Keywords: Pope John Xxiii
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- Barry Gittins
- 06 December 2016
5 Comments
Cricket games, feasts, the origami orgy of Christmas present wrappings rent asunder ... the underlying truth in all of this, for many of us, is deep emotional pain and loneliness that's gone unheard, unnoticed, all year. Family is both a lodestone and a millstone at Christmas. It's a truth magnified by aspirational love. As Pope John XXIII once said, cutting close to home, 'Mankind is a great, an immense family. This is proved by what we feel in our hearts at Christmas.' It's a big ask that carries a price.
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RELIGION
- Bruce Duncan
- 24 April 2014
7 Comments
Quite striking is the similarity between the warm response to Pope John XXIII half a century ago and to Pope Francis today. Both broke through the gilded cage of outdated conventions and stereotyped expectations. Both stepped over barriers of ideology or religion to evoke bonds of a common humanity committed to promoting the wellbeing of all people, especially the poor and marginalised. The contexts were of course quite different.
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RELIGION
- Andrew Hamilton
- 10 July 2013
9 Comments
In the tension between tradition and change, John Paul II is seen as an emblem of continuity, and Pope John XXIII as a symbol for radical change. In the decision to canonise both former popes, Francis has refocused continuity as a way of honouring different perspectives in the name of a greater common mission.
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RELIGION
- Pat Power
- 14 November 2012
61 Comments
Fifty years ago, Pope John XXIII called Catholics to 'read the signs of the times' to bring the light of the Gospel on to every aspect of the life of the Church. Unless women and married people are made part of Church governance, there will continue to be a lack of balance and reality in its teaching, especially around sexuality.
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INFORMATION
- Andrew McAlister
- 05 February 2009
During Vatican II, which was first called 30 years ago last month, the pastoral leadership of the church attempted to bring Roman Catholicism into the 20th century. Why did the notion of a supreme Pontiff survive?
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RELIGION
- Andrew Hamilton
- 21 November 2008
3 Comments
'About half' was Pope John XXIII's reply to a visitor who asked how many people worked in the Vatican. The Vatican is reportedly updating its employment practices by offering incentive payments based on performance. But these devalue work and represent it purely as a financial transaction.
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