Pope Francis to Vancouver TED Talks audience: We all need each other
Pope Francis, a surprise speaker at the TED Talks, delivered a videotaped message of hope to those gathered at the Vancouver Convention Centre on Tuesday. In a session entitled, The Future You, Francis...
View ArticleWill B.C. author help liberation fighter become a saint?
A B.C. writer may have subtle impact on the movement to canonize one of Latin America‘s most famous bishops, Oscar Romero. Assassinated by right-wing militants in 1980 as he served mass in El Salvador,...
View ArticleLessons from South America (and not just Pope Francis)
The new South American pope is calling the globe’s wealthy into question. World Cup mania is set to burst out of Brazil next year. Gay marriage has been approved in many countries. Reformers are...
View ArticlePope Francis: Six things to watch for – and why they matter to non-Catholics
The retired bishop of Victoria has been granted one thing he prayed for in a new pope. Bishop Remi de Roo, who has frequently taught in Latin America, said before this week’s conclave he hoped the next...
View ArticleChristian saint's revered 'rib' comes to Vancouver
Would you like to see the rib and skin of Anthony of Padua, a 13th century Portuguese friar? Even though they’re not everyone’s spiritual cup of tea, millions are drawn to revering “relics,” which...
View ArticleVatican II: Last surviving bishop, "radical" Remi De Roo, in Vancouver (update)
UPDATE: Live stream video of Bishop De Roo’s talk (begins at 46-minute mark) This is how retired radical Vancouver Island Bishop Remi De Roo, 92, is being described by St. Mark’s College on the UBC...
View ArticlePope Francis asks why prominent journalist terminated
This is not a local British Columbia story, other than Pedro Brieger is a friend of mine and Canada has 13 million Roman Catholics, some of whom might be interested in how their pope goes to bat for...
View ArticlePersecuted Vietnamese refugee appointed a Canadian Catholic bishop
Bishop-elect Joseph Nguyen still has nightmares about being in prison in Vietnam. Dreams about the prison’s cramped conditions and malnutrition tend to strike when he’s tired and stressed, said Nguyen,...
View ArticleDouglas Todd: Canadian aboriginals joining Christian clergy despite...
Rennie Nahanee believes aboriginals abused at Canada’s church-run residential schools “have a right to be angry.” But the Squamish Nation elder, recently ordained a deacon to the Roman Catholic...
View ArticlePope Francis denounces all religiously inspired violence carried out by...
Pope Francis denounced all religiously inspired violence during a visit to Rome’s main synagogue Sunday, joining the oldest Jewish community in the diaspora in a sign of interfaith friendship at a...
View ArticleHereditary chief ‘humbled’ to receive courage award
Robert Joseph, the hereditary chief of the tiny Gwawaenuk First Nation near Alert Bay, will be presented with the 2016 Wallenberg-Sugihara Civil Courage Award on Jan. 17 in Vancouver. The 76-year-old...
View ArticleHep C could be next target on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside
AIDS expert Dr. Julio Montaner and B.C.’s Ministry of Health are planning to take on another infectious disease with potentially deadly consequences: hepatitis C. Speaking at a news conference Tuesday...
View ArticleDespite residential-school legacy, aboriginals join Christian clergy (with...
Rennie Nahanee believes aboriginals abused at Canada’s church-run residential schools “have a right to be angry.” But the Squamish Nation elder, recently ordained a deacon to the Roman Catholic Church,...
View ArticleVancouver mayor and Catholic archbishop join to fight climate change
The mayor of Vancouver and the city’s Catholic archbishop teamed up Wednesday night to call for urgent action to combat climate change. Mayor Gregor Robertson, who met this summer at the Vatican with...
View ArticleNo nice solutions to illegal migration calamity
They’re invariably described as desperate. And at first the media shorthand for the growing tide of asylum seekers seems to make sense. We watch the harrowing images of crammed, leaky boats and...
View ArticleMetro Vancouver Alliance building on ‘common ground’
The new Metro Vancouver Alliance is devoted to bringing people of different faiths and beliefs together for the sake of the “common good.” And it recently marked a significant success when...
View ArticlePope’s views on greed echo Vatican’s critique of capitalism
No. The Pope is not a Communist, even though some Republicans in the U.S. have been making the accusation. He does, however, have a knack for rattling the economic status quo. Pope Francis has done...
View ArticleAngus Reid revels in new freedom to ‘s— disturb’
“There’s more to life than economics.” So says a Canadian who is extremely good at economics, particularly at turning a profit. Angus Reid, founder of the new Angus Reid Institute for public-interest...
View Article“Ridiculous” to tell pope to butt out of climate change debate
Those who claim Pope Francis should keep quiet about the disastrous consequences of climate change are, in effect, trying to silence almost half the Canadian population, says a Jesuit scientist. “The...
View ArticleVancouver priest’s family collided with early life of Pope Francis
BUENOES AIRES, Argentina – Vancouver priest Fernando Mignone speaks calmly as he tells the story. His sister, who had been working for the Catholic Church in a poor barrio of this city, was seized in...
View Article