Plans to retain and restore parts of the Catholic cathedral could be jeopardised by approval delays, Christchurch diocese leaders claim. In June, the diocese applied to the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) for a section 38 notice. They had expected a decision in weeks but are still waiting approval. A section 38 notice would give Read more
For 57 years a Protestant chaplain from the U.S. Military and a Catholic priest provided by the Diocese of Christchurch have offered religious services, personal counselling and individual support for as many as 2000 men and women stationed at McMurdo and Amundsen-Scott Stations and Scott Base at any one time. The National Science Foundation, (NSF) Read more
“It is not enough to simply generate a life – it is necessary to provide a loving context because ultimately only love gives life,” says Dr John Kleinsman, director of the New Zealand Catholic Bioethics Centre. ‘And that means the ‘proper place’ for children to be conceived is in a loving marriage between a mother Read more
Climate change minister Tim Groser last week announced that Zealand’s provisional target is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 which is equivalent to 11 per cent below 1990 levels. This target has been condemned as inadequate and some critics are saying New Zealand’s clean green image is Read more
The Medical Association does not support doctors deliberately helping patients die, no matter the circumstances or law says New Zealand Medical Association chairman Stephen Child. He said that doctors should be removed from any process aimed at making decisions about dying. Doctors were not trained to kill people, were not equipped to determine whether a Read more
Work has started on new facilities and music centre at St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Manchester Street, Christchurch. The new parish complex includes offices for use by the parish, an expanded space that will include the former Catholic Shop, which was in Chancery Arcade, and facilities for the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament Choir, other music Read more
Some Secondary school principals have been left feeling uneasy after Family Planning presented a session called Taming Terrifying Topics at the Physical Education NZ 2015 conference in Hamilton on Monday. The subtitle for the session was “teaching pleasure within your sexuality education programme.” At the conference teachers were shown pamphlets that said sex talks should Read more
Manu Samoa have prepared for their battle against the All Blacks with hymns and prayers at a service at Our Lady of The Rosary church on Sunday. The magnificent Catholic church in Siusega, on the outskirts of Apia, is in the parish of Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi. After the team entered the church to Read more
Ursula Rakova, who was born in the Carteret Islands, is visiting New Zealand. The Carteret atoll is only 1.2 meters above sea level. Originally there were six islands, but Huene was split in half by the sea and so now there are seven. In 1995 a wave ate away most of the shorelines of Piul and Read more
“As a Catholic economist, reading this papal drivel masquerading as an encyclical is both embarrassing and infuriating,” says Oliver Hartwich, the executive director of the New Zealand Initiative, a libertarian think tank. He was referring to the the Pope’s encyclical Laudato Si’. “Thank God Catholics are free to disagree with this personal position of the Pope.” Read more