Bishop Kang believes the upcoming Winter Olympics in Korea and the surprise decision of officials in the North to allow North Korean athletes to participate offers a small opening for progress.
Pope Francis has encouraged church leaders to accept “a healthy dose of self-criticism.”
The Irish-American population is almost seven times bigger than Ireland itself, but it is also aging and shrinking.
The numbers augur an uncertain future for the Catholic Church in Ireland, long a place where Catholicism seemed sure of deep roots and high adherence to practice and tradition.
As Christians, our goal in life is to stop living like the security-minded goats we find in Matthew 25 and instead become like the extravagant sheep who give food to hungry people, water to anyone who thirsts and, of course, welcome to strangers.
In my lifetime, I do not recall having so many reasons to cry and send up my sighs to Mary for help and hope.
Hunger strikes raise thorny political, philosophical and even spiritual questions.