(Originally published in The Catholic Register, Toronto) By Glen Argan The overwhelming election victory of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has heightened fears among members of the nation’s minority religions, including Christians. Yet Christians in the Western world might well learn some lessons, both positive and negative, from Modi’s politics of Hindu nationalism. Modi is one of
Read more(Originally published in The Catholic Register, Toronto) By Glen Argan Fourteen years. That’s how long Jean Vanier said his life was in “a holding pattern.” After he left the Canadian Navy in 1950, he did not invite two mentally disabled men to live with him in Trosly, France, until 1964. Even then, Vanier had no idea that his “l’Arche” would
Read moreBy Glen Argan (Originally published in The Catholic Register, April 7, 2019) Hatred, murder and mayhem will not prevail. The power of love is stronger. At least, that’s the dream. In his March 31 homily at a Mass in Morocco, Pope Francis urged the country’s tiny Catholic community to be “an oasis of mercy.” He encouraged them “to persevere on
Read moreBy Glen Argan (First published in The Catholic Register) For fans of the Edmonton Oilers, like myself, the Stanley Cup playoffs are a time of mourning. Our team has only made it to the playoffs once in the last 13 years. Well, we can cheer for another Canadian team, but this season all three which made the playoffs – Winnipeg
Read moreBy Glen Argan Alberta’s Catholic school system is again under fire from the province’s education minister, David Eggen. The issue this time is the “Catholicity clause” in teachers’ contracts which require teachers to agree to live a Catholic lifestyle. That Catholic teachers ought to live virtuous lives should be obvious. Our schools exist to impart a Catholic worldview to students,
Read moreA Presentation to the Edmonton Mennonite-Catholic Dialogue Glen Argan | 30 November 2018 ‘Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land.’ (Psalm 101.8) ‘Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.’ (Matthew 5.39) Although the death penalty is no longer employed in the vast majority of
Read moreBy Glen Argan (originally published in The Catholic Register, October 28, 2018, http://www.catholicregister.org) My plan had been to write this week on the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul’s encyclical The Splendour of Truth, the sainted pope’s most controversial document. However, as often happens, events intervened, and I put off writing that reflection. Maybe next time. Writing about truth’s “splendour”
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By Glen Argan (Originally published in The Catholic Register, Sept. 30, 2018_ For several months, I have been attending yoga classes. As a tall man who has been crammed into ill-fitting chairs and desks all my life, I find these classes difficult. My body is stiff. I can be frustrated because of my inability to do poses others do so
Read moreBy Glen Argan In the current state of distress highlighted by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s claim that Pope Francis has long known about accusations of sexual abuse against American Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the story of the previous pope’s butler, Paolo Gabriele, should be recalled. In 2012, Gabriele was arrested and convicted of stealing sensitive documents from the office of Pope
Read more(Published first in The Catholic Register, http://www.catholicregister.org, September 2, 2018) By Glen Argan The Roman Catholic Church today has nearly 3,000 dioceses and archdioceses, each with at least one bishop. The first letter to Timothy in the New Testament describes the character of a bishop in these words: “A bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable,
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