Thousands of migrant workers caught out in New Zealand by the spread of Covid-19 have found themselves in challenging circumstances. On Sunday, the Catholic bishops of New Zealand want Catholic communities to reflect on the plight of these migrant workers. 21 June, is the annual Day of Prayer for Refugees and Migrants and the theme Read more
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops met last Friday to discuss how COVID-19 Level 1 was working in their respective dioceses. They noted there were differences between some dioceses and even between some churches – for example, some churches allowed Communion from the Chalice, others did not. So they decided there was no need to issue Read more
The St Vincent de Paul (SVDP) Society, this week, launched a National Recovery Appeal to help the increasing numbers of individuals and families struggling from the impact of Covid-19. The Appeal will run until December. The goal is to raise $4 million to provide people with economic, social and emotional support during these times of Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the risk elements in the Church’s sexual abuse response, says Fr Hans Zollner SJ. Zollner is the leading Rome based specialist in addressing the scourge of sex abuse in Catholic institutions. With less money in circulation, he is urging civil and church societies not to blur their focus nor cut Read more
The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and of Saint Mary His Mother in Hill Street, Thorndon, Wellington, popularly known as The Basilica has received a grant of $120,000 to assist in its $3.3 million strengthening project. The grant is a “one-off” ‘out of round’ contribution from the Wellington City Council’s Built Heritage Incentive Fund. Read more
In a pastoral statement, the New Zealand Catholic bishops have written to Catholics saying they are pleased that Mass can resume, but warn the experience may not be as familiar as it once was. They say the new normal is means the Church’s liturgy remains restricted to protect the vulnerable and elderly. The statement, creatively Read more
Todd Muller the new leader of the National Party says while he identifies himself as Catholic, his religious beliefs do not inform his politics on issues such as euthanasia, abortion and the LGBT+ community. That has not satisfied the kind of people who go on twitter says Ryan Bridge in an opinion piece on Newshub. Read more
Two of New Zealand’s religious leaders agree that the progress made in getting on to of SARS-CoV-2 should not be put at risk. But they are asking the government to just let them know about any perceived weaknesses in the practice of religion so that they can fix them. The president of the New Zealand Read more
In his Monday press conference, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, the director-general of health, addressed the concern that has been expressed over the weekend by church leaders and others about church gatherings still being capped at a maximum of 10 people. Bloomfield defended limits on the size of faith-based gatherings. Allowing churches to have larger gatherings was Read more
If you have a dozen apostles you have some difficult decisions to make, says Toby Manhire in his blog in The Spinoff. He was referring to the fact that under the restrictions imposed by COVID-19 Alert Level 2 the number of people attending a religious gathering is capped at 10. Many religious leaders are disappointed Read more