Over 85 percent of Muslims living in Aotearoa believe Islamophobia exists in this country, and more than half have experienced discrimination, according to the first baseline study of Muslims in New Zealand. The study was conducted in 2023 by researchers from Massey University and funded by the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand and Read more
A Catholic priest in Austria has confessed to producing crystal meth in his parish rectory. The case came to light after authorities arrested the 38-year-old cleric along with a 30-year-old Iraqi citizen from Vienna last week, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner. Both suspects are currently in pretrial detention. The priest, originally from Poland, Read more
The government is being urged to look into thousands of unmarked graves across Aotearoa which could hold victims of state care abuse. The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care has recommended the government appoints and funds an independent advisory group to investigate potential unmarked graves and urupā at the sites of former psychiatric Read more
In a troubling decision that fueled a number of suspicions, Metropolitan Hilarion of Budapest and Hungary was temporarily suspended from the administration of his diocese. The decision was made by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, which gathered July 25 in Moscow under the auspices of Patriarch Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and all Read more
A suspect has been apprehended in an investigation into the misappropriation of €61 million from Luxembourg charity Caritas, the public prosecutor’s office said on Monday. The prosecutor’s office had first announced on Friday that it had launched a probe into the alleged theft from the NGO by a member of staff. A person has since Read more
Work to replace the copper on Timaru’s historic Sacred Heart Basilica domes has been completed, with the architect hailing the church among the most pre-eminent buildings in the country. “Nationally it’s in the top handful of its type and it’s the most eminent neo-classical design for a church in the country, and the best church Read more
The French Marian pilgrimage site of Lourdes is reopening its baths after they were closed in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Five of the 18 pilgrimage pools for bathing in spring water should be able to be used again from mid-August, the French newspaper “La Croix” reported on Thursday, citing the pilgrimage management. Read more
More children are being placed in state care in New Zealand as compared to a year ago — rising by 20 percent — figures obtained by 1News show. This increase has raised concerns among abuse survivors and child welfare advocates, with worries that it goes against advice put forward by the landmark Abuse in Care Read more
Four men in the Nigerian diocese of Lokoja used forged documents to obtain ordination as deacons. The diocese distanced itself from the ordinations conferred by the diocesan bishop in mid-July after it became known that the order to which the men allegedly belonged did not even exist. “At no time were they known to be Read more
A priest is suing the gay dating and “hookup” app Grindr after the company reportedly failed to protect his data, leading to his resignation from a top position at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). In July 2021, Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill resigned from his post as the general secretary of the USCCB ahead of Read more