Paul
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A better kind of politics
Our Saint Francis of Assisi group has been reading Pope Francis’ encyclical Fratelli Tutti. During our February Zoom meeting, we discussed Chapter 5. We’ve all heard the adage “Never discuss politics or religion in polite company.” But in Chapter 5,… Continue reading
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Earthrise
Last week I shared a TED Countdown talk where Pope Francis spoke of our moral imperative to act on climate change. Also reciting her poem, Earthrise, at TED Countdown, was poet Amanda Gorman. (You may recall that Amanda recited her… Continue reading
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Our Moral Imperative
Pope Francis begins his TED Coundown talk with: The world is shaken by the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlights another global challenge: the socio-environmental crisis. And this requires us, all of us, to face a choice. The… Continue reading
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A Prayer from Martin Luther King
Please excuse me for the rather long pause in this column. My wife, Suzanna, and I contracted COVID-19 in early December, and it’s been a bit of a challenge. I have fully recovered, but Suzanna is still working on it.… Continue reading
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Relationships, Love, and Charity
Chapter three of Fratelli Tutti, is entitled “Envisaging and Engendering an Open World” and discusses relationships, love, acts of solidarity and service, openness, morality, and universal rights. Pope Francis makes it clear: We need to move beyond ourselves in order… Continue reading
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Countdown on Climate Change
TED is a conference that features short but powerful talks from scientists, entertainers, teachers, and other thought leaders. Those giving TED talks have included luminaries such as Bill and Melinda Gates, Madeleine Albright, Bono, and many notable speakers. Countdown is… Continue reading
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A life on our planet
I just finished watching a powerful documentary on Netflix that I wanted to share with you and urge you to watch as well. The name of the film is David Attenborough: A life on our planet. In this 1 hour… Continue reading
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The Stranger on the Road
In chapter two of Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis focuses on the parable of the Good Samaritan which is told by Jesus when a lawyer asks him “And who is my neighbour?” Although it would be easy to soften his interpretation… Continue reading
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Hope
Three weeks ago I introduced Pope Francis’ new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, which in English means “we are all brothers and sisters.” Two weeks ago, we took a look at Chapter 1: Dark Clouds Over a Closed World. Chapter 1 is… Continue reading
