German Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, widely seen as a key opponent of Pope Francis, has penned a rare essay openly criticizing the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the Amazon, saying the official preparatory document breaks with Catholic teaching. According to Brandmüller’s essay, the synod’s recently-published preparatory document “burdens the Synod of Bishops, and finally the Pope, Read more
Last week the NZ Cartoon Archive at Wellington’s Alexander Turnbull Library published Mike Grimshaw’s Bishops, Boozers, Brethren & Burkas, which looks at religion in New Zealand through the eyes of the country’s cartoonists from the 1860s to the present day. Grimshaw’s book shows that the events of 15 March in Christchurch were not simply an Read more
In what is being dubbed a “surprising development,” U.S. President Donald Trump Sunday became the first American commander-in-chief to set foot in North Korea, at the invitation of Kim Jong Un. According to Pope Francis, speaking shortly after the meeting, it was an example of the “culture of encounter.” “In the last few hours we Read more
Only minutes after a hearing of the Royal Commission into child abuse wrapped up, a man was removing abuse survivors’ memorial ribbons at nearby St Patrick’s Cathedral. The bizarre incident on Tuesday followed ongoing controversy about the destruction of “loud fences” which commemorate abuse victims. Continue reading
Abuse survivor advocates say they’re cautiously optimistic after hearing promises a new Royal Commission will shine a light on New Zealand’s “dark and uncomfortable shared history”. At its first public session in Auckland on Tuesday, members of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions Read more
A court in central India has acquitted a Catholic priest accused of raping a woman in his presbytery after it could not find any merit in the charges filed almost a year ago. A trial court in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh state, acquitted 52-year-old Bhopal archdiocesan Father George Jacob on June 21. The Read more
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference has decided to remediate the leaky building issues faced by Holy Cross Seminary, Ponsonby, at an estimated cost of $7.6 million. NZCBC president and Auckland Bishop Patrick Dunn said the bishops considered three options: remediate, rebuild or relocate. Continue reading in NZCatholic
Evangelical Christian leaders are promising to pour millions of dollars into President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign. While the politician has continually acted decidedly not Christ-like while in office, his willingness to enact their social agenda in exchange for campaign dollars and votes has won him their continued backing. The Faith and Freedom Coalition has announced Read more
The Ministry of Education says in a one-month period 300,000 searches for pornographic material were blocked on school networks. Ministry representatives appeared before the Education and Workforce select committee to discuss a petition calling for better, more inclusive sex education. Associate deputy secretary Pauline Cleaver said the ministry is working on a plan to give Read more