In a significant move, the NZ Catholic bishops are promoting open and informed life discussion through a modernised and broadened document, Te Kahu o te Ora – A Consistent Ethic of Life. The modernisation seeks to fill a twenty-six-year gap and reflect some of the modern challenges. Dr John Kleinsman, director of the NZ Catholic Read more
They’ve done their time, paid for their crime and then they come out and they do another sentence. It’s called a silent sentence.” Tui Ah Loo is talking about the difficulties people face when they’re released from prison. “It is the sentence of judgement, stigma and bias.” As te tumu whakarae or chief executive of Read more
As long as there has been a war in Ukraine people have called for peace. Some propose peace simply defined as a halt to the fighting. They cite the suffering: More than 300,000 Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded, thousands of civilians have been killed, and more than nine million Ukrainians have Read more
Forgiveness is an age-old practice central to the teaching of many of the world’s religions. In Islam, forgiveness suggests alignment with Allah. In Judaism, acts of atonement — or Teshuva — are expected for wrongdoing. In Christianity, forgiveness is unconditional, by loving one’s enemies as oneself. Throughout human history, religion and science have often been framed as conflicting Read more
A group representing US Catholic priests has developed guidelines for informing priests of their canonical rights when they are accused of misconduct – including sexual abuse. Survivor advocates are critical of the move, saying providing guidance could help cast accused priests in an overly sympathetic light. The Association of US Catholic Priests (AUSCP) say the Read more
What began as a controversy over a judge’s decision to leave a young Maori girl in the care of her Pakeha foster-parents has touched off an extraordinary judicial scandal that threatens to shake public confidence in the integrity of the courts. Allegations made by lawyer Tony Ellis implicate New Zealand’s two most senior judges in Read more
By special arrangement and courtesy of Fr Frank Brennan SJ, professor of law, and Sydney’s Catholic Weekly: The Anatomy of a Travesty. It’s time to declare that George Pell is innocent of the preposterous charges he faced in the County Court of Victoria and to move on for the good of everyone, including bona fide Read more
Peace is more than just the avoidance of conflict or the absence of a feud, or on a more grand scale, war. Peace is the work for justice and the output of charity. The Church preaches peace because peace is a sign and fruit of the promise of Christ, the Redeemer. Peace is more than Read more
Sometimes you need to catch your breath when a Vatican official’s speaking echoes a theologian’s writings. Which way is this going to go? Not long ago, the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, echoed a 50-year-old passage from a book by … wait for it … Swiss theologian Hans Küng. Speaking on Spain’s church-owned Read more
New Zealanders have long grappled with an obsession with criminal justice expansions, even though crime rates are on the decline. We tell ourselves: “Just another thousand police officers. Just one more prison. It’ll be fine after that. We promise we’ll stop there. They’ll be better. We won’t need any more.” Of course, the impacts of Read more