The New Zealand Bishops, 12th – 16th May, will host the four-yearly Assembly of bishops of the Pacific Islands Conference (CEPAC), Papua New Guinea-Solomon Islands and the Australian Conference. Eighty six bishops are expected to attend, the largest number of Bishops ever to gather in Wellington. The Assembly begins at 5pm Monday 12 May with a Read more
New Zealanders are marrying later than in the past. Statistics from the 2013 census released on 5 May show that in 2013, the median age at first marriage was 30.1 years for men and 28.6 years for women – up from 27.3 and 25.2 years in 1993. Although the median age at first marriage has Read more
The Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal recently found a doctor guilty of professional misconduct. Doctor N has been granted permanent name suppression by the High Court. The pro life organisation Right to Life wants to know why why criminal charges have not been laid. The Tribunal found that the doctor had breached the Contraception Sterilisation Read more
The proposed legislation for managing earthquake prone buildings fails to provide a financial framework to support the owners of buildings that play a key role in defining the kind of communities that make New Zealand such a great place to live, says the Archbishop of Wellington, New Zealand, John Dew. The Archdiocese of Wellington has Read more
This Easter the Greens and Labour parties and a 11,00 strong union have called for businesses to respect Easter trading laws. FIRST Union retail secretary Maxine Gay said retailers who opened on Good Friday were being “greedy”, with little regard for workers’ and families’ need. “Retail workers have among the fewest rights in the country Read more
The New Zealand branch of St Pius X is asking what the hurry is about in canonizing John Paul II. In a letter to all New Zealand priests, the Society acknowledges the popularity of John Paul II. It concedes John Paul II strongly defended the unborn and family life. However, the Society’s concern is the speed of Read more
Already plans are well underway inNew Zealand’s cathedral churches to mark the canonisation of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II . The canonisations will take place at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome at 10am on 27 April, the Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday). The corresponding time here in New Zealand will Read more
Severe flooding in the Solomon Islands helped give extra meaning to the 6,000 young people taking part in the Caritas Challenge over the weekend. “We need to be far more grateful for all we have because they have so little and even that is being taken away from them,” said Mareko Ennor, a Year 12 student Read more
This weekend Samoan representatives from 25 Auckland parishes will meet in south Auckland to discuss political parties and Christian values. Some commentators are saying this will be a litmus test for Labour support. South Auckland electorates are traditionally Labour thanks in large part to church-going Pacific Islanders. The meeting is a response to small group of Read more
Minutes after Bishop Victor Silva called on Jesus to cast out “the spirit of sickness” causing pain to the lives of the hundreds of people packed into the “holy oil” healing service in Auckland on Sunday, a young man was helped on to the stage claiming his sight had been improved. Gaby Dean, 27, who Read more