Responding with an “open heart,” Pope Francis has replied to Maltese parents of LGBTQ individuals who criticised a recent Vatican document denouncing gender theory and gender-affirming surgeries. In a letter dated April 30 Francis commended Drachma Parents, an organisation supporting LGBTQ Catholics, for their efforts. He described their work as “very beautiful and good”. In Read more
Filipino Fr Reynaldo Bunyi Getalado was ordained Coadjutor Bishop of Rarotonga on Saturday. In what is described as “a significant and deeply moving” ordination ceremony, the Catholic Diocese of Rarotonga, Cook Islands, witnessed the beginning of a new chapter. The ordination signalled the end of 53 years’ New Zealand leadership in the diocese. A sign Read more
Every Sunday, whoever is welcoming the gathered at my parish also welcomes those “joining us online,” before inviting us to stand for the processional hymn. Sometimes, I imagine that these folks are actually in the choir loft, where the camera and streaming laptop actually are. I can’t see them, but for most of Mass, I Read more
It’s been a bruising April for many of Christchurch’s iconic landmarks, venues and events, teetering under the weight of their own financial turmoil. The Arts Centre’s management team continues to sound the threatening drumbeat of insolvency if the ratepayer doesn’t rush to their rescue. (The doom-mongering hasn’t stopped them frittering lavish operational sums on their Read more
Catholic Answers, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to apologetics, has reaffirmed its commitment to using artificial intelligence (AI) despite facing backlash over its recent AI priest “Father Justin”. The AI priest project, launched on April 23, aimed to provide users with accurate information about Catholicism. However, the AI priest project quickly sparked controversy when users reported Read more
The paediatrician whose research project found false information about transgender children’s treatment puts them “at risk” is now at risk herself. Dr Hilary Cass says she’s been told not to travel on public transport because of fears for her safety. Detractors – including an MP – have been spreading “vile disinformation” around her report for Read more
The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin says it feels like the Lord has abandoned Ireland’s Catholic Church. This “confronts us with something new, but something we do not clearly understand. “There are hardly any priests or practising Catholics. “We feel perplexed, even that the Lord has abandoned us. We feel that we have lost our way” Read more
Soaring insurance costs are leading Catholic churches in Otago and Southland to reconsider their options. Between them, the churches in the Catholic Diocese of Dunedin face a $240,000 insurance premium bill this year. It’s a lot of money. During the past 10 years the diocese has had just one significant claim as a result of Read more
Church leaders and climate activists have found fault with international lending agencies, including the World Bank, for funding fossil fuel and coal projects in the Philippines. “We stand in solidarity with the communities which are hit by coal power projects,” said Father Warren Puno, director of the Ministry of Ecology in south-central Luzon. “This is Read more
A law firm clerk accidentally selected the wrong file from a dropdown menu on an online portal, resulting in the irrevocable divorce of the wrong couple. The couple intended to divorce, but we were still arranging financial agreements for their separation when a clerk accidentally selected them for a final divorce order on an online Read more