On her first day back at work after a triumphant trip to Paris, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern welcomed President Russell M. Nelson, leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Nelson told Ardern the church will make donations to leaders of the two mosques where a gunman killed 51 people in Read more
A GP forced out of work for asking a woman to remove her face veil (niqab) has attracted more than 20,000 signatures on a petition demanding his reinstatement. Dr Keith Wolverson could be struck off after “politely” asking a Muslim mother to remove the face veil so he could hear her properly as she described Read more
Victims of a paedophile priest from Dunedin are pleased Father Magnus Murray had been laicised. The Catholic Bishop of Hamilton Steve Lowe said he laicisation had been “a complicated process because of Murray’s age and health”.. Continue reading
Alabama’s Republican governor has signed the most stringent abortion legislation in the nation, making performing an abortion a felony in nearly all cases. “To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God,” Read more
Samoa’s Prime Minister says using teaching resources based on the works of the Scientology founder, Ron Hubbard, does not mean accepting his religious beliefs. Tuila’epa confirmed that the learning method known as ‘Study Technology’ was being trialled in six schools as a means to curb the decline in literacy, especially in primary schools. Read more
A man who falsely claimed to be a Catholic priest is facing justice in Peru for allegedly scamming over two dozen people. The church says it has never heard of the man who stole thousands of dollars and administered sacraments. The man says he worked in a priest in a church where he wasn’t known. Read more
A New Zealand woman has become just the second person to join an order of nuns who maintain a vow of silence and live as hermits in west Cork. Sr Anne Marie, formerly known as Hannah Loeman, professed her vows before Tridentine priest, Fr Thomas Le Gal and her fellow nun, Mother Irene. “I arrived here Read more
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Europe needs to push back against the far right, amid a political crisis that has claimed Austria’s government. Merkel made the remarks when asked about a scandal engulfing Austria’s anti-immigrant Freedom Party, whose leader Heinz-Christian Strache quit on Saturday as the government’s vice-chancellor. Strache was secretly recorded reportedly promising a Read more
A radical shake-up of the Catholic church in Wairarapa could see fewer church buildings, fewer priests, and a shift in the traditional HQ from Masterton. In a letter to parishes in February, the Archbishop of Wellington Cardinal John Dew directed them to review their churches and presbyteries in response to a “critical situation” with the Read more
Pope Francis took eight children rescued from crisis-hit Libya for a ride in his popemobile Wednesday, the youngsters grinning and snapping photos as they whizzed round Saint Peter’s Square. The children, wearing T-shirts reading “Welcome, Protect, Promote, Integrate”, hailed from Syria, Nigeria and the Congo, and were airlifted out of Libya along with their families Read more