The Explainer: In ‘Infinite Dignity’, the Vatican defends people, not politics
PHYLLIS ZAGANO, in an article first published on Religion News Service, says tackling matters that are the topic of political debates today, the document drew more controversy than intended…
Essay: New Vatican document combines modern transparency with eternal teaching
US Catholic commentator THOMAS REESE takes, in an article first published on Religion News Service, a deeper look at the new Vatican document ‘Dignitas infinita’ (‘Infinite Dignity’)…
Sight-Seeing: The politics of this Easter season
PHYLLIS ZAGANO, in an article first published on Religion News Service, says the Christian celebration of new life comes as the world is flooded with ideas of death…
Ecuador top court recognises right to euthanasia
Quito, Ecuador Reuters Ecuador’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday approved a request from a terminally ill patient to decriminalize euthanasia and ordered the National Assembly to approve a law regulating the procedure within a year. Paola Roldan, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2020, petitioned Ecuador’s top court in August last year to […]
Sydney Catholic Archbishop says proposed euthanasia laws “state-sanctioned killing”
Sydney, Australia A Private Members Bill to allow voluntary assisted dying in the Australian state of New South Wales is little more than “state-sanctioned killing”, Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher says. The bill, which has 28 co-sponsors, was introduced into state parliament on Thursday by independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich, who also presented a […]
Essay: Controversy over Communion in the Catholic Church goes back some 2,000 years
MATHEW SCHMALZ, professor of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross in the US, looks – in an article first published on The Conversation – at the history of Communion within the Catholic Church and when it has been denied to prominent figures…
New Zealand approves euthanasia, set to reject recreational marijuana
Reuters New Zealand has provisionally voted to legalise euthanasia but is on course to reject law changes that would allow recreational marijuana use, the country’s Electoral Commission said on Friday. New Zealand voted on the two referendums this month while casting ballots during a general election that returned Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to power. Issuing […]
Addressing euthanasia, Vatican doctrine tsar reminds media that bishops aren’t infallible
Vatican CityRNS Next time you see a headline relaying juicy quotes from a Catholic prelate, the Vatican suggested on Tuesday, take it with a grain of salt. The head of the Vatican doctrinal office, once known as the Inquisition, made it clear on Tuesday that only the Pope and the bishops of the church as […]
New Zealand PM Ardern calls 19th September election, faces tight race
Wellington, New ZealandReuters New Zealanders will go to polls on 19th September to decide on a second term for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and also to vote in referendums on the divisive issues of legalising cannabis and euthanasia. Ardern is hugely popular among liberal voters overseas thanks to her compassionate but decisive response to a […]
New Zealanders to vote in referendum on legalising euthanasia
Wellington, New ZealandReuters New Zealand lawmakers passed a bill on Wednesday that would legalise euthanasia, paving the way for the public to vote on the issue in a referendum next year. The bill, which enables terminally ill people to request a medically assisted death, was passed 69 to 51 in parliament, after several amendments and […]