Blessed are the peacemakers – Pope’s Peace Message for 2013
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI As we come to the end of another year, let us look back in gratitude for all the wonders that God has wrought in our lives. Although our country and our world are in a sorry state, let’s not be despondent. Instead, let us thank God for […]
Rejoice in God’s gift of Love, Jesus
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI On my return from attending an International Conference in Kingston, Jamaica on the theme: Human Rights, International Law and The Family (see REPORTS), my eyes were drawn upwards as I waited for the gate at Archbishop’s House to open. The brilliant sunshine shone on the beautiful crèche […]
Addressing social isolation and ageing
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI Social isolation among over 50s in England is on the increase. In October a Project entitled The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), published a report stating that “One in six over-50s in England are ‘socially isolated’ with few hobbies or engagement with society…They have few socially […]
Human Rights
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI The theme for Human Rights Day December 10, 2012 is: Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Part 1, Chapter 3, IV of the Compendium on the Social Doctrine of the Church focuses on Human Rights. “The Church’s Magisterium”, states the Compendium, “has not failed to note the positive […]
Catholic Education and the 1960 Concordat (Part 2)
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI In my last article I shared the first four clauses of the 1960 Concordat. I now outline the last five clauses. Over the years a number of individuals have written about the Concordat, including Marion O’Callaghan and Prof John Spence whose excellent series (four in 2006 and […]
Catholic Education and the 1960 Concordat (Part 1)
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI “Among the many and grave duties of rulers who would do their best for their people, the first and chief is to act with justice – with that justice which is called in the schools distributive – towards each and every class” (Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum no. […]
Our Children – God’s gift to us
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children” – Nelson Mandela. On Tuesday, November 20, the world will commemorate Universal Children’s Day. It also marks the 22nd anniversary of the adoption of United Nations Convention on […]
Distributive justice and Catholic education
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI During the Year of Faith, it is imperative that we remind ourselves of the teachings of our Church with regard to key elements of a just society. “The Church’s social Magisterium constantly calls for the most classical forms of justice to be respected: commutative, distributive and legal […]
Crime and human dignity
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI “Somebody got murdered on New Year’s Eve. Somebody said dignity was the first to leave. I went into the city, went into the town; Went into the land of the midnight sun. Searchin’ high, searchin’ low, Searchin’ everywhere I know Askin’ the cops wherever I go, Have […]
Enlightened by our Faith
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI We can learn a lot from today’s Gospel reading (Mark10: 46-52) about Bartimaeus, the blind beggar whose sight Jesus restores as he is leaving Jericho to enter into Jerusalem – shortly before Palm Sunday and Jesus’ passion. There are many levels on which this reading can be […]
