Analysis and Comment
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Why Mysticism is back — and what we are really looking for
As mystical texts reappear in mainstream bookshops, a shift in cultural interest suggests that society is looking for answers beyond traditional rationalism. This quiet visibility marks a significant moment where the spiritual and the public debate once again intersect.
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A Jesuit reads a Jesuit pope
A concise guide to understanding the Francis era; Jesuit, Frank Brennan explores the concept of the “disruptive pilgrim”. The book is an insightful guide to the modern papacy, where Brennan highlights how unsettling the status quo serves as a pastoral tool to awaken the Church.
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What 600 million Pentecostals know about worship that we’ve forgotten
Where people found healing, story, song, and embodied gesture—where they encountered transcendence through colorful devotions, Marian piety, and the communion of saints—faith flourished. Pentecostalism’s worldwide explosion offers clear evidence: people hunger for mystery, not explanations; for symbols, not signs; for mythos, not merely logos.
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When barbarians break through the city walls
At Davos, Mark Carney delivered an unusually candid assessment of global power dynamics. The Canadian prime minister argued that smaller nations can no longer rely on international institutions to protect their interests. Instead, they must band together or risk becoming pawns in a game controlled entirely by superpowers.
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Women cannot image Christ as deacons – Vatican
Pope Francis elevated the Final Synod Document to magisterial teaching, stating that discernment on women deacons must continue and “what comes from the Holy Spirit cannot be stopped.” Yet this new commission report attempts to close discussion entirely.
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Silent Night — born in hard times, sung for peace
A forgotten priest, a village teacher and a broken organ came together on Christmas Eve 1818 to create “Silent Night.” What began as a simple guitar hymn in a tiny Austrian church became an anthem of hope for generations.
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Buddhist technologists work to shape the future of AI
A growing network of Buddhists and technologists is attempting to ensure that wisdom traditions have a voice in shaping artificial intelligence. Their work spans translation projects, ethical debates and deep questions about consciousness that challenge both the limits and possibilities of modern AI.
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What deepfakes steal from us
In an age that shrugs at the sacred, Justine Toh explains how deepfakes still manage to desecrate the dignity of the people depicted in them. Maybe “nothing is sacred” – until it is.
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If Christendom is over, Christianity certainly is not – Cardinal Zuppi
In an address to the Italian bishops, Conference President, Mateo Zuppi , describes a Church that refuses to draw battle lines, sees no enemies to defeat, and only people to love. Stripped of presumed influence, the community rediscovers its true strength: the quiet gift of itself.
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Leo and Bartholomew to stand together at historic Nicaea
The historic site of Nicaea, where Christian doctrine was first unified, now hosts Pope Leo XIV and Patriarch Bartholomew in a gesture of shared faith. Their presence together invites reflection on unity, tradition, and the potential for healing old rifts.
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