New Zealand

Science and faith a false dichotomy – God has given us brains Comments 0

science

Wesleyan Methodist minister and media chaplain Frank Ritchie says opposing mass gathering regulations is not a hill on which Christians need to die. He describes the resistance to following the Government’s COVID-19 rules by Murray Watkinson, the leader of Wainoni’s revivalist Celebration Centre and other Christian leaders as “extremely sad”. Richie says Watkinson’s posts – Read more

Kiwi company continues making money out of mega churches Comments 0

pushpay

New Zealand company, Pushpay, will see business pick up now from churches in the United States. Pushpay services include a web-enabled giving platform and online donor management. Net profit fell 15 percent for the year ended March 31. One of the issues facing Pushpay has been the recent sale of shares by key investors. That Read more

Analysis and Comment

The seal of Confession Comments 0

confession

In every family, in every community, there are unresolved conflicts; there is sin. In Matthew 18:15-20, he sets out the steps for reconciliation. First, “if your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone”. If that works, well and good. If it doesn’t, then call him to the table with a Read more

Māori are more likely to die from COVID-19 than other New Zealanders Comments 0

Māori

The risk of dying from COVID-19 is at least 50% higher for Māori than New Zealanders from European backgrounds, according to our study published 4 September 2020. Māori and Pacific populations are historically at greater risk of hospitalisation and death from pandemics. During the 2009 influenza pandemic, the rate of infection for Māori was twice Read more

Why a radical approach is needed to fix our broken justice system Comments 0

justice

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

Thousands of weather stations show there’s more heat and rain Comments 0

weather

A major global update based on data from more than 36,000 weather stations around the world confirms that, as the planet continues to warm, extreme weather events such as heatwaves and heavy rainfall are now more frequent, more intense, and longer. The research is based on a dataset known as HadEX and analyses 29 indices Read more

New Zealand Catholic bishops’ statement: voting does not start at polling booth Comments 0

bishops' statement

The six New Zealand Catholic bishops are reminding people that voting does not start with entering the polling booth: “Our participation in elections is about listening to the cries of the Earth and the cries of the poor, studying carefully the proposals of political parties, praying about them, and voting with our conscience. They make Read more

  • Oddly

    • Pope forms an unusual partnership

      A partnership has developed is one between “an agnostic and a pope, an ex-communist and a Catholic, an Italian and an Argentine, a gastronome and a theologian.” Carlo Petrini, founder of the international Slow Food movement, to broaden his environmental Read more

  • World

  • Francis unmasked Comments 0

    mask

    The pope’s mask became the subject of media attention during his first major public audience since lockdown. After wearing a protective face mask in the car on the way to the 500-strong audience, Francis removed it, touching the mask’s front as he emerged from the vehicle. Maskless, he shook hands with prelates attending the audience. Read more

  • Pope gives green light to renewing Vatican-China deal Comments 0

    Pope Francis has given the green light to extending a two-year old deal with China about the appointment of bishops. Critics are condemning the deal’s extension as a sell-out to the communist government, a senior Vatican source says. China’s agreement to extend the deal is likely, given that China says its relationship with the Vatican Read more

  • Vatican clarifies new encyclical’s sexist title Comments 0

    The Pope’s new encyclical’s sexist title “Fratelli tutti,” is to be understood as including both men and women, the Vatican says. It is “an encyclical for all brothers and sisters,” the Vatican says in the daily newspaper in L’Osservatore Romano. The front-page editorial clarifies that the encyclical “addresses all his sisters and brothers, all men Read more

  • Priest killed: devoted to homeless and immigrants Comments 0

    priest killed

    Pope Francis has paid tribute to an Italian priest killed by an immigrant suffering from mental illness. Father Roberto Malgesini, 51, who cared for immigrants and other needy people in the northern city of Como, had been stabbed to death. A Tunisian immigrant, who police said was mentally ill, turned himself in to authorities. The Read more

  • Grand Imam says Christianity and Islam not at war Comments 0

    Christianity and Islam

    The Grand Imam of al Azhar says religious differences between Christianity and Islam have never been the basis of wars. Instead, the two religions had been exploited to make it appear so. “We believe with certainty that Islam and Christianity have never been the origin of wars and conflicts, but rather religious faiths represent the Read more