Wellington’s historic Erskine Chapel has finally been restored. The lovely French Gothic-style beauty reopened with a special service on Thursday after being left to the vagaries of time for almost 40 years. Saving beauty Built in 1929, the chapel boasts a marble altar, stained-glass windows and a soaring ceiling. The chapel is considered one of Read more
Pope Francis is asking for synodality in all parishes, presenting the Catholic Church in New Zealand with a monumental task, none more so than for the Synod delegates. While Synodality will not happen overnight, indeed there is a part two of the Synod in October 2024, CathNews spoke with some ‘synod watching’ Catholics about tasking Read more
The much anticipated “synthesis report” from October’s synod on synodality was released after the confidential Vatican-based meetings concluded on Sunday. The synthesis report summarises synodal discussions about how a synodal Church’s ministries and structures can give a wider role for laity which is more in line with the vision of Vatican II. Big issues discussed Read more
The construction of a Catholic religious centre in Saint-Pierre-de-Colombier, Ardèche, France, has caused controversy. Earlier this week, nuns from the missionary group formed a human chain around a digger to prevent the activists from chaining themselves to it. However, the clash turned physical when an unnamed nun from the Notre Dame Missionary Family sprinted across Read more
We humans (do we even need to say it?) are passionate animals! We have our loves and our hates, our up days and down days, and the times when we just want to sit quietly and be left alone. Moreover, these emotional swings are not simply mood swings or based on how we feel when Read more
My first synod was in 1985, when Pope John Paul II called an extraordinary synod to reflect on the Second Vatican Council 20 years after it ended. I have covered almost every synod since. It has never been easy. Meetings of the synod are usually closed, and the information released to the press is carefully Read more
News reports regarding recently opened Vatican archives confirm that Pope Pius XII knew about the Holocaust as early as 1942. That is no surprise. The Vatican had extensive contacts across Europe. But such revelations about the tragic relationship between Catholics and Jews reminded me of an uncomfortable episode early in my time as editor of Read more
Australian Liberal MP Julian Leeser has urged his country’s Catholics to be a stronger voice in public life and not underestimate their influence for good. In a powerful address at the Australian Catholic University’s Melbourne campus on 11 October Mr Leeser (pictured), known for his Jewish faith, stressed that the Catholic Church possesses a unique Read more
The “niche issue” issue of women priests and deacons distracts the Church from addressing what women really need, a theologian participating in the Synod on Synodality says. “As a woman, I’m not focused at all on the fact that I’m not a priest,” says Professor Renée Köhler-Ryan (pictured). Köhler-Ryan is the National Head of School Read more
Their delighted screams echoed through the yard, my six-year-old happily jumping onto the slide to make her way down to the ground, running from her father as he chased her. I couldn’t help but smile as the scene unfolded: a little girl happily playing in the safety of her own backyard, dinner waiting inside, a Read more