Anthony Egan SJ's blog

No one I meet seems to like the new English translation of the liturgy. Some have objected to its non-inclusive language. Others complain that it is grammatically odd and full of ancient words nobody uses today. It’s even been called a ‘Latinglish Funakalo’, a reference to the crude pidgin of South African languages used in the past on mines and in factories – seen by most black people as an insult to their languages and the rich cultures that underpin them.

In a recent political analysis, George Friedman sees direct connections between the events in Mumbai and the Islamist conflict happening in Afghanistan. The fact that the attacks almost certainly originated in Pakistan – terrorists brought into Mumbai by boat from Karachi and linking up with comrades already in the city – does not necessarily mean that it was planned by Islamabad per se. It may certainly have been aided by pro-Islamist sections within Pakistan’s Inter–Services Intelligence agency but probably not with government sanction – despite historic animosities between Pakistan and India over the disputed area of Kashmir.

“Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me.” With these words, spoken in 1521, Augustinian friar Martin Luther formally broke his ties with the Catholic Church over what he saw as massive corruption and theological error within the church. Was he right or wrong? In the end this did not matter: he acted on conscience.