widespread divestment from fossil fuels.
St Thomas Becket looks down from Canterbury cathedral’s window.
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Henry II wouldn’t be amused – but rehoming relics is a way of making peace with the past.
With attendance at mass continuing to flag, the Catholic bishops’ influence has waned with it.
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The Catholic bishops have exhorted Australians to cast a “vote for the voiceless”, but it is doubtful that their plea will be paid much heed – by politicians or the public.
Both major parties have a platform that could ultimately facilitate same-sex marriage in Australia.
AAP/Alan Porritt
Experience in the US serves to highlight the potential long-term economic consequences if Australia fails to legalise same-sex marriage.
Clergymen who conceal sex abuse offences are guilty of betraying the trust vested in them.
Dean Lewins/AAP
Church cover-ups are extremely serious. Child victims are especially vulnerable and often suffer long-term psychological harm.
People judge companies that renege on social causes more harshly.
AAP//NewZulu/Richard Milnes
Withdrawing support for marriage equality can prompt a community backlash and alienate employees and customers.
Pope Francis exhorts the faithful to accompany each other on their life journey, and help each other be free in love.
Reuters/Alessandro Bianchi
In his new exhortation, Pope Francis issues the Catholic Church and its followers a bold challenge: to live God’s mercy more authentically.
EPA/Alessandro di Meo
The ‘apostolic exhortation’ calls for greater understanding of divorced couples, but falls short of allowing them a full life within the church.