On Monday, France became the first country in the world to enshrine the right to abortion in its basic law, a move that has been staunchly opposed by the French bishops and by the Vatican. “The Pontifical Academy for Life reiterates that precisely in the era of universal human rights, there cannot be a ‘right’ Read more
The private Catholic chapel where two Spanish men celebrated their civil “marriage” last weekend is subject to “canonical effects” and deconsecration, according to the Archdiocese of Madrid and a Catholic priest with jurisdiction in the area. The Holy Trinity Chapel, located on the grounds of the Finca El Campillo, a property used as a wedding Read more
Dressing up in fancy clothes is just one of the perks of volunteering at an op shop. Senior pupils from Trinity Catholic College and Taieri College spent the morning helping unpack donations at Shop on Carroll as part of an Enviroschools hui yesterday. The secondary schools hui “YOUR VOICE!” focused on turning environmental ideas into Read more
Turkish drone strikes in northeastern Syria on Wednesday killed at least three members of a local Christian force and wounded others, including civilians, a Kurdish official and a Syrian opposition war monitor said. Also on Wednesday, it was reported Israeli airstrikes hit Damascus. On the same day, in the southern Syrian city of Sweida, security forces Read more
Kāpiti Coast councillors has agreed to set up an independent trust which will provide local residents with affordable housing, and could potentially take over the district council’s money-losing pensioner flats. The entity could work with iwi or other organisations to build affordable or social housing on land that it bought or received from the council. Read more
A global child rights organisation has urged the government to curb early and unintended pregnancies among teenagers in the Philippines, which has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Asia. Save the Children Philippines drew attention to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) recording 3,135 cases of adolescent pregnancies among young girls aged 10-14 in Read more
Fifteen people were killed in an attack on a Catholic church in the village of Essakane, located along the borders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. According to Burkina Faso’s Bishop of Dori Diocese, Laurent Birfuoré Dabiré, militants attacked the few remaining faithful in the area. Jihadist groups are known to hide in the area, Read more
Alcohol available for consumption fell by the biggest amount in 15 years. A brewers association said broader economic and living cost pressures were impacting consumption and the hospitality sector. Stats NZ data released today showed a 4.3 per cent decline last year compared to 2022. The last year was challenging for domestic producers Read more
Life as a parish priest is a “Eucharistic adventure” that involves serving God’s people under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Pope Francis told transitional deacons. It is about living “This is my body, given for you” each day, he wrote, and it requires “a constant attitude, made up of acceptance, compassion, tenderness, a style Read more
If we could only convert the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into fuel, that would be a huge leap forward in the fight against global warming. In what’s been hailed a breakthrough, Kiwi and Chinese scientists have developed a system they hope will be able to do exactly that. Eventually, the process could be used to Read more