Posts Tagged ‘Christchurch’

More exorcisms! The Vatican acts

Thursday, November 16th, 2023
exorcisms

The Vatican has responded to Bishop of Christchurch Michael Gielen’s request for help dealing with unauthorised exorcisms and related spiritual abuse in the Diocese. The retired bishop of Toowoomba, Robert McGuckin (pictured), has been tasked with conducting an Apostolic Visitation to investigate the allegations. The former professor of Canon Law at the University of Notre Read more

Archdiocese suspends parish mergers amid appeals to Vatican

Monday, August 7th, 2023

The Archdiocese of St Louis, Missouri, has suspended the mergers of several parishes that have appealed their closures to the Vatican. Mike Stevens of St Roch’s parish spoke to the media, saying the parish is a vital component of what goes on in the community, it’s also very integrated into the community. Under the restructuring Read more

Exorcisms suspended by Christchurch bishop

Thursday, August 3rd, 2023
exorcisms

Following allegations of unauthorised exorcisms, Bishop Michael Gielen has suspended all exorcisms in the Christchurch diocese and ordered a comprehensive review of the practice. Gielen is currently in Portugal at World Youth Day. The announcement arrives in the wake of a report by TV3 journalist Michael Morrah that exposed alleged unapproved exorcisms conducted by the Read more

Poor Church communication helps trivialise exorcism

Monday, July 31st, 2023
Sacrosanctum Concilium,

The recent television reporting of exorcisms and potential abuse by a fringe religious group in the Diocese of Christchurch is deeply disturbing on several levels. Poor Church communication is in the spotlight. The nub of the issue is why a fringe group, that does not belong to the mainstream of the Church and does not Read more

Christchurch exorcisms – Paddy Gower has issues

Thursday, July 27th, 2023
Christchurch exorcisms

Fr Michael Mary, the leader of the ‘Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer,’ a conservative Latin Rite Catholic group in Christchurch, denies accusations that his group performed exorcisms on children. He clarified that sprinkling Holy Water around a child does not constitute an exorcism. The controversy surrounding the ‘Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer’, also Read more

$100 million Christchurch Catholic Cathedral complex

Monday, May 3rd, 2021
christchurch catholic cathedral

The new Christchurch Catholic Cathedral complex is estimated to cost $100 million. The announcement was made Monday by the Coadjutor Archbishop of Wellington and Apostolic Administrator of the Christchurch diocese, Paul Martin. The diocese hopes the whole complex will be completed within five years. To fund the project Martin says the diocese is considering selling Read more

A tale of two cathedrals

Monday, December 9th, 2019

This is a tale of two cathedrals. It’s a story of two bishops, a tragedy and even a prince. There’s more than one battle in this long saga and only one of the cathedrals will have a happy ending. Both buildings were severely damaged by the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes and aftershocks, and both sit Read more

The rot behind New Zealand’s cloak of decency

Monday, March 25th, 2019
This is not New Zealand

I remember going back to Iran when I was younger and listening to my grandmother describe New Zealand to anyone who would listen. She had visited us in Christchurch and her eyes gleamed with hope when she spoke of it. It’s just paradise. Heaven. In the polluted concrete jungle of oppression and poverty that is big Read more

New ministry models challenge NZ priests

Monday, September 17th, 2018
ministry

Parishes around the world are emptying, ageing, sleeping and dying. According to Fr James Mallon, it does not have to be this way. Mallon, a Canadian priest, last week spoke to New Zealand’s diocesan priests in Christchurch to explore what he calls “Divine Renovation.” The present century demands new models of ministry and new ways Read more

Bishop Martin tells ordination crowd Christchurch is now home

Monday, March 5th, 2018
Bishop Paul Martin Bishop of Christchurch

An optimistic crowd on Saturday packed a very hot Christchurch Boys’ High School auditorium for the ordination of Bishop Paul Martin SM. Martin, ordained the tenth Bishop of Christchurch on 3 March 2018, by Cardinal John Dew, succeeds Bishop Barry Jones, who died in February 2016. In a ceremony involving Latin, Māori and English, Pope Francis’ Read more