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New Zealand

Royal Commission – Include church say two academics Comments 0

Two academics have called for the inclusion of the Catholic church in the Historical Abuse in State Care Royal Commission. But Professor David Tombs, the head of the University of Otago’s Theology and Public Issues Centre also says there is no need for the church to wait for the royal commission, and it should start Read more

$7.8 billion a year on booze – $2.2 billion all up on the Treaty Comments 0

The harm caused by alcohol abuse in New Zealand is $7.8 billion annually compared to $2.2b spent on Treaty of Waitangi settlements since the 1990s says Berl principal economist Ganesh Nana. “Lost production of labour is costing us $3.3b a year, health costs combined with road crashes $860 million and alcohol-fuelled crime $1.1b a year.” Read more

Analysis and Comment

The house on a hill Comments 0

Some stories have the power to take us beyond words and break us open to new awareness. We call such stories parables because the telling sits on layers of deeper meaning, much of which cannot be put into language. Not all parables are in sacred scripture, but they can become sacred with reflection. I like Read more

Apologise Comments 0

A kid can pick up some handy information in Catholic school. The words to heartening songs. An understanding that human worth is inherent, unyoked to public accolades. The power of service over the power of self-gratification. A kid can pick up some not-so-handy information in Catholic school, too, but let’s save that discussion for another Read more

Contempt has no place in free speech debate Comments 0

It’s often said that when America sneezes, the world gets a cold. In the time of Trump, it means we might worry that when America gets a little crazy, the rest of the world might go mad. In years past, New Zealand’s geographical isolation provided a measure of natural immunity to foreign viruses. Today, however, Read more

#RebuildMyChurch: Cardinal Wuerl accidentally points the way Comments 0

Last night I discovered that the Archdiocese of Washington, DC appears to have commissioned some PR help and created a website meant to support and/or protect the prelate’s reputation. You can find it at The Wuerl Record. * This is the sort of action we usually see being taken by a Chairman of the Board, Read more

Asia Pacific

How were 300 Koreans allowed to work in Fiji? Comments 0

The Fiji government needs to explain how hundreds of South Koreans have been allowed into Fiji to work for firms connected to the controversial Grace Road Church, a union leader says. Social Democratic Liberal Party leader Sitiveni Rabuka is also Read more

Messianic Jews showing an interest in Samoa Comments 0

The Executive Director of Dugit Messianic Outreach Centre and the Senior Pastor of Adonai Roi Congregation in Israel visited Samoa last week. Pastor Avi Mizrachi is the second Messianic Jewish leader to visit Samoa following the visit by Pastor Benjamin Read more

Sir Bill and Dr Mary English make submissions on euthanasia Comments 0

Former New New Zealand prime minister the Right Honourable Sir Bill English and his wife Dr Mary English made a submission to a parliamentary committee considering the End of Life Choice Bill last Thursday. Mary English has worked as a general practitioner for 28 years. She has a practice in the inner Wellington suburb of Kelburn. They Read more

Oddly

Bias -We are hardwired to delude ourselves

I am trying to rid myself of some measure of my present bias, which is the tendency people have, when considering a trade-off between two future moments, to more heavily weight the one closer to the present: Read more

World
Deadly floods – Pope calls for solidarity and help Comments 0

Deadly floods in Kerala, India, have seen Pope Francis call for solidarity and help from the international community. Incessant rains this month have caused the state’s worst floods in a century. At least 186 people have died, over 200,000 families have taken refuge at relief camps and about 800,000 have been displaced. Kerala is home Read more
Sydney woman may be Australia’s next saint Comments 0

Australia’s next saint may be a Sydney woman who died of spinal tuberculosis in 1920 at the age of 28. On Tuesday, Eileen O’Connor was officially awarded the title of ‘Servant of God’ by the Vatican. This is the first of the steps to be taken before a person can be declared a saint. The Read more
Argentinian Catholics encouraged to renounce faith Comments 0

A Collective Apostasy movement in Argentina is encouraging Catholics to renounce their faith. The movement, led by the Argentine Coalition for a Secular State, began a week after an anti-abortion choice Senate vote sent thousands of Argentinians out into the streets to protest. The Church lobbied against the legalised abortion bill. Every year, about 500,000 Read more
Theologians, educators, lay leaders want US bishops’ resignation Comments 0

Over 140 theologians, educators and lay leaders have called for all the bishops in the United States to resign. Just as Chile’s 34 bishops resigned in May after revelations of sexual abuse and corruption, US bishops should also submit their resignations to Pope Francis. Doing so would show the public an act of penance and Read more
- Wuerl pulls out of Dublin summit amid charges of mishandling abuse claims
- Cardinal O’Malley withdraws from World Meeting of Families
Pope’s Share the Journey campaign takes a new twist Comments 0

Pope Francis’s Share the Journey campaign urging world leaders to reach an agreement on refugees has taken a new twist in Britain with an installation at London’s Westminster Cathedral. Led by two Catholic charities, CAFOD and Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN), Share the Journey has resulted in hundreds of pairs of shoes being displayed outside Read more
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