Planning is underway for Pope Francis to have an extra General Audience each month during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. The Prefect of the Pontifical Household, Archbishop Georg Ganswein, told Vatican Radio the extra General Audiences could possibly be on a Saturday. Archbishop Gaenswein said that since the beginning of Pope Francis’s pontificate in March Read more
A truck has ploughed into a crowd of Catholic pilgrims in Mexico, killing at least 16 people and injuring 30 others. Some 200 people were taking part in a procession on the main street of Mazapil in Zacatecas state when the truck ran into them. The dump truck “was apparently left without brakes and struck Read more
The Vatican will release a document on consecrated widowhood later this year. This was reported by Avvenire, a newspaper owned by the Italian episcopal conference. The paper noted that there are 200 consecrated widows in Italy and that another 100 are in formation. Consecrated widowhood was noted by St John Paul II in a 1996 apostolic Read more
Two religious sisters aged either side of 100 have died in recent days: Sister Mary Winefride RSM and Sister Mary Walburga DOLC. Mercy sister Mary Winefride Blake died on 30 July in Hutt Hospital. She was 101 years old. Winefride grew up in a musical house and spent much of her life teaching singing a Read more
Living in Colour, an eight-week recovery programme, is soon to begin in South Auckland. It’s designed to heal emotional fallout that can surface months, years or even decades after an abortion South Auckland programme organiser Pauline Louden says it’s grief support because many women suffer from a sense of loss, numbness or sadness after their Read more
Hato Petera College principal John Matthews has been suspended from his role as Chief Executive of the accommodation division, but remains head of the school. The move has caused further disharmony between trustees of the school boards, one of which runs the school, while the other is responsible for the marae, the hostel and the Read more
A Spanish woman who identifies as a man and plans to undergo a sex-change operation has been refused permission to be a godparent of her nephew. Bishop Rafael Zornoza Boy of Cadiz and Cueta determined that Alex Salinas, 21, cannot be a baptismal sponsor because of canonical requirements that a sponsor live in accordance with Read more
The Holy See has withdrawn from an alliance formed to combat human trafficking. The Global Freedom Network signed an agreement in the Vatican in March last year, aiming to form an interreligious network supported by the Walk Free Foundation, which is financed by Australian magnate Andrew Forrest. The goal was to foster awareness among religious Read more
In a response to Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’, Chicago archdiocese plans to benchmark all of its 2700 buildings to aid energy efficiency. This will see churches, schools and other buildings evaluated for their water usage, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. Data will be tracked using the US Environmental Protection Agency’s free Energy Star Portfolio Read more
Six St Mary’s College, Wellington, students are collaborating with major New Zealand fashion designers for their first business venture. “Tees For Teens” are producing two limited edition designer T-shirts featuring a creation by both Trelise Cooper and Moochi, with profits going to CanTeen. The white T shirts have a black design that was created as Read more