Although no date has been set, a Vatican spokesman confirmed Pope Francis is considering a trip to Armenia during the second half of June, a year after causing a diplomatic incident by calling the Ottoman-era slaughter of Armenians in the early 1900s a genocide. Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said the pope’s itinerary hasn’t been Read more
Secondary Principals’ Association president Sandy Pasley has expressed concern over potential liability for principals under a new health and safety law. Mrs Pasley, who heads Auckland’s Baradene College, said schools were screaming out for advice over the Health and Safety at Work Act, which comes into force next month. Principals could be fined up to Read more
During Holy Week and in the Easter season, the Vatican will take part in several initiatives highlighting the importance of ecology and the care for creation. The Governorate of Vatican City State announced March 18 that the thousands of floral arrangements for the Easter morning Mass and the pope’s solemn blessing “urbi et orbi” (to Read more
An atheist teacher who claimed he was fired for refusing to pray at school events has failed in his latest legal bid. Christopher Scott Roy, a former head of the art department at Auckland’s Tamaki College, took the school to the Employment Court. This was over a claim he was constructively dismissed because he is an Read more
For some filmgoers, hearing a movie described as “faith-based” makes it a must-see. But just as many others find the term a turn-off. To reach audiences beyond the Christian churchgoers that generally propel the genre, some producers of faith-based films are ramping up the star power and tamping down the evangelical messages. The latest example Read more
Passports of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a Catholic organisation with diplomatic relations with 106 states, are not recognised by New Zealand. According to a Mail Online article, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta diplomatic passport is one of the rarest in the world, with only a few hundred issued at any given time. Read more
In a powerful symbolic gesture that is sure to resonate across the globe from Europe to the United States and Australia, Pope Francis will wash the feet of 12 refugees on Holy Thursday in Rome. He will do so on March 24, at a center that assists migrants in the city. The Vatican has not Read more
In a farewell message, the outgoing head of the New Zealand Catholic Education Office has said he is pleased integrated schools are not a political football. Br Sir Patrick Lynch said the integrated school system “is a New Zealand invention that suits our needs and what it more, it works”. “In the process it ensures Read more
Pope Francis on Tuesday said Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata will become a saint on Sept. 4. Affectionately known as the “saint of the gutter” for her unconditional love for the poor, abandoned and marginalized, Mother Teresa earned several international honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She was beatified in 2003 by Read more
An Auckland church had to call police after men with a loudspeaker shouted homosexual-related abuse that could be heard during a service. About 100 worshippers at the 10am service at the Anglican St Matthew-in-the-City on March 6 heard the shouting from outside, which included the word “abomination”. St Matthew’s is known for being supportive of Read more