New Zealand

Civil and Church leaders join in honouring Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana Comments 0

ratana

Members of the Rātana Movement celebrated a day of Thanksgiving on Thursday 8th November. Deacon Danny Karatea-Goddard from Wellington attended on behalf of Cardinal John Dew and the Catholic Church. The photograph shows Karatea-Goddard with Anglican Archdeacon Don Rangi. The late Pihopa Tākuira Mariu always made a point of going to join the Ratana ceremonies. Read more

36% of Kiwi children don’t know the Christmas story, so… Comments 0

christmas

A Bible Society New Zealand (BSNZ) survey conducted by Nielsen in 2015 revealed that 36% of New Zealand Children have never seen, read or heard the story of Jesus’ birth. BSNZ is hoping to reach these children by giving away 85,000 copies of The Well Good News of Christmas. This book is part of Bible Society’s Pass Read more

Analysis and Comment

Is schism possible in the Catholic Church? Comments 0

schism

As the U.S. Catholic bishops gather in Baltimore to discuss controversial issues such as clerical sexual abuse and racism, some people are talking about the threat of schism. History shows that the possibility of schism is always present, but the odds against schism today are high. First, in order to have a schism, you need Read more

Open letter to the US Catholic bishops: It’s over Comments 0

it's over

Dear brothers in Christ, shepherds, fellow pilgrims, We address you as you approach this year’s national meeting in Baltimore because we know there is nowhere left to hide. It’s over. All the manipulations and contortions of the past 33 years, all the attempts to deflect and equivocate — all of it has brought the church, Read more

Freddie Mercury’s family faith: The ancient religion of Zoroastrianism Comments 0

Freddie Mercury

In the Freddie Mercury biopic, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” there’s a scene in which a family member scolds Mercury. “So now the family name is not good enough for you?” “I changed it legally,” Mercury responds. “No looking back.” It might come as a surprise to some that Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara. He came from Read more

Anticipating a reforming pope’s radical plan to curtail the Roman Curia Comments 0

roman curia

Some are cautiously looking forward to it with hopeful expectations. Others are fearing it with dread and despair. It’s the upcoming reform and restructuring of the Roman Curia. As Massimo Faggioli recently pointed out, it could be one of the most significant structural changes Pope Francis makes in a determined effort — contested by some Read more

Catholic Church leaders welcome inclusion in Royal Commission Comments 0

royal commission

The New Zealand Catholic Bishops and Catholic religious orders have welcomed the inclusion of faith-based institutions in the New Zealand Government’s expanded inquiry into the historical abuse of children. On Monday the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced the scope of the inquiry will include faith-based institutions. It will be called the Royal Commission into Historical Read more

  • Oddly

  • A Pope Francis gargoyle watches over Cologne cathedral

    It took about a week for visitors to the massive Catholic cathedral in Cologne, Germany, to notice a small addition to its ornate Gothic entrance — a carved stone figure of Pope Francis leaning forward like a gargoyle. Continue reading

  • World

  • Food waste is deadlier than malaria Comments 0

    Reducing food waste will reduce hunger and malnutrition, and save an estimated $1 trillion a year, a newly released report says. The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report, ‘Preventing nutrient loss and waste across the food system: Policy actions for high-quality diets,’ finds regularly eating poor-quality food has become a greater public health Read more

  • Cardinal Parolin discusses skeleton found in the Vatican Comments 0

    Despite widespread speculation in the Italian media, the Vatican has not assumed the skeleton found in the Vatican Nunciature is Emanuela Orlandi, Cardinal Pietro Parolin has told reporters. Orlandi was 15-year-old Vatican citizen who disappeared 35 years ago. “I do not know who connected this case with Orlandi,” he added. Parolin told journalists the facts Read more

  • Pope told of profound dismay over Vatican-China deal Comments 0

    A joint open letter expressing profound dismay at the Vatican’s provisional agreement with Beijing has been sent to Pope Francis by a group of English Catholics. The letter criticises the Vatican for allowing the atheist Chinese government to have a role in choosing bishops at a time of increasing oppression by the Beijing government. “The Read more

  • South Korea’s Cardinal will go with Pope to North Korea Comments 0

    South Korea’s Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung says he would greatly welcome a visit from Pope Francis to North Korea and would be willing to accompany him during his trip. Yeom, who is the archbishop of Seoul, also serves as the acting chief of North Korea’s Pyongyang Diocese. According to Lee Hae-chan, the chief of the Read more

  • 72 percent of sex abuse trade perpetrators are parents Comments 0

    Modern technology has provided a means for the live-stream sex abuse trade, which is rife in the Philippines. Christian churches in the Philippines are working with the government to shut down “all forms of child violence,” especially online sexual exploitation. Online sexual exploitation of children has become a major problem, says Bishop Ruperto Santos. “What Read more