In a dark period between a hail of shrapnel in 1994 and a papal decree in 2002, not one priest remained in Afghanistan. This statistic may not surprise you, given that the country was ruled by the fanatical Taliban for the majority of those years. But considering Jesus’ great commission to “make disciples of all ...read more

This past Sunday I pressed the reset button and recommenced Lent. Thankfully, 40 days allows time for a few false starts. My problem wasn’t that I chose overly challenging forms of fasting and abstinence—they were modest and achievable. Rather, when something doesn’t go your way in life, as was the case for me last week, ...read more

As if they were the only two in Kelown’s Immaculate Conception Church, papal nuncio Archbishop Luigi Ventura preached much of his homily directly to Br. John Corriveau, who minutes later would be ordained Bishop. “When I informed you of the Pope’s appointment, you responded to me: “I give myself to the decision of the Holy ...read more

The official celebrations of Quebec City’s 400th Anniversary are now underway. This is surely one of the only birthday parties where conversing about religion and politics—not to mention other touchy topics like immigration and language laws—is perfectly acceptable. By declining his invitation, the Pope decided against bringing to full boil Quebec’s debate over the role ...read more

As I began the long drive back to Toronto from Port Lambton, Ontario (near Sarnia), my eyes watered and I uttered an angry lament, I wish I could have known him. For a few hours, it felt as if I did know 21-year-old Private William Cushley. I sat with parents Errol and Elaine as they ...read more

As part of the S+L production team, I usually have to plead my case to traveling for work. So it felt odd to find myself on a flight to Calgary, still unsure what that story will be. Our goal was to cover the national conference of Catholic Christian Outreach, a national student movement dedicated to ...read more

“The real problem in Quebec is not the presence of religious signs or the emergence of new invasive religious symbols in public spaces. The real problem in Quebec is the spiritual vacuum created by a religious and cultural rupture, a substantial loss of memory, leading to a crisis of the family and education, leaving citizens ...read more

On Catholic Focus this Saturday we address our cultural identity crisis. If you’re not aware we had one, you’re likely not from Quebec, where the Bouchard-Taylor commission is wrestling with the conflicting claims of nationalism, secularism and freedom of religion. Though these tensions are drawing the most attention in Quebec, they underlie issues in English ...read more

Following a series of raps on the cathedral door, Most Rev. Anthony Mancini claimed his new seat as Archbishop of Halifax (and Apostolic Administrator of Yarmouth). Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Luigi Ventura, Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte and former Halifax Archbishop Terrence Prendergast were among the hundreds gathered in St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica on Thursday afternoon. A former ...read more

The College of Cardinals will increase by 23 this Saturday, breaking the 200 mark for the first time. In an atmosphere compared to the Superbowl by at least one commentator, Rome will be abuzz with the new appointments. Kenya, Brazil, Mexico, Senegal, Italy, Spain, France, Ireland, India and the U.S.A. are among the nations celebrating new ...read more