Category: Church Reform
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HONEYMOON CHEATERS
Till recently we used to hear about wife beaters – aggressive male chauvinists beating up their spouses. Have things turned full circle? Are women the new aggressors – chopping up their husbands and sealing them in blue cement drums? Or the latest shocker from Shillong where Sonam Kushwaha of Indore went for an outdoor honeymoon…
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WHEN DID GOD DIE?
Another startling headline? It isn’t about Holy Friday. It was occasioned by a Special Edition (100 pages) of Time magazine totally dedicated to Pope Francis, on his death. Strangely, there was no mention of this in the Catholic media. A soft copy was sent to me by a young Methodist pastor, to whom I am…
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LEO – IRON FIST – VELVET GLOVES
When writing on an unfolding story one runs the risk of being overtaken by developments if its publication is delayed. Despite that we journos must be like the fools that enter where angels fear to tread. Five years ago I had made a prediction about Pope Francis’ successor in my book “The Jerusalem Code”. I…
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WHITE SMOKE, DARK CLOUDS, SILVER LINING
At 21:47 IST on 8th May I received a message from a priest friend in Rome that white smoke could be seen emanating from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. So we had a new Pope. Frankly, I was surprised at such a short conclave. Secondly, I was shocked that an American had been elected….
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PEDESTALIZING POPE FRANCIS
No buses or biryani for poor Pope Francis! Does this shock you? It should. From whatever I saw or heard around me it seemed like business as usual – jubilees being celebrated, board results being celebrated, even during the official 9 day mourning period. Familiar excuses, as at the wedding feast; “Come to the wedding,…
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AFTER FRANCIS, WHO?
(Extracts from the book “The Jerusalem Code” published in January 2021) Focus now shifted to the Camerlengo (the papal custodian till the election of the new pope). It was now his duty to follow the guidelines for the election of a new pope as specified in Universi Dominici Gregis (UDG), promulgated by Pope John Paul…
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SHOULD WE BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?
My wife and I were back from Sunday Mass. I was at my writing table while she was on the phone. I heard her say something about speaking in tongues, so I asked her whom she was talking to, as she is not the “charismatic” type. It was on old friend who 35 years ago…
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FAILS, AILS & TRAVAILS
These words are not just a rhyme; there is reason behind them – fails, ails and travails. I use them in the context of the church in India and more specifically the Catholic Church. Looking at its grandiose institutions, wealth and prestige one could wonder if they really apply to the church in India. Ealier,…
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WEAPONIZING SCRIPTURE
Trump has weaponized tariffs to subject both friend and foe. He has even weaponized (appropriated) the Bible to further his self-centred goals. Sacred Scripture, like anything else, can be used or abused. It’s like a knife. It can be used in a well lit kitchen to chop vegetables, or in a dark alley to slit…
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PENNY FOR YOUR PENANCE
There are two common English phrases where the word “Penny” is used – “A Penny for your thoughts”, and “Going to spend a penny”. The first is obvious; the second means going to relieve one’s bladder. That could cost a penny in a British public convenience. Either way, the penny, as a fraction of the…