A New Zealand sexual abuse survivor, Darryl Smith, has gone to the Vatican to take part in survivor meetings, coinciding with a gathering of the leaders of bishops’ conferences from around the world. Smith is hopeful of an audience with Pope Francis while in Rome. With him he is carrying a letter of introduction from Read more
Cardinal John Dew, the Archbishop of Wellington, has directed every parish in the archdiocese to review its stock of churches and presbyteries. The review will identify how many churches the parish needs to cater for its Mass count, taking into account the availability of priests and lay pastoral leaders, and the ideal location of the Read more
The Salvation Army has criticised the ‘wellbeing-focused Government’ for not doing enough to lift the most vulnerable New Zealanders out of poverty. This year’s report, Are you well? Are we safe? takes a wellbeing approach to social progress as a nation. The report shows a lack of tangible progress in key areas. “We cannot blame Government Read more
Bishop Charles Drennan of the Palmerston North Diocese in New Zealand says “We are a communion of people. There is no hierarchy of age in the Church, yet so much of our formal written expression and documentation of who we are is produced by older men (cf. Joel 2:28). “Even the recent final document of Read more
Cardinal George Pell has been found guilty on five counts of historic sex offenses. The jury in a County Court of the State of Victoria, delivered a unanimous verdict on Tuesday. The verdict came after three days of deliberation and sentencing will take place in early February. Until then Pell is released on bail. This Read more
Katherine Hogg has no problem with Christmas activities in general at school, but she says making them biblical is “out of line . . . for a secular school.” Hogg kept her 7-year-old son home from school last week to avoid lessons about the Christian origins of Christmas. She said she was unhappy her son’s Read more
Three female survivors of sexual abuse by priests have called on church leaders preparing for a February summit at the Vatican to listen to the voices of victims and to end a “culture of cover-up.” One of the three is Dr Rocio Figueroa Alvear, a Peruvian theologian, who is currently a lecturer in Systematic Theology at Good Read more
The Auckland Childrens’ Christmas Parade Trust has lost the Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development (ATEED) $45,000 grant. To grow Auckland’s tourism industry in a sustainable way, ATEED’s general manager of destination, Steve Armitage, told Newsroom that ATEED is interested in events which are gaining more popularity each year, such as the Pride Parade, Chinese Lantern Festival Read more
Christchurch Regeneration Minister Megan Woods does not have the power to intervene and stop possible demolition of the Christchurch’s earthquake-damaged Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. A spokesman for Woods said she “does not have the power to intervene as the rules under the Christchurch District Plan govern and enable the demolition of the Catholic basilica.” Read more
The National Centre for Religious Studies is providing guidance to Catholic schools throughout New Zealand on gender complexity. The guidance, endorsed by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference, is for principals, boards of trustees, staff and whānau. It provides a point of reference in the support and accompaniment of children and young people who may Read more