'October 7': an exercise in investigative journalism

Two years ago today the Hamas attack on Israel took place. Richard Sanders is an English television producer, journalist and author who, in early 2024, finished four months of work with the Investigation Unit of the Qatari media network Al Jazeera, seeking to uncover the truth about what actually happened.

Readers may be interested in his report which is available on YouTube (click on the picture):

God and War. Some thoughts about how we interpret the Old Testament

by Father Ian Dalgleish

Photograph: ‘Damage in the Gaza Strip during October 2023’ by Al Araby 

Earlier in September, in connection with an appeal from the World Council of Churches for a Day of Prayer for Peace, members of the Catholic churches in Bala, Harlech and Gellilydan prayed at Sunday Mass for an end to the violent conflicts that are taking place in different parts of the world today. I offered the following reflection on the subject.

“Thou Shalt Not Kill.” Suicide, Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Some Considerations (2)

Sister Elizabeth John of the Dolgellau Carmel concludes her study of the rise in support for assisted suicide  

Sir Kier Starmer, Dame Esther Rantzen. Photo Sky News

Status of Assisted Suicide

The status of medically assisted dying has changed dramatically in the last twenty-six years. Switzerland permitted it before 1997. As of October 2022, it is legal in ten countries and parts of the USA: Switzerland (since 1942, but mostly from the 1980s), the Netherlands and  Belgium (2002),  Luxembourg (2009), Colombia (2014), Canada (2016), Austria, New Zealand, and Spain (2021), Australia (2022), plus twenty-two states or districts in the US. In 2023, medically-assisted dying was legalised in Portugal, but assisted suicide and euthanasia remain illegal. It is still being debated in Germany, France and Scotland.

“Thou Shalt Not Kill.” Suicide, Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Some Considerations (1)

(In memory of David, Jeremy Stanley and Walter)

St Joseph's Hospice, Hackney, East London

In part one of a two-part essay Sister Elizabeth John of the Dolgellau Carmelite monastery examines some of the moral issues at stake around Kim Leadbeater's proposed Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

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A Historical Study: The Moral Problem of ‘Assisted Dying’

This article is an exploration of some of the issues around suicide, euthanasia, and assisted suicide, based on an essay submitted in 2023 for the philosophy element of the Teresianum’s Online Certificate in Spiritual Theology.^[1] It is not intended as a comprehensive summary of arguments for or against assisted suicide.

Terminology

Assisted Suicide: An individual is provided with a fatal drug and has to be capable of administering it themselves.

PAD:  Physician or clinician-assisted death- involves a trained professional administering the drug for the patient.

Euthanasia: Encompasses both of the above but sometimes has subliminal echoes and references, including what we usually do with our dying pets.^[2]

Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID): The term, adopted in Canadian legislation, can include self or physician-administered situations and simply describes what it is.

Those in favour tend to use the term ‘Assisted Dying’, whereas those against refer to ‘Assisted Suicide’.

Why do I believe in God?

Ray Caldwell reflects on Scripture and contemporary psychology, especially the human experiences of suffering and ecstasy, and concludes that they provide strong evidence for the existence of God and for life after death.

Does God exist? If so, why does God seem so distant?

Perhaps the answer to the latter question is that we are dull, and we have to awaken to God by our conscious choice.

There are MANY things on planet Earth to distract us away from this one, supreme quest.

'Open Communion': a sign of disintegration, not progress

Many Protestant churches today accept and celebrate indiscriminate eucharistic sharing. Fr Ian of St Mary Magdalene parish, Blaenau Ffestiniog, questions the wooly thinking behind such a practice, which has come to enjoy growing support among Catholics.            

A typical group photograph after a typical Catholic First Communion Mass

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There's something about Mary

Consider this tale of woe, reported some time ago, on the website of the pressure group The Association of Interchurch Families.