Jon O’Brien, President of a US lobbyist organisation Catholic for Choice (CFC), was a keynote speaker at the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Conference Aotearoa New Zealand which took place at Te Papa Tongarewa, Te Whanganui-a-Tara on the weekend. The title of his presentation was “Manufacturing Stigma: How Religious Healthcare Could Damage Your Health”. Read more
The Vatican’s top communications experts say tweeting and other social media is the way to go. Bishop Paul Tighe, a Vatican culture secretary, says they are finding people on Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and other all-inclusive, non-denominational digital houses of worship. Tighe has been in Lisbon for Web Summit, Europe’s largest tech conference. Before he left Read more
As at 30 September $8.7 million has been raised or committed to the seismic strengthening of St Mary of the Angels, an inner city church in Wellington. A further $1.3 million is required to complete the project. It is a category one heritage building with outstanding cultural and heritage significance. St Mary of the Angels was Read more
En route to Rome, after his visit to Sweden, a journalist asked Pope Francis “Is it realistic to think of women priests also in the Catholic Church in the coming decades?” The world is finding it hard to adjust to a Pope who speaks off the cuff. He has been dubbed “the Pope of the Read more
New Zealand will now have a voice when the liturgy is discussed in Rome. Cardinal John Dew, the Archbishop of Wellington, has been appointed to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments. The congregation deals with liturgical questions and the celebration of the sacraments. Dew is one of 27 new appointees named by the Read more
The new bishop of Christchurch will have to decide what to do about the earthquake Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. He will be faced with a choice of spending $45 million to restore the nave or $100 million to carry out a complete restoration. A decision had previously been made to save and restore just the Read more
The Salvation Army says there is persistent unemployment in the 15- to 24-year-old age group and this is related to immigration. It says as a country we need to have a rational and open debate around the role of immigration in New Zealand’s future. In a report, What Next, released this week;the Salvation Army suggests Read more
United Nations new Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s appointment is not everyone’s choice. The ninth man to lead the UN in its 71-year history has drawn opposition from gay rights and women’s groups. Guterres will replace Ban Ki-moon when he retires at the end of December. The devout Catholic is against abortion, marriage equality and gay Read more
An online petition has been launched by a pro life group asking the Thames Coromandel District Council to (TCDC) ensure the continued right of citizens to exercise free speech and free assembly. For the last five years, Voice for Life (VFL) has been meeting for an hour on Friday morning outside the Thames Hospital when abortions are Read more
The archbishop of Port Moresby, Sir John Ribat, is one of 17 new Cardinals named by Pope Francis. Ribat said the appointment came as a surprise as he never thought nor dreamt of it. “If it is the will of God, then may he give me his grace and strength to fulfil this course and carry Read more