“We’re back,” was the reaction of one parish priest to the swelling congregations at Easter services. The priest with four churches in the parish told CathNews that all the main services at prime times were full. “I always knew people would come back”, he said in an uplifted tone. “I nearly had to erect a Read more
The path to New Zealand sainthood of missionary Mother Meri Hōhepa Suzanne Aubert has been delayed. A Vatican medical council concluded recently that a potential miracle attributed to her can be explained by medical science. Sister Margaret Anne Mills, leader of the Sisters of Compassion in Island Bay, Wellington, says the medical council’s ruling means Read more
Like walking through the snow and seeing fresh moose tracks. This is National Chief, Gerald Antoine’s description of Pope Francis’ apology for the part the Catholic Church played in Canada’s residential school system. “That is the feeling that I have, because there is a possibility,” he said moments after the apology. “Today is a day Read more
A church that listens to and engages with the universe, with te ao Māori, with women, young people and LGBTQI is the dream of a group of laypeople who are planning an online synod in August. The group, which is part of Be the Change Aotearoa New Zealand, is inspired by the concept of Te Read more
On Friday, in a move that raised the eyebrows of some, Pope Francis consecrated Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. A good Jesuit, Francis is applying the maxim “Pray as if everything depended on God, work as if everything depended on you,” a Vatican official told La Croix’s Loup Besmond de Senneville. Read more
Caritas is standing behind the government’s announcement to allow the reunification of families for Ukrainians living in New Zealand. “We welcome this announcement in that it provides a shelter from the storms of war. It’s a way out for vulnerable Ukrainians leaving a war zone and seeking to reunite with family members. “This expanded category Read more
Archbishop of Wellington Cardinal John Dew says Pope Francis is deeply concerned about the invasion being justified as a holy war. In recent weeks, the Russia’s Patriarch Kirill has used religious language to justify his support for Russia’s military aggression. Even Kirill’s own supporters are looking elsewhere, says Dew. “The invasion has created new ecumenical Read more
“Pope Francis wants to hear from you” – all of us. This is the message the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand is using to invite people – Catholic or not – to take part in a survey for an international synod on the future direction of the Church. The Catholic Church world-wide is conducting Read more
Three years on from a terror attack on Christchurch’s Muslim community, the community is helping build understanding. Rather than Remembrance services, this year the Muslim community decided to mark the occasion differently. Whānau Trust spokesman Rashid Bin Omar said Islamic Awareness Week aimed to spread peace, unity and love as opposed to the attacker’s aim Read more
A Catholic doctor who was banned last year from offering “abortion pill reversal treatment” to women who wished to keep their babies is now permitted to offer the treatment. Dr Dermot Kearney, a hospital cardiologist and a past president of the UK’s Catholic Medical Association, was last year the subject of a complaint about his Read more