Over 300,000 Russians have been standing in huge lines for up to 10 hours to visit a gilded ark thought to carry bone fragment relics of St Nicholas. “The thing is, people don’t have much to hope for … they have nothing else to rely on, other than to go and pray,” says Xenia Loutchenko, Read more
Parliament will debate legalising voluntary euthanasia after Act Party leader David Seymour’s private member’s bill was drawn from the ballot on Thursday. The controversial bill represents the best chance for voluntary euthanasia to be legalised in New Zealand – although the issue is deeply polarising and many MPs including Prime Minister Bill English are firmly Read more
The world’s oldest Sister, Candida Bellotti, has died at her Italian convent. She was 110. A professional nurse and since 1931 a “Camillian” – that is, a member of the Congregation of the Ministers of the Sick of Saint Camillus, Sister Candida lived under 10 popes. They were: Pius X (1903-1914); Benedict XV (1914-1922); Pius Read more
Religious places must be protected, say India’s Catholic bishops. They are concerned about the way “some of the fringe elements feel empowered” to destroy them. The bishops spoke out after a mob of more than 100 people attacked a church, breaking statues of Jesus, the Blessed Mother, a crucifix and damaging furniture in the newly Read more
A prominent euthanasia advocate is set to tour the country, with a series of meetings planned in different cities over the next few weeks. Professor Jan Bernheim believes New Zealand should adopt laws to give terminally ill patients the right to choose to end their own life. Continue reading
Russian Catholics are reflecting on the past century since the revolution “in the light of faith and humanity’s ultimate redemption,” says Msgr. Igor Kovalevsky, secretary-general of Russia’s Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Read more
A former Waikato Catholic priest convicted and jailed for the sex abuse of young boys in the 1970s and 80s has admitted further historic offending. Mark Brown pleaded guilty to four representative charges when he appeared in Hamilton District Court on Tuesday. Continue reading
The executed bodies of eight civilians have been found dumped in a ravine outside Marawi City in the Southern Phillipines. Islamist rebels have been occupying the town for several days. Most of the dead were shot in the head. Some had their hands tied behind their backs. Read more
On Friday CathNews reported that priests will have to pay to register as marriage celebrants. This was an error. After receiving feed-back about this CathNews sought clarification from Internal Affairs. CathNews was informed that the following approved organisations, which are listed in the schedule in Part 2 Section 8 of the Marriage Act 1955 (as amended Read more