Photo: Amnesty International

UN Committee Challenges Selective Abortion Policies, Sparking Debate on Disability Rights

The Netherlands faced particular scrutiny for reportedly allowing healthcare providers to recommend termination based on the presence of Down syndrome. Similar concerns were expressed in previous assessments of Sweden and Turkey, where the committee observed an approach it labeled “extinction-minded” regarding certain intellectual disabilities.

Ecclesiology today: the crisis of Christianity and what we need now

In a homily delivered in 1959 a young Fr. Joseph Ratzinger described the first Christmas day as the “winter solstice of world history.” Christ is something more than another moral teacher or celebrity philanthropist and his Church—including the priesthood, the Petrine Office, and the episcopacy—is a sacred institution, not another multinational welfare agency.