German police have called for refugees to be housed along religious and ethnic lines after a series of mass brawls in emergency accommodation. Last week, a fight between up to 200 Syrians and Afghans in a Leipzig shelter turned into a running battle with residents using table legs as clubs. In Lower Saxony, police reported Read more
During this month’s synod on the family, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin will speak to Pope Francis about a possible papal visit to Ireland in 2018. Speculation is growing about a papal visit after it was announced that the next World Meeting of Families would be in Dublin in 2018. Archbishop Martin said Francis is Read more
Cardinal John Dew has left New Zealand for Rome to take part in the “Synod on the Family” which will take place, 4 – 25 October. Before leaving he asked Catholics to “remember all who will participate in the Synod especially our own participants from New Zealand and Oceania – Sharron Cole, Bishop Charles Drennan Read more
Collectivist beliefs may be holding back Maori economic success, three economists say. The trio have found that Maori are much more collectivist and non-materialistic and have stronger kinship ties than other New Zealanders. They say these values may explain why many Maori enterprises are built on a “stakeholder” model, where profits are shared with all Read more
The Catholic church is about to sell off a clutch of high-profile properties in Kapiti to fund a new church and school. Following the merger of its Paraparaumu and Waikanae parishes, the church has decided to sell both its existing churches and the current St Patricks School site in Paraparaumu. In their place, the church Read more
Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson’s lawyer has sought a permanent stay of proceedings in a case where the prelate is accused of concealing child abuse. Archbishop Wilson has previously pleaded not guilty to concealing the serious indictable offence of another person. The charge relates to when Wilson was an assistant parish priest in the 1970s and Read more
A South African cardinal has objected to people trying to pigeonhole synod fathers as conservatives and liberals. Writing in the Catholic Herald, Cardinal Wilfred Napier stated: “I am never at ease where people are busy fitting everyone into one or other pigeonhole, camp or category in order to predetermine what they are going to say Read more
Three bishops from China have travelled to the United States seeking reconciliation with the universal Church. The visits of Bishops Joseph Ma Yinglin, John Baptist Yang Xiaoting and Vincent Zhan Silu coincided with visits by Pope Francis and Chinese President Xi Jinping to the US. The three prelates belong to the Chinese-government sanctioned bishops’ conference Read more
The Catholic Diocese of Christchurch has announced the appointment of Andy Doherty as general manager. Answerable to the bishop, his areas of responsibility cover the rebuild of diocesan properties following the earthquakes including the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, finance, education, pastoral services and the Catholic Development Fund. He takes up his position on November Read more
The tukutuku panels were handmade by 40 Māori weavers and were presented to the UN earlier this year in addition to New Zealand’s original rimu wall, which was gifted in 1952. Each of the panels has its own unique story: some are traditional, while others were designed especially for the UN. Prime Minister John Key Read more