New Zealand

Vatican suspends its diktat to expel Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer

Vatican

Vatican decrees preventing priests from the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer from exercising ministry in the Christchurch Catholic diocese remain in force. A notice on the Diocese website says a petition to have the Sons’ removal of priestly faculties overturned was denied. However a canon lawyer representing the Sons says, after lodging an appeal Read more

Christian churches in crisis

Churches

Declining and ageing congregations, crumbling buildings and fewer clergy mean some traditional Christian churches are reaching a crisis point. Earthquake-prone churches are common and so are smaller congregations. Declining attendance The most recent data on religious affiliation from the 2018 census shows 48.2 percent of us have no religion. The “nones” group is growing: the Read more

Analysis and Comment

The Catholic Worker – a spirituality or an ideology?

Catholic

There is a small faith-filled Anglican parish community in the Christchurch seaside suburb of New Brighton which, despite its meagre resources, daily offers the poor and the homeless food, a hot drink, clothing options and other essential resources. I don’t think they know much about ideology nor give much time to studying it. But they Read more

Heaven and hell in post-Vatican II Catholicism: How to move from fear to love

Vatican

Taken as a whole, the online Catholic world can look more like an abstract pointillist painting than a coherent landscape. To borrow the imagery of Isaiah Berlin, the internet environment encourages us to think like foxes rather than hedgehogs. Virtual discussions roam over many small things (e.g., the kerfuffle last spring over Harrison Butker’s graduation Read more

When the Pope drops by

Pope

In early September Pope Francis has scheduled two busy weeks of travel. He will visit Indonesia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and Singapore. No doubt some Australians will grumble that he passed so close without dropping in to visit us. For the 87 year-old Pope such travel will be arduous. His determination to continue visiting Read more

Pope Francis’ trip to Southeast Asia will test the Pope’s health and message

Pope

At the age of 87, Pope Francis will embark on an 11-day trip to Southeast Asia that will test both his physical health and the core messages of his pontificate, focusing on the poor, the environment and a Catholic Church at the margins. The papal trip, which will take place Sept. 2-13, presents the most Read more

Māori Queen aged 27 and a Catholic

In a historic moment for New Zealand’s Māori, a 27-year-old and the youngest child of Kīngi Tūheitia, Ngā Wai hono I te pō, has been anointed as the new Māori Queen and leader of the Kīngitanga movement. Ngā Wai hono i te pō becomes the eighth Māori monarch, continuing a direct lineage from the first Read more

  • Oddly

  • CathNews
    is free

  • World

  • Pope urges Indonesia to promote tolerance and combat extremism

    combat extremism

    Pope Francis has called on Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, to combat extremism and strengthen interreligious tolerance. The pontiff made the appeal during a speech to national leaders in Jakarta on 4 September at the start of his three-day visit to the country. Speaking with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and other officials, Pope Francis Read more

  • Pope Francis’ Indonesia visit strengthens interfaith ties

    Indonesia visit

    Pope Francis’s visit to Indonesia is being hailed as a key moment for interfaith relations. He will engage with leaders from different religious communities in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation. The pontiff arrived in Jakarta on 3 September, marking the start of his 12-day trip across Asia and Oceania. On 5 September, Pope Francis is Read more

  • African communities challenge Church over inculturation

    African communities

    Tensions are escalating between the Catholic Church and traditional African communities over the integration of local customs into religious practices. Some African communities, particularly in Cameroon, have accused the Church of disrespecting their cultures under the guise of inculturation (adapting Christianity to local customs). This has sparked a debate on balancing cultural respect with the Read more

  • Celibacy debate heightens as popular priest resigns for love

    celibacy

    The celibacy debate continues after a popular priest in Italy has announced he is leaving the priesthood to marry the woman he loves. The child they are expecting has been diagnosed with a serious heart condition. Father Tomas Hlavaty (pictured) will now be formally removed from the priesthood and returned to the lay state, says Read more

  • Prolife politician puts down Pope’s migrant comments

    In a sharp rebuke to Pope Francis, former UK Conservative politician Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has suggested that the Vatican should accommodate migrants if the pontiff is so concerned about their plight. Speaking on GB News on August 28, Rees-Mogg delivered what has been described as a “withering put down” of the Pope’s recent comments on Read more