An exhibition described as confrontational will be exhibited in Geraldine’s St Mary’s church to mark Lent. Vicar of Geraldine Reverend Tony Kippax said The Last Supper by John Badcock, 13 panels of self-portraits measuring 13 metres long, would be a backdrop to services during Lent which was a time of reflection and self-examination before Easter. Read more
A group of clergy abuse survivors gathered in Rome on Feb. 21, one year after the Vatican summit of bishops on clerical sex abuse, to accuse Pope Francis of knowing about the abuse of Argentine deaf children by an Italian priest but not acting to stop it. The group, who included some of the Argentinian Read more
A trend for fewer young women getting cervical smears has been met with a fresh approach to change their views. A new and seriously funky national campaign aimed at encouraging more women aged over 25 years to take part in the cervical screening programme has launched. The campaign uses a dancer to personify the cervix Read more
It has emerged that a second nun of the Missionaries of Jesus has accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jullundur of sexual harassment. The bishop has been charged with raping a nun repeatedly over the course of two years, allegations he denies. The first nun, who is a member of the Missionaries of Jesus, has said Read more
A Methodist church in central Christchurch where three men lost their lives in the 2011 earthquake has been rebuilt as a centre for spirituality, inclusion, and social justice. Methodist Church-owned Aldersgate on Durham St will officially open on February 29, when a memorial for those who died on the site will be unveiled in the Read more
President Trump is in strong shape among Roman Catholic voters who are serious about practicing their faith. But among categories in America’s largest single faith — ranging from occasional church-goers to non-practicing Catholics — support for the president drops dramatically. Trump, in fact, loses among non-devout Catholics to all of the major Democratic presidential hopefuls. Read more
The Salvation Army is strongly opposed to the Government’s new Racing Bill. Today, Salvation Army staff will make our oral submission to the Bill. “Harm from gambling is already at unacceptable levels in this country and increasing availability and new products through this Bill will only add to this problem,” says Siobhan Kemp, Public Health Read more
Hundreds of students staged a mass walk-out of a Catholic school after two gay teachers resigned because of their sexuality. The teachers from Kennedy Catholic High in Seattle both quit after getting engaged to their same-sex partners. After the news broke to the students, hundreds of them caused havoc by blocking corridors, protesting and staging Read more
Survivors of church sex abuse have descended on Rome this week, marking the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ summit of church leaders on preventing abuse with calls for more accountability and acknowledgment of their pain. On Thursday, three deaf Argentines marched to St. Peter’s Square. They were among the victims of violent sexual abuse by Read more
A school principal who asked parents if their kids didn’t want to sing the national anthem for “cultural or religious reasons” says none have asked to have their kids opted out. Carlton Primary in Whanganui sent a text to parents this week asking if they could get in touch “if you do not want your Read more