Cameroon needs the Catholic Church to help broker peace, says the International Crisis Group. It could help break the stalemate between separatists and security forces, the Group says. “Other than the Catholic clergy, there are few prospective peacemakers.” Read more
In his latest newsletter Cardinal John Dew writes: Dear Friends Today we finish our meeting of the Bishops Conference in Auckland and I fly out of New Zealand for five weeks. As many of you know I walked the Camino eight years ago, leaving St Jen Pied de Port in France, up over the Pyrenees and Read more
Exorcism takes longer than it did in even the recent past. According to one exorcist working in Italy, the average time needed for a person to be freed from demonic influence now needs multiple meetings. In the past it was common for a person to be liberated in one session, even if the blessing lasted Read more
Dr Graham O’Brien, argued for better palliative care and mental health services, in a debate on the End of Life Choice Bill at the Christ Church Transitional Cathedral last Thursday night. O’Brien said the bill was philosophically and practically flawed and would compromise medical professionals’ ethics. “If we say death is a right for somehow Read more
Religious freedom conditions worsened across the globe in the past year. The U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom’s 2018 report says abuses against religious freedom include genocide, enslavement, rape, imprisonment, forced displacement, forced conversions, property destruction, and bans on religious education of children. The report was released last week. Read more
Forty-seven marriage celebrant applications have been rejected in the past two-and-a-half years because the applicants were unwilling to officiate same-gender weddings. Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages Jeff Montgomery said it was important to distinguish between organised celebrants and independent celebrants. Continue reading
Young Catholics are returning to the traditional rosary. John Mallon, who helped organise a Rosary on the Coast event last Sunday afternoon said he thinks this is because “young people crave stability in a world that often changes quicker due to technological advances.” The event was held in 350 locations in the British Isles . Read more
Hundreds turned out to show their support for the new Archbishop of Aotearoa Don Tamihere, who was installed as head of the Maori Anglican Church at a ceremony at Manutuke Marae on Saturday. He also became an Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, joining Archbishop Philip Richardson (Pakeha) Read more
In South Sudan about a third of the 12 million people have been forced to flee their homes. The Catholic Church is one group trying to help alleviate suffering. In the grounds of the Cathedral of St. Mary in Wau, for example, almost 10,000 internally displaced people continue to find refuge. Read more Read more
New Zealand’s child poverty, inadequate housing, incarceration and violence has “shocked” a United Nations committee reviewing the country’s human rights record. Members of a committee overseeing the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) were last month incredulous at some of New Zealand’s worst statistics, chief human rights commissioner David Rutherford said. Continue Read more