In 2000 David Wilson QC (now District Court Judge Wilson QC) and I were the lawyers who represented the combined churches of Hamilton (the Catholic Church, Church of the Latter Day Saints, Anglican Diocese and the Islamic Centre) in opposing the granting of a casino licence for the Hamilton Casino. We lost the initial hearing Read more
Every winter for the past three years we’ve been offered another rare glimpse inside the controversial West Coast Christian community, through a series of documentary specials which increasingly seem to be little more than a NZ On Air-funded PR exercise for one of the country’s richest churches. Wednesday night’s instalment, provocatively subtitled A Woman’s Place, Read more
Hillary Clinton, the US Democratic presidential candidate, has accused Donald Trump of scapegoating the parents of a Muslim soldier killed in Iraq. Her comments came after Trump, the Republican nominee, took issue with remarks the soldier’s father made at the Democratic National Convention. In an ABC interview that aired on Sunday, Trump questioned why Ghazala Read more
Pope Francis does not ordinarily celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony. But on July 9, he made an exception for a young Italian deaf couple, who were married in the chapel at his residence, Casa Santa Marta. Teodoro Pisciottani and Paulina Szczepanska received the rare blessing of being united in marriage by the Holy Father, an Read more
According to Nielsen statistics, a whopping 429,000 Kiwis tuned into TV2’s Gloriavale special, A Woman’s Place on Wednesday night. The doco-series follows the young residents living in an exclusive Christian community on New Zealand’s West Coast, as they prepare for marriage, parenthood and life at Gloriavale. Gloriavale aired during the 8.30pm timeslot on TV2, with Read more
Australian Cardinal George Pell has vigorously rejected allegations of sexual abuse. Pell, who is who is the Vatican’s top financial officer, says the allegations amount to a “scandalous smear campaign”. According to a program on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) network, Pell faces accusations from the Australian cities of Ballarat, Torquay and Melbourne dating from the Read more
Former Canterbury Earthquake Recovery chief executive Roger Sutton has a new role as an Anglican church trustee. He has been appointed one of eight trustees on the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch Church Property Trust (CPT). Sutton (above) resigned from his role at Cera in November, 2014, after a senior staff member laid a sexual harassment Read more
A Catholic-themed colouring book designed for adults has just hit the market. Coloring books for adults have exploded onto the bookstore scene in the past two years. What was once considered a hobby for the kids is now all the rage for people who are full-grown. While the most popular books out there feature images Read more
After 15 years as general manager of New Zealand’s largest Catholic diocese, Auckland, Kerry Coleman has decided that the time has come for him to move on to pursue other interests and opportunities. Educated at Auckland’s Sacred Heart College and Auckland University, Mr Coleman came to Auckland diocese from a background and experience in property. After beginning his career in rural valuation and farm Read more
The until now unpublished list of names attached to a critique of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on family life shows the signatories to include professors at diocesan seminaries, a member of a pontifical academy, and the head of the church’s ecclesiastical structure in Afghanistan. The signatories had sent a letter to the world’s Catholic cardinals Read more