Inland Revenue data shows the number of people filing a tax return to claim a tax rebate on donations has fallen year-on-year over the past three tax years, from 383,144 in the year to March 2013 to 359,541 in the 2015 year. Tax refund site MyTax analysed more than 300,000 tax returns and found the average total Read more
Entire families joined the Park Up for Homes event in Ōtara’s town centre on Saturday night, organised by members of the community and staff at Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT). About 200 carloads of people showed up in the cold and rain, with many saying they hoped the demonstration would raise public awareness and encourage Read more
Rome’s first ever female mayor has promised to pursue unpaid taxes worth hundreds of millions of euros from the Vatican. Virginia Raggi, 37, had said that if elected, she would pursue claims worth €250m and €400m. These are allegedly unpaid taxes on the Vatican’s real estate holdings and other assets. The taxes had never been Read more
A new centre for dialogue between faith and reason, between Church and society is to be set up in Dublin, Ireland. The University of Notre Dame from the US will oversee the initiative at University Church, Dublin. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin announced the establishment of the “Notre-Dame Newman Centre for Faith and Reason”. Earlier Read more
A synod of the Melkite Church has been postponed as half the church’s bishops tried to force the resignation of their patriarch. Ten Melkite bishops boycotted the synod meeting, in trying to get Patriarch Gregory III Laham to go. “I shall not resign,” Patriarch Gregory declared, denouncing the boycott. Without the 10 bishops, the synod Read more
Declining rolls at several Dunedin Catholic schools have forced the Catholic Diocese of Dunedin to consider the future of the city’s Catholic education network. Although the overall rolls of Dunedin’s nine Catholic primary schools had dropped only from 795 to 756 in the past decade, the rolls at St Joseph’s School in Port Chalmers and Read more
The Labour Party is supporting an inquiry into the euthanasia debate, but it’s not a priority. Labour leader Andrew Little said other issues such as homelessness, employment and healthcare that would be put before a euthanasia campaign. “It would be nice to be able to do everything from Opposition but we can’t, we have to Read more
Geraldine’s Catholic parishioners are reeling after their historic church was “desecrated” by thieves overnight on Saturday. Thieves entered through the main doors of the Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception on Peel St, by forcing them open. A gold chalice, a small silver cyborium (plate) (sic), crystal vessels with communion wine in them and a Read more
More than 200 Catholic couples were married in a huge tent in a nuptial Mass in Indonesia. The event, involving 239 couples and several priests, took place on the property of St Filomena Church in Mena. The main reason for the combined wedding was the desire to assist the issuing of marriage certificates by the state. This Read more
The Catholic Church in Pennsylvania has been accused of mafia-like tactics in a campaign to put pressure on lawmakers. The Church is lobbying against proposed state legislation that would give victims of sexual abuse more time to sue their abusers. Archbishop Charles Chaput inadvertently sent an email to a state representative accusing him of “betraying” Read more