On Wednesday, a group of New Zealand Catholic women called ‘Be the Change’ participated in another Pink Shoes into the Vatican event. Held on International Women’s Day, the event at Auckland’s St Patrick’s Cathedral plaza included a display of well-worn pink shoes. The event was timed to coincide with midday Mass. ‘Be the Change’ invited Read more
In January, America published an article I wrote on the theme of inclusion in the life of the church. Since that time, the positions I presented have received both substantial support and significant opposition. The majority of those criticizing my article focused on its treatment of the exclusion of those who are divorced and remarried Read more
The Eucharist should be the centre of Catholic life, but falling church attendance on Sundays shows that the centre is crumbling. This, along with declining belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, has caused great concern among Catholic bishops, who have launched a Eucharistic revival effort. During the first half of the Read more
The Wellington City Council is rethinking its policy after being slammed as “complicit in genocide denial”. The accusation against the Council followed its decision to grant police the power to arrest Anzac Day protesters. The issue came to light on Anzac Day last year. Richard Noble arrived at a service at Wellington’s Pukeahu War Memorial Read more
The pope’s key clergy abuse reform effort is not working, says a papal consultant. Jesuit Fr Hans Zollner made the admission last Thursday to a group of clergy survivors of sexual abuse. Speaking in an online session, Zollner was asked if there is recourse for those who feel their cases have not been properly handled. Read more
“There is nothing new under the sun.” That Scripture verse from the Book of Ecclesiastes (1:19) comes to mind as I reflect on the agitation expressed by some in the church and the media over the Holy Father’s motu proprio “Traditionis Custodes” and the recent confirmation given in the “Rescriptum ex Audientia”released by Cardinal Arthur Read more
The Vatican has deemed incompetent Br René Stockman, (68), the Superior General of the Brothers of Charity in Rome and has removed him from all his administrative functions. Stockman is accused of not managing the Religious Congregation properly, of a lack of financial transparency and long-term vision. While Stockman remains Superior General of the Brothers Read more
Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega has banned traditional public processions of the Way of the Cross during the Lenten season. The move escalates his crackdown on the country’s Catholic Church and political opponents. The Nicaraguan government has prohibited the processions from being held in public venues, with the ritual to be conducted only inside churches on Read more
Upset, disappointment and, for some, ‘resigned understanding’ has greeted the announcement that the March edition of the Marist Messenger is the final edition. “What a shock and great disappointment! I appreciate commercial realities to which we are all subject, but it does not dull the pain,” one reader wrote. “The Marist Messenger has been an Read more
To understand the Eucharist, we must remember that Jesus and his first disciples were all Jews. We might even say the first Christians were Jewish heretics because, unlike their fellow Jews, they believed Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah. After Pentecost, the Jewish Christians continued to go to the temple to pray. If they were Read more