Five years later after being first incarcerated, Shanghai’s Bishop Ma is still under house arrest. Ordinations are happening without him. Four priests were ordained in Shanghai Diocese last week. This is the first ordination since Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian died in 2013 — but most priests in the diocese avoided attending the ceremony. Read more
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops congratulate Father Bernard Espiritu SVD on his re-appointment as National Director of MissioNZ by the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, Rome. Father Bernard Espiritu has been the New Zealand National Director for the Pontifical Mission Societies since 2012. His ministry has been across several continents, most recently in North Read more
Faith leaders in Canada, including the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, other Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Baha’i faith leaders are asking for help to tackle the famines causing death, suffering and displacement in the world today. They have named four countries that need urgent help. Read more
Representative church leaders have met with the Prime Minister and Government ministers to ask for more action in the areas of immigration, housing and social investment. Their views are influenced by the experience of their church congregations and church based social agencies in most New Zealand communities. The church leaders that met with the Prime Read more
Pope Francis has given priests in the Diocese of Ahiara, Nigeria, 30 days to write him a letter. They must promise obedience to him and accept the bishop appointed for their diocese or be suspended. Read more
Archbishop Thomas White, who has died aged 85, had a long and distinguished career in the Vatican diplomatic corps and served in Africa, Asia, the Americas, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. In 1988 White was appointed to New Zealand, with responsibility for the vast Oceania territory, involving practically all the island states of the Read more
Not believing in the devil isn’t a good idea, warns Philadelphia’s Archbishop Charles Chaput. There is a medieval Christian saying, “no devil, no Redeemer,” he says. “The modern world makes it hard to believe in the devil. But it treats Jesus Christ the same way. And that’s the point.” Read more
A man who helped build modern Northland, the construction king, visionary and philanthropist Jack Guy, has died. His legacy reflects a devout religious side as well as a deep empathy for people, and his love of Northland. Guy was founding trustee and benefactor of the Catholic Homes Trust which built the Marian Heights Lifestyle Village. Read more
A set of 1,600-year-old frescoes in Rome’s catacombs have been exposed using modern technology. Experts used the latest laser technology to uncover the centuries of grime smudging multi-coloured frescoes that adorn the ceilings of two crypts built for Roman grain merchants. Read more
Marian College began site-sharing with Catholic Cathedral College in 2012 when damage caused by the 2011 earthquakes made its North Parade site uninhabitable. Then-board chair Gerard Duignan said the schools would co-locate for up to four years, but Marian College principal Marylou Davidson said on Wednesday there were no plans to move until a new Catholic bishop was appointed. Read more