A former choirboy’s father who says his son was sexually abused by Cardinal George Pell has launched civil action, aiming to sue the Catholic Church and Pell. In 2018, Pell was found guilty by a County Court jury of abusing two teenage choirboys in December 1996 when he was the Archbishop of Melbourne. He had Read more
Michael Gielen, the New Bishop of Christchurch, wants to join the people of Christchurch in new adventures and not go it alone. He is urging priests of the diocese to “have the smell of the sheep”. Gielen said that all the former Christchurch bishops have brought their own personalities and style to the position and Read more
Radical, unrealistic and even heretical suggestions were part of the conversation background at the New Zealand Catholic Church’s national Synod synthesis group that met at St Catherine’s College, Wellington last weekend. The national Synod synthesis in New Zealand is the latest part of the local Church’s participation in the Pope’s Synodal path to the Church’s Read more
Five families have already moved out of a new transitional housing complex run by De Paul House into their own home, says board chair Brendan Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was speaking at the formal opening of De Paul House’s new 10-unit transitional housing complex in Northcote, Auckland. Opened only in December 2021, the transitional housing complex has Read more
Anti-abortion activists have been told being pro-life involves many issues that can threaten life. It’s not just about abortion. It’s about easy access to guns, poverty and rising maternity mortality. “Being for life always, for example, means being concerned if the mortality rates of women due to motherhood increase,” wrote Andrea Tornielli in his Vatican Read more
Guests at the Home of Compassion Soup Kitchen in Wellington were served dinner recently by Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro. After a health and safety briefing Dame Cindy was one of the team serving guests a hot meal. Her visit coincided with the 187th birthday celebration of Compassion founder Suzanne Aubert. Mother Aubert established the Soup Read more
Retired Belgian Bishop Lucas van Looy of Ghent has asked Pope Francis to withdraw his nomination for appointment as a cardinal. Francis has agreed. The Belgian bishops’ conference issued a statement last week announcing the decision and thanking van Looy for making the request. The statement said the 80-year old van Looy’s appointment “provoked many Read more
A Franciscan province in Germany has elected an openly gay member as its new superior general. Br Markus Fuhrmann (centre) publicly came out as homosexual a few weeks ago. “If I am gay myself, then I want to show that I can also be part of the Church in this ministry,” he said in explanation Read more
One of the Catholic Church’s leading experts on sex abuse and its prevention has given a major lecture in Paris at the invitation of the French bishops. “I’m going to scandalise you,” Father Hans Zollner SJ warned his audience as he started his talk about the clergy sex abuse crisis. “The Church’ does not exist. Read more
The important service of Catholic education for society was again highlighted in the Honours List announced on Queen’s Birthday. For their services to Catholic education, Jenny Gordon and Patrick Walsh are featured on this year’s Queen’s Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours list. Both have become Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Jenny Gordon Read more