Questions for the Modern World looks at rough sleeping in two rich countries, Australia and Canada. We hear from someone who has lived it, from the people who serve on the streets, and from the staff who go back to the work every day.

At St Mary's House of Welcome in Fitzroy, Richie tells his story. He went from running a business to sleeping on concrete and begging on Melbourne's streets. He describes the beatings, the toilet paper you can't afford, and the help that came with conditions attached. He also describes a moment of grace in Carlton Gardens that held him for years.

From the wider Redemptorist family, Patricia Retuya from St Albans Youth Ministry in Melbourne and Annette Donovan-Panchaud from Ignite Ministry in Toronto talk about the charism of plentiful redemption on the street. They discuss the social anxiety that keeps good-hearted people from helping, and why feeding people has to go together with fixing the systems that leave them outside.

In London, Ontario, Tracey Morton-Sader and Tasha Woods of St Joe's Cafe, a mission of the Sisters of St Joseph, describe a 50-cent breakfast built on dignity rather than handouts. They also talk about a week of mass overdoses, the burnout that follows, and a rehab system that forces people to give up their housing to get clean.

Opening audio from comedian Eric Friedman (@ericjfriedman on Instagram).

Links

• St Mary's House of Welcome, Fitzroy: https://www.smhow.org.au
• St Joe's Cafe, Sisters of St Joseph, London, Ontario: https://www.csjcanada.org/blog/st-joes-caf
• Ignite Ministry, Redemptorists of Canada: https://ignite-canada.ca
• St Albans Youth Ministry: https://www.instagram.com/holyeucharistya

Artificial intelligence is reshaping our world at an extraordinary pace. But how can we ensure that technological progress remains at the service of humanity?

In this episode of Common Home TV: Questions for the Modern World, recorded in partnership with the Australian Cardijn Institute, we explore Pope Leo XIV's new encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, and its call to safeguard the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.

The discussion is moderated by Stefan Gigacz, who guides the conversation throughout.

Joining him are:

Premesh Chandran: A Malaysian entrepreneur, media innovator and co-founder of Malaysiakini, one of Asia's leading independent news platforms. Prem is also co-founder of Asia Mobiliti and Awatar, companies working in the mobility and AI sectors.

Fr Bruce Duncan CSsR: Redemptorist priest, theologian and one of Australia's leading voices on Catholic Social Teaching, with decades of experience in social justice advocacy, education and public policy.

Respondent: Stuart Moran: Biblical scholar and expert on the Book of Nehemiah, a text cited extensively by Pope Leo in Magnifica Humanitas.

Together they explore:

• What Pope Leo XIV says about artificial intelligence

• Human dignity, work and the common good in a digital age.

• The importance of ethical frameworks in shaping emerging technologies.

• How Catholic Social Teaching can help guide humanity through a period of rapid technological change.

The Australian Cardijn Institute promotes Catholic Social Teaching in the spirit of Cardinal Joseph Cardijn and his enduring method of See, Judge, Act, encouraging Christians to engage faithfully with the challenges of the contemporary world.

Visit the ACI at: https://australiancardijninstitute.org

Visit us at: https://www.commonhome.tv

Subscribe to Questions for the Modern World wherever you get your podcasts.

Somebody has to take the blame. It's an impulse as old as humanity itself, and it's nowhere near as dead as we'd like to think. This episode takes a deep dive into scapegoats.

In Act One, journalist Jörg Nowak returns from Papua New Guinea with firsthand accounts of witchcraft accusations, happening in over 40 countries today, and most of us have no idea. We look at how modernisation, male violence, and ancient superstition combine to put vulnerable women in the firing line, and what Sister Lorena's work rescuing and rehabilitating survivors looks like for those living through the nightmare.

In Act Two, Dr Chris Cotter unpacks the thinking of René Girard, who traced scapegoating all the way back to the origins of human civilisation, through myth, ritual, and religion, to the foot of the cross. What does the Eucharist have to do with ending the cycle of sacrifice? And can we actually survive without scapegoats?

Show notes:

Learn more about George's work at: https://www.missio.com/english

Visit the Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst website: https://www.sandhurst.catholic.org.au